Hello everybody! :D

My name is Vana and I live in Athens, the beautiful, yet underrated, capital of Greece. I am an accredited counsellor-psychotherapist and special needs educator. I work full-time in a Day Centre for children and adolescents who have experienced abuse/neglect, plus I see clients in my small private practice. :) I'm also a part-time postgraduate student in Creative Writing. :)

I ♥: travelling in Greece, Europe and worldwide (I'm a real addict!), water (sea, rivers, lakes), nature, photography, trekking, wildlife, Greek summer, ethnic cuisines, reading, long walks, long talks with interesting people, cooking vegetarian and vegan food, postcards, fashion, rain, cinema evenings, museums, art, outdoor activities and much more!

I'm an easy-going person with positive energy and I like meeting new people and exchanging ideas and experiences! Even though I'm social and I love interaction, personal space is very important for me and I need it on daily basis! My close people respect that and of course I always try to give space to the people I interact with as well!

As I said before, travelling is one of my greatest passions! Sometimes I wish I had a cheaper "hobby", but at the same time I think that I would be a poor person then, with less experiences and restricted point of view. I enjoy writing travel stories in a Greek on line travel community, plus I'm trying to launch my own travel blog.

PHILOSOPHY

The quotations that summarize my philosophy are the following:

Even if you cannot shape your life as you want it,at least try this as much as you can; do not debase it.
K. Kavafis (Greek poet)

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."
St Augustine

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to meet locals during my trips, as it makes my stay there much more interesting, especially when I travel solo. I also enjoy to show my city to couchsurfers who visit it! It's nice to exchange ideas and experiences with people from different cultures and backgrounds!

I used to be reluctant to surf in someone else's couch, but I did it during my trip to Iran and loved it! I met wonderful people and the Persian hospitality is absolutely remarkable! Now I can't wait to do it again and also to host people in my own couch! :)

Interests

Nature, Rivers, Lakes, Sea, Photography, Ethnic Cuisines, Cooking vegetarian and vegan food, Trekking, Sleeping, Movies, Theatre, Art, Internet, Museums, Literature, Reading, Spending time with the people I love and of course Travelling!

• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• fashion
• photography
• cooking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• outdoor activities
• swimming
• lakes
• rivers
• trekking

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visiting Niagara Falls, a miracle of the nature.
Sleeping in a yurt in Song Kol lake, Kyrgyzstan and watching the sunset in the steppes there.
Enjoying the night on a small boat in Nile, Cairo.
Walking in the wonderful maze called Fes Medina in Morocco!
Swimming in Fonias, Samothraki Island.
Crossing from the Asian to the European side of Istanbul on a boat during sunset.
Visiting the amazing archeological site of Petra, Jordan.
Watching the stars in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece.
Safari in Masai Mara, Kenya.
Snorkelling in exotic places, especially Kenya and Thailand.
Trekking in my dream island, Madeira.
Enjoying the Greek islands-views, sea, food, everything!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you Greek! Too obvious?

What I enjoy the most is sharing life and travel experiences with other people. I believe that it's the best way to understand someone and having something of him/her to remember, even if you don't have the chance to spend much time with him/her.

What I Can Share with Hosts

From life experiences, ideas, philosophy to travel tips! :)

I think that I'm a person with a pleasant personality, who doesn't like to take advantage of people and appreciates their kindness, so I hope that their experience with me will be a good one. :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Greece, Scotland