My name is Alexander, but feel free to call me Alex or Sasha or any other suitable form you prefer. I am a Belarusian activist currently living in Poland

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, my favorite pastime was planning extremely cheap trips for myself and my friends. My profile description used to be, "I always prefer to meet new people and travel, and I don't like to sit at home. I like to act without a plan and remain calm in any unforeseen situation." However, a lot has changed since then

In 2020, the dictatorship in my homeland of Belarus, which has been oppressing people since 1996, became even more brutal, leading to the largest protests in its history and, unfortunately, the most widespread repression. After several people close to me were arrested, I fled the country and started volunteering in Ukraine to help those facing political persecution

When the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, I also started working with Ukrainian charities and supporting Belarusian volunteer battalions fighting against russia

In November 2022, my volunteer residence permit was almost expiring, so I left Kyiv and moved to Warsaw, where I continue to reside and support civil initiatives in Belarus and Ukraine, as well as anti-authoritarian associations worldwide

During "peacetime," I work as the COO at my own web design and development agency, specializing in Web3 and technology fields. While I can't travel as much as before or host people, I'm always happy to meet with the folks from the CS community

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I really admire the opportunity to find a company anywhere in the world with two clicks

Interests

I can support a conversation about any topic, even if I don't understand it at all 🥲

• human rights
• beer
• coffee
• board games
• traveling
• hiking
• tourism
• hitchhiking
• mountains
• watching movies
• stand up comedy
• meeting new people
• flexible

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a music lover, and my favorite genres include pop, rap, electronic, new wave, lo-fi, punk and post-punk, and some kinds of rock

I don't have favorite books or movies, but I enjoy genres like detective, fantasy, and thriller in literature as well as in cinema

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Started travelling before Belarus put me on the international wanted list 🫡

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share with you many travel and life stories, some of which may be hard to believe, or teach you some Belarusian 🙂

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am willing to share with the hosts everything I have, right up to the last piece of chewing gum !

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belarus, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine