I'm three quarters Russian and one quarter Tajik. When I was in Turkey people thought I was Turkish, when I'm in the U.S. people think I'm Latin American. I'll add more nationalities as I travel :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love meeting new people and expand my horizon! I believe people have more similarities than differences and I seek to explore the depth of human nature and it's variations because humans are beautiful no matter your color, origin or race!

Interests

I love photography, especially light painting! I wish I had more time to just go out there and photograph people, landscapes and explore my creativity with light in general. I always shoot in RAW and that takes lots of processing time!

• books
• photography
• traveling
• music
• electronic music
• drums
• videogames
• playing guitar
• cultural exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Aria (Russian rock band), and a mix of R&B, hip hop and EDM. I guess I'm all over the place; however, I attribute my love for rock and roll to my post soviet upbringing environemnt and my dad who loves that era!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I flew over Pamir mountains in a small jet. It was the most exciting flight I have ever taken. The flight only goes when the weather is near-pefect. Because the flight is canceled so often, you only buy tickets just before flight time. The plane is a 12-passenger, twin-engine plane whose max altitude means that you fly between the mountain ranges instead of over them. I was warned about the "Mountain Gate," a spot where the plane must navigate a very narrow gap between the mountains (this is why they only fly when conditions are excellent). The whole flight was spectacular but the gate was particularly exciting. It was a mountain pass where we were so close to the peaks that I could have easily seen a golf ball embedded in the side of the mountain (both sides of the plane were this close), and we were only clearing the pass by less than 500 feet. For much of the way I was flying over the river that is the Tajik/Afghan border, so as the river wound we were sometimes over Tajikistan and sometimes Afghanistan.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a continuous learner and I strive to discover and explore, to challenge myself and dream BIG! I genuinely enjoy listening and learning from people!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Central Asian cultures and discussions about the world through the prism of our experiences and backgrounds - it's amazing how much you can learn just by talking to people!

Countries I’ve Visited

Kazakhstan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Russian Federation, United States