I'm a researcher and a university professor with a broad range of interests (aviation, history, politics, sociology, mountaineering — you name it!). I'm losing my touch with most of them though, as my work takes a hold on me. I cannot say I mind it: to do your job properly is the most obvious way to make a difference in the world. (NB: If you are sending me a couch request, would you mind telling me about the job you're dreaming of... or your current job if you've fulfilled this dream already? ) Being a scientist, I enjoy looking at mundane things from peculiar angles and grasp different points of view to create a solid colorful picture of the universe... and when I'm tired of mental exercises I'd go dance discofox or get myself lost in the woods!

For those who prefer pictures over words - my Instagram is @vleon55.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It's amazing how easy it is to meet people from other cultures thanks to CS. I'm here for a cultural exchange and practicing languages, especially Spanish. La gente que habla español, aún si no es su lengua nativa, es todavía bienvenida! Also I'm eager to listen to some Polish, although still struggling with speaking it.

Interests

• dancing
• walking
• politics
• reading
• cycling
• backpacking
• teaching
• languages
• mathematics
• science
• sociology
• complex systems
• complexity

Music, Movies, and Books

I have a lot of favorite music for different occasions — running, dancing, driving, singing, listening. For the latter case I have a big list of preferred singers-songwriters and music groups, most of them Hispanic (Aute, Rodriguez, Sosa, Victor Hara and others), but there are some English as well (Simon and Garfunkel, Jim Croce, Poets of the Fall, Thirteen Senses, Of Monsters and Men). I'm also fond of Russian rock (Bi-2, Kino, DDT) and various Polish groups (Skubas, Myslovitz, Mateusz Ziółko). For programming Ludovico Einaudi and Joe Hisaishi suit just fine (when you listen to piano while typing it feels like you're actually playing it, lol), and while I'm running out of time before a deadline (or just running), I prefer Disturbed and Skillet.

Here are some of my favorite movies: ″American Beauty″, "Mister Nobody", "Dancing with wolves", "The city of God", "Drogówka", a bunch of Hayao Miyazaki cartoons, the movies of Hernán Jiménez ("A ojos cerrados", "El regreso") and Yuri Bykov ("The Fool", "To Live"). One of my recent findings are the mini-cartoon series called "Over the Garden Wall" — they are just fantastic!

Concerning the books, I like thought-provoking sci-fi (like Bradbury, Shackley, Stanislaw Lem), some classic literature (Hesse, Hugo, Remarque, London, a bit of Dostoevskiy and Tolstoy). I'm very fond of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Last but not least, I'm a fan of Serhiy Zhadan (his "Voroshilovgrad" is a real gem) and Viktor Pelevin.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbed my first mountain in Kazakhstan. Accomplished four-day road trips from Omsk to St Petersburg and from Omsk to lake Baikal. Hosted a couple of strangers I've accidently met on the street — that required a big change in my mentality indeed.

Teach, Learn, Share

Well, I am keen on sharing my knowledge on the city and our country and learn about your attitude to life and things. I'm very fond of getting acquainted with the image of Russia from the point of foreigners, as being a local dweller you don't notice a lot of things.

I'm always eager to talk with profound and enthusiastic people who think of life as a path with a certain direction rather than an amusement park and still remain cheerful despite that attitude.

If you're going to make a Transsiberian trip, as a former Siberian dweller I'd be happy to give you some hints on where to go and what to see.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Russian Federation, United States