Hey, I'm Valentin, a 26yo maths teacher
During summer 2015, I had the opportunity to volunteer in an Icelandic farm. It was pretty much the first time traveling alone for me, and since that experience I really got into that thing. And not only traveling to see beautiful landscapes or take pretty pictures. But mainly because traveling alone gives the chance to meet dozens of new people, it leads you to crazy situation that you learn to handle, and it just teaches so much overall. Traveling is for me a way to find myself, and I'm very lucky to have found a way to do that.
Apart from that, I'm fond of languages: I love to learn a bit of everything, especially slavic languages that I find very beautiful. I also love philosophy, photography, movies, board games, and always enjoy a beer.
I also enjoy very much working and/or playing with kids.During summer 2016, I've spent 2 months working as a counselor in a summer camp for kids in Siberia: I played with them, taught them English and french, and they taught me Russian.
I then spent one year in Siberia (Barnaul) before becoming a maths teacher in France.
As far as my personality goes, I'm rather shy and discreet (traveling has been a way for me to overcome that), always happy to help with anything I can, and always ready to try crazy experiences.

insta: @valya_photki

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I started travelling, I met a lot of people, in hostels or through my volunteering programs that told me a lot of good things about couchsurfing.
As much as I love hostels, and the opportunity to meet other travelers it offers, I think couchsurfing could be a new and refreshing way to travel, and would allow me to meet locals more easily (for example, I've been to Praha 2 days, and there were so many tourists that I didn't meet any Czech).

Interests

I'm very often with my camera and enjoy taking pictures of everything: landscapes, architechture, the people in the street, my surroundings..
And I love languages, I like to learn a bit of everything, especially slavic languages that I find very beautiful.

• photography
• languages
• language exchange
• photo
• russia
• philosphy
• siberia

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Бриллиантовая рука,
Прогулка (2003),
Москва слезам не верит,
Операция „Ы“ и другие приключения Шурика,
Кавказская пленница, или Новые приключения Шурика,
Le dîner de cons,
Le père noël est une ordure,
Les visiteurs,
Les bronzés,
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind,
Brazil,
Funny games,
The Shawshank Redemption,
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,
American Beauty,
Usual Suspects,
The Silence of the Lambs

Books
1984,
L'étranger,
La Nausée,
Le parfum,
The Road
The grapes of wrath

Music
Radiohead, PinkFloyd, Artic Monkeys, Sabaton, .... I don't liste a lot to music and I'm ad at remembering names, so let's just say Rock music

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Living one year in Siberia

Teach, Learn, Share

Would be happy to exchange language learning (I'm really fond of knowing a little bit of many languages), typical meals from our respective countries (I'm not a very good cook but I can still do some stuff!).
I'm particularly interested in knowing more about the city I go to, from a local perspective ;)

What I Can Share with Hosts

A friendly spirit, as much help as I can offer with anything, stories about previous travels, ... and a smile ;)

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Tunisia, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Russian Federation