Hi! I am Victoria (Vicky, Vika, whatever), I am 19 and starting to explore this beautiful world on my own. I come from Transcarpathia, which is the westernmost and the only mountainous region of Ukraine, and I am a sophomore of international relations in Kyiv. Currently I study in Riga, Latvia as an exchange student and get acquainted with the new people and cultures.

I do love diversity and listening to people`s stories, and that is one of the reasons why I devote most of my time to international relations, volunteering projects, and, of course, traveling. I am impulsive, keen on cultures and art and ready to talk about everything, from space exploration to current situation in Myanmar.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Last year I made my first solo trip to Venice and that was such a blast of adventures and emotions! That was also the first time when I had a chance to experience different cultures through direct communication with the people from the hostel, streets, and many other different places.

I love learning and exploring different ideas and thoughts (I'm a student, that's what I'm supposed to do) and also. for some reason, my brightest memories from different places are because of (or thanks to) meeting and communicating with the locals. So this is why recently I joined the CS community, hoping to continue experiencing the world in this way, more than just a tourist.

Interests

• arts
• culture
• singing
• architecture
• dancing
• politics
• reading
• music
• violin
• skiing
• philosophy
• volunteering
• debating

Music, Movies, and Books

(SO hard to choose)

Music: Nina Simone, Alt-J, Radiohead, Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Son Lux, The Maccabees, Harry Nilsson, nearly anything ( I mean, I grew up in the metamodernist culture and embrace lots of different (sometimes even conflicting) things.)

Films: no favorites, but I do appreciate works of Woody Allen, Jim Jarmusch, Jean-Luc Godard and some old movies. You must know this feeling when in different films you pay attention to different aspects (actor's play, the general idea, the visuals etc) and that's why cannot say that some film is entirely good or bad. Even "The room" by Wiseau:)

Books: "The Citadel" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, works of William Somerset Maugham, André Maurois and so many others. Still, I haven't read fiction for soo long :(

I'm also quite fond of sculpture and paintings. Rodin, Bernini, Munch, Klimt, Schiele, Vrubel, Magritte, Moreau are just some artists which strike me.

Oh, and recently I discovered the art of photography. So far I like the works of Paolo Pellegrin, Bruce Gilden, but I would be really grateful if somebody could show me some new artists and ideas in the field.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Jumped from the bridge with the rope on the biggest river in Ukraine?
Volunteered at the children camp since 14.

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach some Ukrainian (Transcarpathian dialect included), explain current news on North Korea, the EU, maybe even Ukraine; could play the violin, a little bit of piano and sing, so we could arrange some jams; share the things I learned while traveling and making spontaneous stuff

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm not an avid cooker, but I can make really good deruny. Songs, stories, and attention. Things inside my head worth sharing. Generally, most of the time I am in the good mood, so happiness and smiles as well (if you believe in vague things like that).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Latvia, Ukraine