CURRENT MISSION

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson

ABOUT ME

Hey,
my name is Ivan, I´m born in russia, but I´ve grown up nearly all of my life in the Southwest of Germany, in the are in and around Freiburg, a beatiful place in the Black Forest.
Currently I am in my fifth year of studies in medicine being an exchange student in Lausanne, Switzerland.
After I´ve graduated from school I did a Civil Service (Zivildienst) for about 9 months, taking care of a disabled man and his household, a very enforcing and enriching experience. Afterwards i went for a three months lasting journey through southeast Asia ( Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Dubai) and that´s when i got in touch with the CS community and the great opportunities and gifts from being on the road.
Further travels have led me to Northindia, China (where i did an internship in a hospital), Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tunisia (internship) and the Alps ( and some other smaller trips).
If you want to know more about me, you should ask me personally, maybe over a cup of coffee, tea, a drink or in the tent while trekking....

PHILOSOPHY

I try to find my way and thus find luck

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Well, i travel and try to support other members as well..... i try to give something and also receive something back, so letting people change me and me also change others.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have been travelling for nearly three months using CS for staying at 6 lovely hosts and meeting people from CS. It was such a great experience i would not like to miss.
i used to move a lot in my life, that also includes staying at a totally foreign´s house in a kind of flat-sharing community at the age of only 11, what really pleased me and made the proprietress and me good friends. i´m always pleased to have a possibilty to meet foreigners. i like hitchhiking, picking up hitchhikers and participate in carsharing programs when i travel.
Also I have stayed at local´s places throughout Asia, in simple dwellings, sometimes in poorest conditions.
Recently I became active on CS again, so I hosted and met a few people this way in Freiburg, Tunisia and Berlin

Interests

I do rock-climbing and running.
Also I´ve fallen in love with trekking and nature in general, trying to do as much as possible on my own.
I used to do arts, but I am not into it currently. But I am playing guitar and base.
Also I am taking care of exchange students. And some other stuff of course :-)

• arts
• coffee
• running
• drinking
• traveling
• socializing
• guitar
• rock climbing
• medicine
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

heinrich böll, franz kafka, hermann hesse, stefan zweig, Francois Lelord, The road less travelled, The White Tiger, The catcher in the Rye, Khaled Hosseini, Yann Martel, Agota Kristof, Milan Kundera, others, all kinds of music, especially progresssive ones

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

as i mentioned, i took care for an disabled man, and this is a very important experience i´ve been in. it makes me see the world differently and learn to approach peolpe in different ways... next to it is my trip through south-east Asia, maybe the best time in my life, full of great experiences, not only positive ones. I`ve done some very stupid things that I can`t really be proud of, however these were very intensive and beautiful moments. And Love.....And all the other trips and crazy stories I might tell you once!

Teach, Learn, Share

Living and loving

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Egypt, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Nepal, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Russian Federation