Trying to seize the day and live my life to the fullest.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. So that's basically the reason why I'm here.
Although I’m new on CS, I’ve been hosted before. First, on an exchange Youth Leadership program in the US when I was a high school student. I lived in a host family in the beautiful picturesque state of Colorado (omg, I’m SO in love with mountains). The time I spent with my hosts going sightseeing, playing board games, having conversations, climbing the mountains, and doing other fun activities in a really small town can’t compare to the time I spent staying in hotels in Chicago and Washington DC because nothing can compare to real human communication and the connection people coming from different cultural backgrounds can build. The experience I got when traveling to other countries proved the same thing! When I was choosing an apartment to rent in Italy, I opted for the ones with hosts, which made me fall in love with this country even more. Soo to me, being isolated from locals in a comfy hotel room isn’t a good way to fully explore another culture, so now after finally graduating from university this summer, I feel ready to start my journey here.

Interests

• cats
• singing
• theater
• photography
• acting
• meditation
• politics
• guitar
• languages
• psychology
• volunteering
• mountains
• nature
• mindfulness
• karate
• mental health
• psychotherapy
• historical dramas

Music, Movies, and Books

The sounds and intonation of the Italian language are the music my ears adore, but as for the music in its direct meaning, I enjoy listening to many kinds of it depending on my mood.
As my life's been quite eventful at university, I rarely watch films and series but I used to watch lots of historical dramas. Now I either pick something thought-provoking and profound or watch something fun and light with friends. And I'm not the kind of person who reads at least 100 pages a day. I read quite slowly and take breaks. Recently I've been reading psychotherapy and psychoanalysis-related books. My favorite work this year so far is "Existential Psychotherapy" by Irvin D. Yalom.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Made amazing friends!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you some karate moves (the ones I still remember:D), how to play a few guitar chords and can share some tips and secrets of language learning. And as I'm also a Russian as a Foreign Language teacher, I can teach you some challenging sounds and fun words and expressions. If you're not interested in anything described above, I can just shut up and be an excellent listener;)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can bring you some Belarusian treats (like sugared cranberries or zefir, for instance) or something from our traditional drinks. I can also cook a traditional dish from "bulba" (potatoes in Belarusian - a very common ingredient in our traditional cuisine). I can sing you some of our Belarusian songs and tell you about my culture whatever you're interested in.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Georgia, Italy, Lithuania, Russian Federation, United States