Hi, my name is Krzysztof (Chris, if it's easier for you). I'm a student, programmer, musician and cyclist. I study Automatic and Robotics at AGH. I love programming and I'm rather a scientific mind, but I'm not that kind of a geek that sits in front of a monitor all day long. I play violin professionally and keyboard, harmonica and drums at the basic level (I also sing in a choir). I'm more into contemporary music rather than classical and I love jamming. Cycling is the almost only way I commute.

I don't like that much travelling alone, but it's really inspiring to meet new people and learn about different cultures, styles of living and points of view.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm here for a few reasons. The most important one is that I'd like to have more opportunities to meet new, open people. I believe that every person has their own history and experiences as well as their own microcosm of feelings, desires, needs, fears and expectations. Meeting other people is also a chance for me to learn about different cultures. I like that other people do things differently - I'm eager to find new live hacks and make my life more convenient; as well as share my own live hacks. And I like that other people think differently - it helps me realize how stupid stereotypes I sometimes believe in are. :-)

One of other reasons is that I'd like to improve my English speaking skills. And it's always a joy to find people sharing the same hobbies. I love jamming, so if you want to play together, ping me!

Interests

• singing
• piano
• violin
• drums
• cycling
• entrepreneurship
• harmonica
• programming
• jamming

Music, Movies, and Books

As classically trained violinist, I was exposed to a lot of classical music. However, now I'm more into contemporary music, especially blues rock and rock, because it's easy to improvise to and I love jamming. I also like heavy metal, especially extreme sub genres like death metal, for being extreme :-).

I also like discovering new approaches to music, i.e. Chinese artist Gong Linna who fuses classical Chinese music and contemporary music. Or Zorigoo who fuses Mongolian throat singing and techno - it's very good, really, check it out. :-)

I read a lot of articles, blogs and books. I can share with you my list of RSS subscriptions. I read so much books, that I don't have time to read them all -- most of the time, I read only free samples. I don't like much fiction, although I like criminals (i.e. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson) and science fiction (i.e. Space Odyssey by Arthur Clarke).

I don't watch much movies and I don't watch TV at all.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Conducting programming workshops in Denmark (as a volunteer) and UK (commercially). That was a challenge for me since I'm not native speaker. I've also held a lot of workshops in Cracow.

Teach, Learn, Share

I volunteered in Polish NGO "Akademia Przyszłości" ("Academy of Future") which helps kids who are behind. It's not just about getting a tutor and having private lessons for free, it's more about making mental shift and making these kids more proactive, resourceful, so that they can take control of their lives.

I volunteer in Software Carpentry - a non-profit world-wide organization delivering workshops for scientists and researchers. We teach basic programming skills. Our community in Cracow organized a lot of workshops here. I also taught in Denmark, in Aarhus. I'm also developer of AMY, web application used by Software Carpentry admins to manage all 1000 workshops that were delivered so far. If you send me a request, please include the name of the application, so I know you read my profile. :-)

I played in Fresco Sonare, youth string ensemble (I played violin), now I sing in Insieme, youth choir. And I play in a rock/heavy metal band named Novva. I jam on violin from time to time in Harris, IMO the best club with live music in Cracow, and few other places.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- If you like music, I can teach how to play violin, harmonica, drums or keyboard. I love jamming. If you're not a player/singer, we can listen to new music. I can share my favorite music with you.
- As a programmer and trainer, I can show you basics of programming or conducting workshops.
- I can share with you how it's in Poland.
- I like board games, so we can play one.
- I can practice English with you.
- I can share list of my RSS subscriptions.
- I can share cycling live hacks (especially if you commute by bike).

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Poland