Hey there :)

Katerina is my full name, but most people call me Tia now. I come from Kazakhstan, but I had lived 5.5 years in Moscow, Russia, and started traveling the world in 2018. My longest journey lasted 3.5 months, and I traveled 8 countries, and now I intend to keep exploring the world almost forever (or until I find a place where I feel like home).

I am a digital-marketing specialist and I work remotely, but I also tutor adults English in the same EdTech startup where I work. People say I have a warm aura and generally enjoy my presence, but I can be introverted and sometimes need quiet moments (That's when I stay in hotels, haha).

I love reading a lot, and I can give you lots of book recommendations. I also had many story-worthy experiences in my life, and I enjoy exchanging them with interesting people. Humans resemble books a lot: we all have our backstories, and we all live an endless plot of our life. Stories are my biggest priority nowadays. I want to live a life I can tell my grandchildren about when we eat my signature apple pie at the huge dinner table.

Let me know if you'd like to know me better :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I joined CS in 2018 before my first journey to Amsterdam & Paris. It has been a remarkable experience, it opened my eyes to the world of 'locals, not tourists', and ever since I was using CS occasionally when I traveled. Even in my homecoutry, Kazakhstan, I stayed with a girl from CS, and we're close friends now! Same goes for people I met in Amsterdam, Istanbul and many other places.

I still enjoy the feeling of exploring places like a local, it means a lot to me to emerge into the culture and, with all due respect, become a temporary part of it.

Interests

• music festivals
• cooking
• music
• freelancing
• languages
• youtube
• food
• english
• videography
• new cultures
• europe
• new experiences
• communication
• eurovision
• media
• happiness
• new friends
• chat
• swedish
• new places
• sweden
• video production
• cooking and baking
• smm
• media studies

Music, Movies, and Books

I am very open to new genres when it comes to music, and what I listen to sorely depends on the vibe I am feeling now. For instance, I have periods when I listen to classics only because I get tired of the voice & lyrics. However, I am a wordlover most of the time, so I enjoy songs with deep meaning and good production. My latest favorites are Hozier, Gracie Abrams, turkish singer Güneş, and Måneskin.

I don't watch movies much since my attention span is like 3 minutes, but I do love cartoons. I am a child at heart forever, and I can rewatch How to train your dragon endlessly. But I do love Tick, Tick... Boom! and Burlesque, so movies-wise I prefer musicals.

Books. My endless passion. Lately, I became a booktok-girl, so I collect fantasy and romantic fantasy, like Cruel Prince by Holly Black, but I also can appreciate something 'solid' like Remark and Nabokov (my favorite Russian author!).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiked 397 km around Balkans in 10 days, thus, discovered Bosnia and Herzegovine, Albania and Montenegro in a ways no one could walk for me.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can be many things, but most permanent trait of mine is being open to new knowledge

What I Can Share with Hosts

My stories, my soul, my songs. And some great memories.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Serbia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation