I am a university lecturer and fantasy researcher from Kyiv, Ukraine. I am interested in various countries, cultures and experiences. Always eager to expand my horizons. Currently I'm exploring the Italian language and culture.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Seems to be a perfect place for horizon-expanding

Interests

I read a lot, especially fantasy fiction.
I never stop learning languages: I wish I had enough time to learn them all!
Dancing is my favourite hobby. I do vintage and historic dances.
I love nature - hiking or just taking long walks in woods, mountains, seaside and so on.
Photography is not something I do very competently, but with much enthusiasm.
I play different kinds of games (larp, tabletop, quests, etc). My favourite is Dixit.
I draw a little: sketches of places, people and food.

• books
• photography
• dancing
• waltz
• dining
• board games
• reading
• music
• hiking
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: classical, rock, folk.
Films: drama, especially period, comedy.
Books: a big fan of Terry Pratchett! But I read a lot of other authors from different countries and in various genres: Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Umberto Eco, David Lodge, Joanne Harris, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I wrote a PhD on quests in J.R.R.Tolkien's works. Since then quests never end for me.

Teach, Learn, Share

Life is all about teaching and learning, so I am quite ready to share anything I know, beginning with the history of fantasy fiction and ending with the recipe for pumpkin biscuits.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'll be happy to talk about cultures, languages and books, sample food and drinks. If you still can't waltz, I can teach you to do that.
I have a tradition of baking something before travelling (usually biscuits/ cookies, but I call them lembas, from J.R.R.Tolkien's storyworld) to share with those I meet on the journey. Perhaps one day I'll share them with you.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ukraine