ABOUT ME

I'm a student of Comparative Studies of Civilizations. I love the main idea of my studies: if you understand others, you won't judge them. So I try to understand other cultures as much as I can. Nowadays the most interesting for me is Near East, Central Asia and India. This is why I read a lot of reportages and join folklore festivals.

I travel mostly with my boyfriend Michal. He is a musician (keys, bass guitar) and has his own band. I can't tell you what a genre they play, but Michal says it's nu jazz mixed with neo soul, inspired by Chet Faker, Bonobo and The Cinematic Orchestra. Michal gives piano lessons (in English and French), has a great collection of vinyls and is totally mad about musical instruments. As a "plan B" he studies Applied Psychology. We both dream, that this "plan B" would never be a must.

We both like trying new things, experiencing local cuisine, discovering places off the beaten track.

One more fact about me is, I was a girl scout - in the beginning just scout, later also a guide. Nowadays I only sometimes visit scout meetings, but I have my uniform still in the cupboard. Scouting taught me a lot of useful things, especially how to manage with a group of 30 yelling, fidgeting kids. I like also singing, mountain hiking, I play the guitar. I keep calm and think positive.

Last but not least: in my family house live my two beloved monsters - french bulldogs. I miss them every time I left home, sometimes even more than my family, because you can call mum and have a talk, but for dog you can't do anything different than hug. I was a bulldog maniac before it was cool, seriously.

Interests

musical instruments from different cultures, local cuisine, local language and local lifestyle

• dogs
• singing
• folklore
• festivals
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• guitar
• piano
• hiking
• track and field
• psychology
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

ME:
Music: should have good lyrics, so I appreciate mainly Polish artists like Lao Che or Lona and Webber. I like also old rock bands (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd) and jazz.
Books: When I was a child I fell in love with The Chronicles of Narnia. Nowadays my list of best books contains Marquez, Kapuscinski, Sapkowski, Oliver Sacks, Kazimierz Nowak (Polish traveller from the begining of 20th century, who crossed Africa from north to south and back). I read a lot, but I'm choosey.
Movies: all this long and boring Bergman-like stuff from different parts of the world. And animated stories for children, too.

MICHAL:
Favourite music genre: changes twice a year :D.
Favourite books: sci-fi stories, music stars biographies and similar stuff. For sure Marquez and Kapuscinski too.
Movies: Michal likes going to the cinema, he knows what's new and what's worth seeing. He likes also good TV series (Mad Man, Supernatural, House of Cards), and rests watching sci-fi or fantasy movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

being at harvest religious festival in Kerala (India) - Uthralikavu Pooram. Thousands of people, blinds playing music loudly, the most ear-damaging fireworks on the Earth, 30 painted elephants making a show, traditional orchestra, dances, processions and a story about human sacrifices in the past!

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, England, France, Georgia, India, Spain