Hello! My name is Polina, I was born and raised in a relatively small town on the east coast of Russia, right near the border with China and North Korea. Then I moved to Saint-Petersburg to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies with speciality in Mandarin Chinese.

Currently I am on an exchange program in the US, and I take every opportunity to explore this amazing diverse country and to travel to as many places as I can.

My Instagram: @poliniiv

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

After meeting the first ever host in Miami, I understood that Couchsurfing is so much more than just a way to travel on budget. Thanks to surfers I’ve met, I’ve had the most unique and interesting experiences here in the US, which I most certainly wouldn’t have had if it wasn’t for them. So now I would say that I couchsurf for making new connections and for deep cultural exchange. And saving some money on accommodation is just a nice little bonus to that :)

Interests

• cooking
• puzzles
• knitting
• painting
• drawing
• music
• history
• languages
• museums

Music, Movies, and Books

Honestly, I listen to all kinds of stuff. But lately my favorite genres have been russian alternative rock, japanese alternative rock, math rock, indie, k-pop, indie, rnb, dnb.

When it comes to movies and books, it’s always hard for me to pick favorites, because I watch movies very rarely. However I always love to receive some recommendations!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I regularly participated in Russian-Mandarin speaking club, where I found a couple of people to whom I later on taught Russian in a combination of Chinese and English:D

Teach, Learn, Share

I’m a very friendly and easygoing person always open to make new friends and to have new cultural experiences. I am mostly traveling with my Russian friends, and we are always open to share our beautiful diverse culture through storytelling, listening to Russian music together, as well as cooking! I absolutely love to make Russian food for my friends and family, therefore prepare your taste buds for not-so-different yet unique and delicious Eastern Slavic cuisine.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good food and great valuable fun time together! As well as some nice postcards from Russia heheh

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Egypt, Georgia, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Russian Federation