CURRENT MISSION

Eat, eat and maybe eat.

ABOUT ME

I'm finishing a diploma in Radio Broadcasting here in Edmonton. I used to be a bee-keeper north of Edmonton on my family's farm. I play in a few bands, love to ride my bike (all year, which in Edmonton is no joke!), host a couple radio shows and would love to show newcomers around the city!

PHILOSOPHY

I try to say yes before I say no. If I'm asked to participate in an activity, meet a new person, try a new food, wear a new hat I'll first agree and if it isn't all that awesome, I won't try it again. Oh and have fun!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've hosted tons of folks over the years 'unofficially', mostly people who were visiting Montreal from my home town of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada but a few traveling musicians and other misfits as well. We've also more recently hosted two brave souls at our northern farm oasis and we hope more will be so brave.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've stayed on a lot of couches in my day, mostly on tour with my band. So many kids and former kids let us stay at their houses after shows, it was amazing! Our best and most intimate experiences with new towns and cities came through random acts of hospitality, letting us really see the places we were staying.
Another amazing experience came a few years ago when my girlfriend and I were hitchhiking to NYC. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere at a 24 hr gas station that was no longer 24hrs (it closed 5 minutes after we were dropped off). I asked a dude filling his tank for a lift but he wasn't going our way. Luckily he recognized our predicament and offered to put us up for the night. We accepted his offer, he took us home, made us pancakes and showed us his organic farm. We made it to NYC, but I came back in the fall and worked for a month on his farm, 'apprenticing' and eating tons of organic veggies and making a lifelong friend. We also surfed our way through Eastern Europe, West Africa and Colombia, which really opened the countries and cultures up to us.

Interests

Radio hosting, beekeeping, playing music (mostly the drums), silkscreening, woodcut printing, farming, gardening, cooking, playing dice, biking, repairing bikes, listening to vinyl, photography, thrift store shopping, drinking outside, wine making, arguing, freestyling and beatboxing, writing and recording radio dramas.
you can hear my curret band at https://switchesband.bandcamp.com/
and see some photos at http://cargocollective.com/stefanopryshkophotos

• writing
• photography
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• drinking
• gardening
• shopping
• thrifting
• traveling
• music
• drums
• cycling
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Anything by David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa or Jim Jarmusch. Cool Hand Luke, Ghostbusters, The Stalker, Hero, the Deer Hunter, Fubar, Moonlight
Music: Fela Kuti and afrobeat generally, Chris Isaak, Can, Oneida, Timber Timbre, Dakha Brakha, Austra, The Pyramids, ESG, Gogol Bordello, Corb Lund, The Gossip, Robert Johnson, KRS-One, Jorge Ben, Bob Dylan, Burning Spear, Barrington Levy, Golden Triangle, Summering
Books: Lullabies for Little Criminals, Oryx and Crake, Shogun, Dune, Through Black Spruce, Once a Great Notion, The Border Trilogy, Lolita, Crime and Punishment, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Solomon Gursky Was Here (and everything else by Mordechai Richler)...
I could go on and on

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. one summer we were exploring an abandoned steel mill. It was massive and beautiful and decayed. The whole thing was amazing, but right in the middle, someone had constructed a huge (like three stories tall) deer head, antlers and all, from scrap rubber tubing, steel coils, beams, and other pieces of the mill. It was BEAUTIFULLY done, on a huge scale and totally unexpected and anonymous. The artist/artists just built it for others to enjoy, not for personal gain, recognition or notoriety. It was just a thing of beauty!

Teach, Learn, Share

I play the drums and have some in my house, so anyone who surfs my couch can use my gear and gain my knowledge
I'm really into music, so I could share my knowledge via mixtapes.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to cook. I'm no expert, but I'd be more than happy to cook meals for anyone who is willing to host me!

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Grenada, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Poland, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Ukraine, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada