My name is Maria and I have been an English teacher and translator for 8 years so far. I absolutely love my job and all my students. I love people and I believe that everyone is a mystery and you can never actually "know a person".

My husband Zhenya and I have good experience in travelling in Russia and a little bit abroad.

Honestly, I very much prefer hosting to being hosted (and we have hosted many people). However, when travelling myself I ssometimes use couchserfer.
Both my husband and I are very polite and generous people, we always bring some gifts to our hosts (both material and spiritual). We are also very neat and will keep your place clean, we respect your privacy. We do our best to be punctual as well.
Zhenya and I always travel together because we are family and this is our hobby. He knows some English but not fluently, he is still learning. Both of us speak Russian, our mothertoungue.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have recently realized that it is almost impossible to learn something about a place if you stay at hotels and wander only around tourist attractions.
City residents will give the most reliable information about a place as well as tell about city spots that are popular with locals, not tourists.

At the same time, I believe that both I and my husband are educated and creative enough :)) so we have something to share with other people. We are very ready to do so. In addition, we can bring some handmade stuff to your house (you can even order) and our local Samara gifts.

Interests

Teaching, organising events, drawing, handcrafting, playing the flute and the guitar (I am a poor musician, though), communicating with people, and, of course, travelling!
Sports - cycling (a big fan), ice-skating, skiing

I avoid being overly personal in profile descriptions and I think it is not very appropriate. Therefore, if you want to learn more - you are welcome to write a private message! =)

• books
• dining
• clothing
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• cycling
• skiing
• sports
• teaching
• languages
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I often listen to music and really enjoy it most of the time. I even try to play once in a while. However, my music teacher at school used to tell me all the time that I'm a hopeless "musician". Since then my attempts to master music in any way faded before they even had a chance to take place =D

Movies: most typically I watch films by director, for example, D. Lynch, S. Kubric, Lars von Trier, Spike Jonze, Kim Ki Duk, E. Kusturica, etc. Again, you are welcome to ask.

Literature as a whole is an integral part of my life and my profession, so, I can tell you a lot about it. Ready to argue =)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Volunteering, many times.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you Russian or English
My husband can teach you to make simple furniture :)
We can make some handcrafted things for you (see the photos), even pre-ordered be you :) + bring local Samara gifts and souvenirs

We are ready to learn from you and be good listeners.

What I Can Share with Hosts

handmade things (even pre-ordered), books (pre-ordered), food that can be transpored on board the plane :)
gift and wish cards from Russia :)
clothes (traditional included) from Russia

something else that you want and we can afford :))

and, most importantly, - our lives =D

Countries I’ve Visited

Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Turkey, Ukraine, United States