Born in Lviv, Ukraine. Raised in Dubai, UAE. Educated in Calgary and adulting in Montreal, Quebec.

I am a nomad, a child of musicians, lover of music, ocean, and adrenaline sports. Avid hiker, surfer and beach bum. Catch me at a party petting the animals in the corner or boring someone to death with the latest political developments in such-and-such country :P

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love meeting locals! They make for the best guides.
UPDATE DEC 2016: Currently traveling with my beau, Jon. Looking for nature-oriented adventures around California, USA.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

i've only couchsurfed twice... once in Toronto with a really lovely lady who had a really interesting life, who i loved speaking to and spending time with.

The second time, in New York City, was nothing short of a nightmare. The host turned out to have ulterior motives for hosting young females. I was even harassed via messaging after posting a negative reference. The CS moderators handled the situation reasonably (they cooperated and made sure that the guidelines were being followed by both sides) but the guy still wouldn't admit what happened and exaggerated my messiness in an attempt to take the focus off of his inappropriate behavior. SO BE CAREFUL LADIES. Personally, I will not be couchsurfing alone in the future.

Interests

I wear many hats, some of them artistic, others athletic, others professional. I'm passionate about education initiatives aimed at young women and writing. I love meeting locals and exploring any city that I'm living in or visiting, whether in the daytime or at night.

• poetry
• concerts
• festivals
• yoga
• modeling
• walking
• politics
• eating out
• painting
• hiking
• surfing
• sailing
• history
• international relations
• volunteering
• comedy
• local cuisine
• education initiatives

Music, Movies, and Books

Queen of Katwe! I am a fan of chess. Fun fact: the only tattoo I have is a small one of the queen piece. :)

Music follows me everywhere I go. I adore neo-soul (hiatus kaiyote, anderson .paak) and italo disco. If it's got the funk, I'm probably into it!

Fav books: any biography of a female comic.
Debt: the first 5000 years by David Graeber
Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur
salt. by Nayyirah Waheed
anything by Bukowski

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was 9 years old, I loved ice-cream so much that I won a Baskin Robbins ice-cream tasting competition where they had me guess the name of the flavour with my eyes tied shut. Second proudest moment of my life.

My bravest moment was when I shaved my hair off on valentines day, just months before my 16th birthday. My grandfather passed from cancer in the fall prior, so I conducted a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society and donated my hair to a charity that made wigs for kids.

Teach, Learn, Share

1. Remember to reserve seats on the train to your next destination upon arrival at your current one during peak season in Europe. Doing this will save you many headaches.

2. Buy your flights on a tuesday!

3. Locals always know where the good spots to eat are. Don't be shy to ask! Always ask more than 1 person ;)

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates

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