I am a 30-something Czech girl living in the beautiful city of Brno in the heart of Moravia, the winemaking region of the Czech Republic. I work as a language teacher and I am doing a PhD in linguistics at the local university, which also involves lecturing.

Here are some of the things I am really into: theatre, opera, art, books, movies (yeah... the independent and obscure ones, mostly), travel (Scotland! Scotland! Scotland!), hiking and camping, cats, comics, linguistics, psychology, cooking, dancing, working in my parents' orchard and vineyeard, and making preserves (no time for many of these activities lately as I really need to finish the dissertation). And of course swapping and penpalling!

I enjoy learning languages and exploring other people's cultures (next to Czech and English I also speak Russian and Croatian, so feel free to use these languages with me as well).

I generally am a very reliable person and flaking is not my thing! Please let me know if you don't receive stuff from me in time before you give me 1, the international mail system is not as reliable as I am. I always resend should a swap get lost.

cross-stitch, card making, silk-painting, cooking (does this count as a craft? especially deserts), fruit preserving (will love to swap recipes)

would like to do more of: sewing, ATCs, coloring

• surprize :D
• chocolate (but no superdark and mint, please)
• beauty products: lipsticks, lipbalms, lotions, handcreams, soaps, the list goes on and on :o)
• tea and coffee and hot chocolate
• recipes and cookbooks and spices from your country
• cats
• stories and books
• pretty much any craft
• stationery
• card making supplies
• cross-stitch supplies (DMC, patterns, fabric)
• scents: roses,lavender, lilac, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, coconut
• colors:intense ones, magenta and related shades, white, black
• ATCs! (what a great idea they are!)
• used stamps
• vintage
• thrift store stuff
• socks
• scarves
• handmade items
• washi

I am not very picky, but there are few things...

• ginger tea and cookies
• very dark chocolate, mint chocolate
• color gray
• second-hand earrings (always send unworn items, please)

Life is a Miracle, Wings of Desire, Amarcord, Les Miserables, Evita, Cloud Atlas, Arrival, and many more

I studied Slavonic languages and literatures at the uni and so I have read plenty of books by various Slavonic authors (and many are still on my "to read" list). My favourite writers include Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Akhmatova, Khlebnikov, Sienkiewicz, and Havel. I am a big sci-fi fan, I especially like short stories. I also read a lot of poetry (love Pat Ingoldsby), graphic novels, modern British and American lit, magical realism, historical novels. I love anthologies of short stories and poetry. I collect cookbooks :o)

Anything singable, hummable or danceable. Musicals. Classical music as well. Not a great fan of hip hop.

cats, flowers, trees, wild animals, artisic, your town/city/area, national parks, landscapes, sea, recipes, vintage