Hi Anastasia! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am an English, Spanish and Russian (as a foreign language) teacher by degree. I like learning new languages and discovering new cultures. I enjoy assimilating into new environments: I learn through music, song, games, cuisine (I love to cook exotic dishes) and travelling.
And certainly, I enjoy sharing all these things about my home culture with my foreign friends, students and tourists. Sometimes I freelance as an interpreter and entertainer/host at international sports events (Olympics, Championships) and fairs. I just love to bring joy to people!
Why did you join Lokafy?
Giving individually-tailored tours around my home city, Moscow, has always been a great pleasure for me. It enables me to show my favorite places to our guests, to tell them stories related to Moscow and Russia from my personal perspective.
Needless to say that this job is a perfect way to practice foreign languages - I got a chance to guide English-, French- and Spanish-speaking tourists in summer of 2018. And I sincerely hope to continue cooperating with Lokafy!
What do you love most about your city?
I love its contrasts: the beauty of its ancient churches and monuments and the futuristic districts, such as Zaryadye Park and the Moscow City skyscrapers.
I admire the city center, especially the Old Arbat street because every time when I walk along this magnificent boulevard, I feel like a foreign traveller myself - it is so vibrant at any time of the day and night! It is opulent in souvenir shops and traditional cafes (some are quite cheap and delicious, but I will describe it in the next paragraph :)), and most amazing: street artists, dancers, magicians and what not! It is definitely a must-see!:)
And I just adore numerous green parks and ponds. My favorite one is the Patriarshiye Prudy (Ponds), it is known as a central place of action in the world-famous novel by Bulgakov "Master and Margaret".
If someone comes to visit you, where would you take them to eat?
I traditionally take visitors to a cafe named "Mu-Mu". It is named so after a cow's greeting (in Russian), that is why these cafes can be easily tracked by means of a sculpture of a cow (of natural size) standing right next to the entrance. I like the buffet-style there.
Mostly they serve Russian national dishes there but you can easily find international ones, too. It is quite cost-effective and the queues are always quick. Highly recommended!
There is a similar style cafe chain called "Grabli". And I would suggest tasting Russian pancakes (blinis) at a "Teremok" cafes - it is stylized like a classical forest house from Russian folk tales, and even the staff wear historical folk outfits and address customers in a poetical way.
When you’re not working for Lokafy, what do you like to do for fun?
I like singing and dancing. Speaking of modern dance, I prefer zumba. And I also go to historical reconstructed ball parties where we dance medieval dances and follow the dress-code of the 17th-19th centuries.
In the summertime I enjoy roller-blading and swimming, and in winter, ice-skating. In all seasons I love to go to the theatre: operas, musicals, ballets and sometimes I perform on stage of an international amateur theatre based in Moscow.
We at Lokafy want to thank Anastasia for sharing about the beauty of Moscow with us here and continuing to be such an amazing Lokafyer!
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