CURRENT MISSION

Make new friends, learn new languages, get exposed to as many cultures as possible!

ABOUT ME

Addicted to learning languages, I've experienced learning - to many degrees of proficiency - over a dozen languages, from "normal" ones like Spanish, English and German to more "exotic" ones like Tibetan, Norwegian, Romanian and Gaelic (both Irish and Scottish).

Being exposed to foreign cultures is a guilty pleasure. I try to travel as much as I can afford. It is always a great experience to be exposed to different ideas and alternative outlooks on our experience here on this beautiful planet.

My current obsession is Astronomy and Physics. I am very active at the local Astronomy club and also work as a collaborator at our newly reinaugurated Planetarium in Brasilia.

Music is another passion of mine, and also here my attraction to the "exotic" shows. OK, I may be classically trained on the piano, but that's not all. I've played the koto (6 ft long Japanese zither) in a Japanese traditional ensemble while I lived in Japan; I've played the bodhrán (Irish frame drum) for a while in a folk band; I'm one of the few hurdy-gurdy players; and I'm testing the waters with the Galician bagpipes.

I am also a dedicated foodie. In 2012, I got professionally trained and ended up doing a superb unpaid internship at the best restaurant in the city in my spare time (that is, all week nights after work and some of the weekends as well - it WAS certainly worth it). I've done it all just for the passion of it - I do not intend to leave my current career in order to work in the food industry.

Most of all, I am a pretty open-minded fellow, always looking forward to new and exciting experiences, making good friends along the way.

PHILOSOPHY

Live and let live, and enjoy the ride while at it!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I joined a couple of years ago and I already had the most amazing CS experience in New York with a great host. We talked late into the night, I cooked for him and his other guests and even played some tunes on my hurdy-gurdy one of the nights (the video the host took is somewhere on youtube).

I haven't host anyone yet, but I do intend to, if I can find a way to fit that into my busy schedule these days.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have heard about CS on some articles online and also from colleagues I now see are quite active around here.

I've stayed on other people's couches in the past - be it friends I've made in my living abroad, be it friends I've made online.

One of my best "informal couchsurfing" (not through CS.org) experiences was in 2006. There was this couple I've met on a international politics forum that, when they heard I was planning on going to New York, offered me a place to stay for a week near JFK airport. We had a great time, being able to finally meet face to face. We talked many a night into the wee hours of the morning and they showed me around NY, making my stay in the city one of the highlights of that trip to America. We are still in touch to this day.

I also had a perfect official CS experience in New York City a couple of years, a host most recommended (check my references! -- edited: the host left CS.org not too long ago, and there went my reference from him!)

Interests

Languages, astronomy, physics, travel, cultures, music (hearing, playing), food (eating, sampling, cooking, talking about), animation, 3d modelling and politics.

• dining
• cooking
• partying
• politics
• traveling
• music
• piano
• astronomy
• languages
• physics
• science
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: gosh, I love reading, both fiction and non-fiction. I'm currently really engrossed in several young adult dystopian novels (a guilty pleasure!). I also love reading books on current affairs, foreign policy, terrorism and the Middle East and, of course, languages and linguistics, and physics, astronomy and sciences in general.

Music: pretty eclectic - from pop to classical music. My current obsession is Celtic, French and Galician folk music (you know, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies and all). Favorite artists include Luar na Lubre, The Chieftains, Capercaillie, Berrogüetto, Hevia. Not really into hip-hop, rap and reggae, though.

Movies: another addiction of mine. I'll watch pretty much anything. I'm not one of those movie afficionados that will only watch obscure European movies - I like GOOD movies, be them blockbusters or artsy movies made by good unknown filmmakers.

TV: haven't had much time for that many TV series as in the past, but isn't Netflix great? My favorite show right now is Doctor Who. I love sci-fi in general: Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica. To unwind, I watch sitcoms like How I Met your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. I still have a soft spot on my heart for Buffy and Angel after all these years. And I love cooking shows in general: Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, etc. I am also into news shows (too bad my cable company cancelled most international cable news channels except boring CNN).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hmmm, let me see.

Hiked in the Sahara desert and slept under the stars in the amazing White Desert near the Farafra Oasis.

Practiced Arabic with street vendors and cab drivers in East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.

Been to a war zone and survived to tell the story.

Met people from around the world that I can count as friends even today.

Stood under the (arguably) second best sky in the continent and saw with my naked eye the Milky Way actually casting a shadow on the ground (no kidding), and learned a great deal about astrophotography from some of the best amateur astronomers around.

http://www.mytravelmap.xyz/u/fb10154362600632975

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you about some of the exotic languages I so enjoy learning and I can talk for hours about astronomy, astrophysics and science in general. I can be a kick-ass star party guide (even in an urban area!), talking about the night sky (even though I am not that knowledgeable about constellations far into the northern hemisphere).

Looking forward to sharing amazing couchsurfing experiences with as many interesting, different people as possible.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, France, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Israel, Japan, Russian Federation

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