I come from Portugal. I love my country, but I live far from it. However, I will gladly teach you everything I can about my beautiful land.
I have been a couchsurfing host for almost 5 years, although I was only active during 1 year and a half. I'm aresearcher in Cell Biology, currently living in Heidelberg, Germany. Previously I did my PhD in Bordeaux, France, where I hosted all of my guests.
Being a scientist means I spend a lot of time in a lab doing a bunch of serious and geeky stuff. But when I leave the lab, I become my true self. I try to do all the possible activities I can squeeze into my limited free time. Lots of social life, cooking hardcore batches of food, sports (of which martial arts are my favorites) travelling, random meetings and adventures with strangers (they seem always drawn to me for some reason), whatever I can find. I am also very fond of concerts and music festivals, regardless of the genre. My friends describe me as a very energetic and enthusiastic person, perhaps too much sometimes. I did get calmer after moving to Germany. Got into stuff like gardening and houseplants.
Nonetheless, I love to meet new people. Goes along with my passion for learning new languages. Life can easily fall into boredom if you stop trying.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I tried Couchsurfing for the first time in a trip to Vietnam during summer 2019. It was definitely a huge part of an amazing trip and embodied all I love; meeting new people, sharing great moments with complete strangers, getting to know places through the actual people who live there...I consider myself open to new experiences and I want to profit from all possible encounters. But this also made me think how important it is to give back; so, I decided to start hosting fellow surfers at my place when I was living in Bordeaux, France. It was a wise decision since I met amazing people from all walks of life, shared some really funny/original experiences and also that feeling of joyful sadness when someone totally stranger to you leaves after a great weekend. I still keep in touch with some of my guests and I think that attests to the positive side that Couchsurfing can bring to someone.
I stopped hosting after the Covid pandemic started because Couchsurfing was naturally affected. Then I finished my PhD and moved out of Bordeaux, and I sort of left Couchsurfing behind too...
However, now I have been living in Heidelberg,Germany for more than a year and I have a very nice place for myself, but I'm missing some enthusiasm and excitement especially on the weekends. I think welcoming a guest and getting to know that person is always something wonderful and surprising, and I want to get that feeling again.

Interests

I'm a scientist/researcher by formation but I'm always willing to explore new interests and hobbies. Sports are always a thing; martial arts in particular have been a constant throughout my life, since they provide stability, focus and physical preparation.

• books
• music festivals
• dancing
• gardening
• biology
• neuroscience
• science
• football
• science fiction
• biking
• nba
• french
• research
• randomness
• random acts of kindness
• random adventures
• microscopy
• french rap

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: anything. Literally. Soon to attend Montreux Jazz Festival in Geneva. I have zero talent and I play nothing, but I would love to learn an instrument.
Books: I read often, so I won't give an extensive pretentious list. Recently I read Frontline by Arturo Perez-Revarte and the Magic Mountain from Thomas Mann. I'm currently reading Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and Brothers Karamazov from Dostoyevski. I'm always looking for advice on books from all possible genres.
Movies: Recent movies I've watched and that caught my attention: Ninjababy, Goodfellas, Drive my Car, Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have survived a PhD (mostly) unscathed with a positive balance. It's already an unusual thing.
In a happier tone:
Hiking in Canada with people I had just met.
A super cool improvised dance, music and slam circle during a festival in France.
Going to a marriage in the South of Italy without knowing the family prior to my arrival

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share with you my limited (but slowly growing) science knowledge and teach you multiple languages! From my mother tongue to the subtleties of French rap.
Also, some basic moves in kickboxing and muay Thai. If I ever get too annoyingly, you can use them against me!
Plus, I love to cook a lot. There will always be leftovers.
As for learning, I'm a scientist so I'm always learning :) I would love to learn a musical instrument as well as a dance style. And, of course, a new language. Or German. I have been here for more than a year but my German is still terrible.

What I Can Share with Hosts

The entire list of World Cup Finals and many other random facts; language lessons; recipes involving several hours of oven roasting for god-like tenderness; endless energy, motivation and conversations about everything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Portugal