CURRENT MISSION

Do something important for the world...

ABOUT ME

Who I am? That's a good question, actually... I'm a little unusual, I guess, but I think that being unusual is very usual...

I'm graduated in an exact science [Analysis of Systems], but I'm not like a geek, I'm very friendly and sociable... I can't imagine myself behind a desk full of papers in the future... I love to do crazy trips, without money, to places that I haven't been before and, sometimes, without letting anyone know. I always end my travels with great experiences...

I don't smoke and I was used to do not drink (what makes me get drunk too fast nowadays). If you drink or smoke, it's not a problem to me.

I used to have fun as an amateur actor, making plays on the streets and dressing like a clown to entertain children [even once one of the kids told me that I was the most annoying clown ever], and making movies, but nowadays I haven't had time/opportunities for that, and I miss it so much. Now, I work in a bar to have fun.

And that's it, I think that I'm a cool and good-tempered guy, who tries to help people when possible, to have fun and enjoy the life in a fun and responsible way, to meet interesting people and interesting places... stuff like that.

Gabriel Lourenço

PHILOSOPHY

"You may not believe it
but there are people
who go through life with
very little
friction of distress.
they dress well, sleep well.
they are contented with
their family
life.
they are undisturbed
and often feel
very good.
and when they die
it is an easy death, usually in their
sleep.
you may not believe
it
but such people do
exist.
but i am not one of
them.
oh no, I am not one of them,
I am not even near
to being
one of
them.
but they
are there
and I am
here."

["The Aliens", from The Last Night Of The Earth Poems - Charles Bukowski]"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I found the CS project in December of 2008, searching on internet, when I was planning a trip to Bolivia [Uyuni]. That was going to be my first backpacking and I had little money, so I thought that Couchsurfing was going to be a great idea for travelers without money [just like me] and for the ones who wants to know the place by a perspective of a local person.

I'm unable to host in my city, so I participate on CS going to meetings and hanging out with the travelers while they stick around.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Unfortunately, for now, I'm unable to offer a couch in my town... but I can hang out with you in my city, indicate a couch of a friend or help you to take a bus to Bonito or Pantanal.

I went to the first Panamerican CS-Meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 2009/2010, and stayed at a house of a very cool girl. It was my first Couchsurfing experience and it was amazing. On the meetings, I had the opportunity to know people from almost 20 different countries, I guess, and learned many things with them. The nicest thing is that I still keep in contact with some of them.

Interests

Make new friends, meet new places and cultures, share knowledge, volunteer work, help people, christian, movies, music, theater, fun...

• poetry
• theater
• acting
• cooking
• running
• drinking
• movies
• volunteer work
• juggling
• music
• backpacking
• science
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I love movies. Love and hope to make filmmaking my occupation in the future. Here are my favorites: The Lord of the Rings, The Constant Gardener, Children of Men, Y Tu Mama También, Pulp Fiction, 21 Grams, Into the Wild, Central Station, Natural Born Killers, Black Swan, Kalifornia, Pan's Labyrinth, Garden State, The Motorcycle Diaries, On the Road...

And I also love reading, ever since i was a kid. I love English literature, Greek mythology, geography and many others, Japanese comics, comics and many others books, including the most important, the Holy Bible. But I also have to read technical books, because the profession. My favorite books/writers are: J. R. R. Tolkien [The Lord of the Rings], books of Shakespeare [A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Taming of the Shrew; Hamlet; Othello, the Moor of Venice], Arthur Conan Doyle [Sherlock Holmes; The Lost World], H. G. Wells, Robert Louis Stevenson, Agatha Christie, C. S. Lewis, Umberto Eco [Der Name der Rose], Jack Kerouac, J.D. Salinger, and many others...

About music, I enjoy rock, instrumental and folk music, like R.E.M. [I love this band], Switchfoot, Coldplay, Hillsong United, U2, The Cardigans, Sufjan Stevens, Gustavo Santaolalla, Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Dylan, Maná, Modest Mouse, Pato Fu, O Teatro Mágico, Beatles, The Head and The Heart, Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- When I was a kid, I traveled with a hamster hidden on my bag. It ran away and scared the people on the bus, what was funny. OK, that's not a big deal, but I was 11 years old, it was important to me...

- I did my first backpacking in 2008, to Bolivia, without knowing anyone there, I didn't speak Spanish [and I still do not], asking ride, without money [I had just 170 USD], and even that I knew incredible people, amazing places and came back more concerned with the reality of Latin America... My friends in Brazil called me crazy, but the people there called me 'valiente' [brave].

- I went to Bolivia again in 2010 with some friends, over a period of political instability. I breathed tear gas during a manifestation and one of my friends fainted. But I had the best New Year's Eve of my life there!

- In 2011, I quit my job in Brazil and started to work as a volunteer on Haiti. I spent 7 months there, building schools and removing rubble, living in a tent, working in a hard sun, and did things that i never expected to do before. It was for sure the most important experience I've had so far. I made friends for life and I'll be connected with that country for the rest of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know Portuguese very well, of course, English and a bit of French, so communication will not be a problem while you are in Brazil. I can also format your laptop. But, mainly, I think I can amuse you if you are sad [lol]... Sometimes I cook well, and I can teach how to prepare a couple of drinks.

About learning, I would love to increase my language skills, mainly French. I also would love to learn that juggling stuff, just in case if I run out of money in a trip [lolol]. I wish I would learn a little bit of each thing of this world, because I think knowledge is never enough.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Haiti, Netherlands, Paraguay, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Brazil, Haiti

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