CURRENT MISSION

Successfully complete mechanical engineering and have fun while I'm at it :)

ABOUT ME

I was born in Brazil, where I lived for the first 16 years of my life. I then moved to Oman, in the Middle East, and that was definitely one of the biggest turns my life has taken so far, for it entirely led me to where I am today. Oman was the beginning of my life as a traveler, where I enjoyed camping trips and from where I discovered new places such as Thailand, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bangladesh. From there I decided to come to Germany for university, initially at an American university only in English, but then in a rather crazy (but very worth it) decision I dropped out after a semester to take a semester off to learn German and now hope to study at the Technical University in Dresden (UPDATE: Passed my German proficiency exam after that semester and am now enrolled as a student of the TU Dresden!). I find Europe to be an incredible place, with such a mix of different cultures, people, foods, architectural styles, histories, etc etc, and I love it here since it is so easy to travel around.
I really enjoy meeting new people, listening to their stories, and learning as much as I can from them. I feel as though everyone has something to offer, and I'm open to different opinions and points of views, even if they do not agree with my own. I do my best never to judge people, I'm not the one in a position to do that. I believe people should be free to do whatever they want, even if it goes against all regular advice, if you feel it is right for you, then there must be a reason for that, and I'm not going to be the judge of what is or is not right. I accept people as people, regardless of whether they're christians, muslims, jews, gays, drug addicts, or even ex-convicts. We are all people, and I believe we all have some good in each of us, regardless of what actions you decided to take, I do my best not to discriminate, because I know very well that we all make mistakes, and once something is done, all you can do is learn from it :)
In short, I'm in Couchsurfing as everyone else, to travel, but above all, I'm part of this community to learn and grow as a person. Travelling is the most mind-opening experience there is and I really hope to live long enough to travel the world!

PHILOSOPHY

Lesson number 1: Be nice to other people.
Lesson number 2: Always follow lesson number 1.
Lesson number 3: Relax, life's good, hakuna matata.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Whenever possible I host people at my apartment. Currently my guests sleep in my flatmate's room since he only sleeps there very seldom (I do consult with him every single time) but my next investment for my room is definitely a big couch or a fold out bed couch. I also enjoy participating in couchsurfing events as well but I cannot say I am an active member of the local CS community. Finally, I try to use couchsurfing for accomodation when travelling as often as possible. Sure, there's the benefit that it's free but I find it significantly better than staying at a hostel where you don't have someone to give you tips and possibly show you around. This is definitely the best way to travel in my opinion!

Interests

As a typical Brazilian I keep up with football, even though I'm not all that great in playing it. I love talking about different places, telling people about the places I've been and hearing stories from people who have been to the most obscure and unknown countries! I must say talking about travels is probably one of my favorite topics, if you have any tips about a country then I'll definitely be interested in hearing about it.

• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• soccer
• engineering

Music, Movies, and Books

In all honesty, I hate having to pick favorites when it comes to these three categories. I'll read, watch, or listen to whatever I'm in the mood for, and often these change quite quickly...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiking on the rim of an 1,000 m drop, unforgettable.

Teach, Learn, Share

I always just stare at this field without an idea of what to write. I'd like to learn from people I meet, I feel like that's the most important part of CS. If people learn something from me along the way, then that's great and I'd feel quite accomplished, but I can't promise anything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, England, Hungary, Kuwait, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Germany, Oman