Hi, my name is Kuba (shortname from Jakub).

I'm an ambient seeker - looking for interesting people, stories, places and ambients.

Currently I work as a freelancer in field of Public Relations for a theatre company. I try to link my IT skills with my education in humanities (philosophy) to support cultural projects and NGOs by providing technical know how and communication with medias. My last project is a festival for youth from Poland and Iran which objective is to break cultural stereotypes between young people through arts (http://beyondbordersfestival.org).

I'm an addicted urban bike commuter (with collection of 3 bikes :D)

CURRENT MISSION

Best things in life are for free. Best things in life are not "things".

PHILOSOPHY

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.", Mark Twain

Probably one of the most popular traveler's motto, but it only means that it's so true. Since I aged 24 I'm seeing it more clearly than ever!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because it's a nice community of open minded and active people. Thx to Couch Surfing I came across many warm and interesting ppl.

Interests

I love playing Samba Batucada - Brazilian carnival drums. You know - all around the world there are amateur groups connected by the spirit of music. You don't have to be en expert to play - I'm definitely not the one. Still, I love the ambient of the drum gathering. I play in my hometown in a group called Sete Rios (https://www.facebook.com/szkolasamby)

I also discovered dance called 'forro' that somewhat became important for me and I like to to pop in to forro dance meetings in the places I visit.

Things I'm obsessed with:
Reading, Samba Batucada, Porto wine, good espresso in the morning, ethnic music.

Things I'm a little less obsessed with:
learning languages, sailing, taking photos, hitch-hiking.

• books
• wine
• music
• sailing
• computer science
• languages
• science
• hitchhiking
• biking
• forró
• samba

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favourote bands:

Madredeus, Mariza, Dire Straits, Tracey Chapman, Moby, Sara Traveres, Ben Harper, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Manu Chao, Macaco, Chambao, Ojos de Brujo, Stéphane Pompougnac, Sergio Mendes, Apollo 440, Air,Andreas Vollenweider, Chemical Brothers, Clannad, Paco de lucia, Kroke, Maanam, Morcheeba. Neil Young, Richard Bona, Saint Germain, Simon & Gerfunkel, Yasmin Levy, Yvonne Sanchez

Some of my favourite films:

Vengo, Koyanisqatsi, Lisbon Story, the Heat, Smoke, The Good The Bad The Ugly,Big Lebowski, Requiem for a dream, Pi, City of God, Dangerous Liaisons, Fight Club, Amores Perros, Futurama, Stranger Than Paradise, Lide of Brian, American Beauty, Arizona Dream, Black cat whie cat, Night on Earth, Space Odyssey 2001, Abre los ojos, Breaking the waves, Dead man, Usual suspect, Natural born killers, La bicicleta

Some of my favourite writers:
Roland Topor, Charles Bukovski, Vargas Llosa, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Lem, Robert Graves, Milan Kundera, Erich Remarque,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I implemented an international development help project of behalf of Polish government: during 4 months in the capital of Peru I was working with children in a street condition and youth in a penitentiary center. It was a great (although sometimes harsh) lesson for me of intercultural communication, understanding, giving up and then starting again and again.

Teach, Learn, Share

Languages (Polish, English, Spanish, Portuguese)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Share good atmosphere, ear and mouth for good stories ;-)
Philosophy
Computer Science

Countries I’ve Visited

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom