Hi! My name is João, I am from Brazil and just arrived at the couchsurfing community. I am currently backpacking around Europe, and between May and July I plan to be at the Balkans countries.

I grew up in the contryside near Campinas, a big city near São Paulo. I recently graduated in Communication - Broadcasting, while pursuing to become a filmmaker. But then, two days after graduating last January, I got a flight to Europe and have been travelling since then. Part of this decision comes from the need to take a breath from the crazy rhythm of modern life. Since them I have been to a few countries, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina among them, and I have had many contrasting experiences, from visiting people I know, hitchhiking and staying for more than a month at a monastery. Recently I have been also working online, now I am doing revision on books for a publishing company.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing seemed to me a good alternative to stay in multiple cities and meet new people throughout this journey.

Interests

Besides travelling, I enjoy writing, reading, playing the piano when I have access to one I also enjoy watching films, going around by bicycle or hiking, being close to nature. Once in a while I make a short film, and while travelling I sometimes paint a watercolor from places I go. I like challenging myself, but most of all I like learning new things about the world and myself.

• writing
• books
• literature
• music
• jazz
• cycling
• geography
• history
• religion
• mountains
• filmmaking
• cinema
• trekking
• spirituality
• learning new things
• philosphy
• history of art
• music composing
• piano playing

Music, Movies, and Books

Impossible to fit all my interests here, but I enjoy music, film and writting not only as a hobby, but also as subjects to study and to explore creative possibilities, and as tools to better understand our world and reality.

Music: I enjoy jazz (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus) folk and traditional music (I am loving to find out more about Balkan traditional music) a lot of music from Brazil (Milton Nascimento, Egberto Gismonti), classical (Beethoven, Bach...) some rock classics (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead) and much more.

Films: I have an appreciation for cinema in general, with a special interest for those directors and films which contributed for its history as an art form. (Chaplin, Hitchcock, John Ford and Bergman are among my favorites)

Books: . I have an appreciation for literature, philosophy and knowledge in general. On the last years, I have been interested in the books from Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Plato

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Don't know if it can be considered amazing, but this whole travelling and backpacking has been a very unique experience so far.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking together and a nice conversation

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Paraguay, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Germany