Hey! My name is João Luís, I was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and I'm a post-doctoral researcher in theoretical physics. My hobbies include of course travelling, meeting new people and making new friends, but I also enjoy a lot of outdoors activities, extreme sports, football and weightlifting, I love to sing, play the guitar and the drums. My biggest dream is to visit Antarctica! :D

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The reason why I am on CS is the same as why I am living abroad: I have come to the understanding that personal growth requires the interaction with a wide variety of people from different countries, cultures, religions, and costumes. It is not about tourism anymore, it is about humanity!

Nothing makes me happier than attending a party where every single person can tell me something I have never heard before, can teach me something I have never known before, and has done some activity I have never done before. There is no such thing as an uninteresting person: you are just asking the wrong questions :)

Interests

• powerlifting
• guitar
• hiking
• snowboarding
• skateboarding
• rock climbing
• beaches
• mountains
• stargazing
• drumming

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a big fan of 90's rock and pop-rock music, particularly the Grunge movement, featuring bands as Soundgarden and Nirvana, although I can appreciate a much broader range. I just try to avoid whatever it is too electronic!

My favorite film genres are Sci-Fi and Horror, specially those with crazy plot-twists and that involve some out-of the box scientific concept like timetravelling. Edge of Tomorrow and Interstellar are some of my favorites, along with Stephen King's Shawshank Redemption.

Regarding books, Lord of the Rings is my favorite, although I do not read a lot of literature. I am more into dissemination books about topics I am not specialized in, including history, psychology, antropology, and natural sciences outside of physics. Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari) and Influence (Robert Cialdini) right on top!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbed waterfalls in Jamaica

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you a lot about the universe and will do my best to answer that childhood question you had but nobody could ever answer. I'll name the stars and contellations for you and tell you the stories and myths behind them. If you are into music, I can also teach you to play the guitar and, if you sing or write or play another intrument, we can compose a song together!

I want to know what was the most exciting activity you have done, what you are passionate about, and what is that thing you dream about that keeps you going day after day. If you have a special skill, whatever it may be, painting, dancing, cooking, literally whatever makes you special, I want to see it and I would be happy to attend your crash-course :)

All of this, of course, with a couple of drinks in our hands.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I will bring you a little piece of my own culture and experiences, open-mindedness, and willingness to engage in never-ending conversations. Take me to your favorite bar or viewpoint and let me pay you a drink to get it started. I will also happily cook my signature dish for you, if you trust my not-so-good cooking skills!

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Estonia, Poland, Portugal, United States