Jacques Hulshof's Photo

Verified Profile

  • Payment verified
  • Phone verified
  • Government ID not verified
  • Address Verified

Not Accepting Guests

  • Last login over 1 year ago

Join Couchsurfing to see Jacques’s full profile.

Overview

  • 51 references 37 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish; learning German
  • 41, Male
  • Member since 2009
  • Company owner
  • Manufacturing Engineering
  • No hometown listed
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

CURRENT MISSION

Sustainable energy!

ABOUT ME

My story begins in the middle of the rain forest, state of Pará, north of Brazil. My father was starting a Brazilian nuts farm there and one night, when my mother and him were going to the farm, the jeep broke down. The nearest village was over 100 km, all the way dirt roads with giant trees and wild animals. Well, there was just one thing they could do on a situation like that.... 9 months later, there I was :D My favorite car problem ever.

After graduating and working for 2 years, I realized that I had chosen the wrong profession and quit my job. What to do? Find an excuse to travel, which became a business English course in cape town. That developed into so many other things, and I ended living 2 amazing years there, mainly in Mozambique and South Africa, but also going to other 20 countries. In Cape Town I enjoyed 5 months of "party time" and a fun but sad ended world cup. In Vilanculos I worked with a NGO that helps children. Metamorphic experience. In Dar es Salaam I played guitar in the Dala Dalas for a few coins with CS brother Jorge, and was selling south american style jewelry (thanks CS brother Benjamin for the knowledge). Crazy moments that I´ll never forget.

As I enjoyed the hippy life style more than I expected, south america had to be my next destination. 9000 km hitchhiking and selling artesania that brought me many stories to tell.

The next chapter of my life took place in Berlin. Hippy life is fun but a "tiring" one , so I moved on. There I worked with Event Management which allowed me to travel quite a lot (best part of the job) and was quite challenging. I also bought a motorcycle and did a "short" 4500 km trip through Europe.

Well, I liked motorcycling so much that a longer trip had to be the next move. From Germany to Pakistan and back in 8 months, 33000 km that brought the most interesting adventures I ever had.

Being back in Berlin was great, but I knew I would not learn German there, so I moved to the lovely countryside in Hessen, where I was not only learning a lot about the language, but also about the history and culture of this country.

After 3 months there, I can say that I finally broke through in the language. There will be always lots to learn, but it's already awesome to be able to go out with my German mates and speak only in their language.

Then I went back to Berlin to enjoy my last months in Germany before going back to Brasil, after 6 years abroad.

Being back in Brasil was somehow strange, as I felt a bit as a foreigner after these years abroad. But I know it wasn't the country that changed so much in such a short time, it was just me. Quite a thing to feel. The first month were a bit harder, as I was trying to figure out what to do next. The answer finally came in a fishing day with my parents friends. I'm working really hard on this new project and will be updating the progress here.

PHILOSOPHY

Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it! Classic...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Cultural exchange.

Interests

People - The most curios and interesting subject.
Traveling - I lived in lots of cities in Brasil and went to all regions. It's for sure an amazing country, with really interesting people. What I like the most is the cultural diversity around the 5 regions, with influences from all over the planet.
Eating - Man, my grandmother does the best, most delicious meals that I ever ate. She is from Minas Gerais (a Brazilian state) and has over 70 years of cooking experience. Gooooooood. I also enjoy a traditional Brazilian "churrasco" (barbecue), Japanese food, Italian food, food, food... don't worry, I'm not Garfield, but I definitely share his passion.
Handcrafts - I've learned a bit about south american style of making jewelry and now I sell it while traveling.
Fishing - It's something that I've learned from my father. It's an exercise of practice, patience and self-knowledge. And when you catch a big one...
Playing the guitar - I haven't started it long ago, but I'm becoming more and more addicted to it. Is just beautiful.
Surfing - As well as fishing, is a great way to integrate with nature and develop yourself.
Reading, listening to music, watching movies, surfing the internet, etc.

  • animals
  • dining
  • italian food
  • cooking
  • bbq
  • japanese food
  • exercise
  • partying
  • movies
  • reading
  • traveling
  • music
  • guitar
  • fishing
  • surfing
  • world cup
  • business
  • history
  • hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Rock, samba, bossa, forró, choro, sertanejo, pagode, african, ...

Teach, Learn, Share

I got pretty good in hitchhiking through Africa and South America, and also finding jobs as I traveled. I´m starting now with motorcycle traveling, and would like to learn more about it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Travel experiences

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Chile, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Georgia, Ghana, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Germany, Mozambique, South Africa, United States

Old School Badges

  • 3 Vouches
  • Pioneer Badge

Join Couchsurfing to see Jacques’s full profile.

My Groups