CURRENT MISSION

To make the most of my lifetime, and help people to make the most of theirs.

ABOUT ME

I am curious, versatile, extremely passionate and intense when interested in something, and an incorrigeble optimist.
I'm not exactly a typical Brazilian, whose most widely known qualities I unfortunately lack completely: I wouldn't ever dance to any kind of music, not even if my life depended on it, I have never played football or practiced any sports (apart from chess) in my whole life, I can't sing nor play any musical instrument, I am totally indifferent to and unimpressed by carnival, I don't enjoy roasting under the sun in hot sandy beaches, I prefer Turkish tea to Brazilian coffee and girls definitely don't fall for me.
I see myself more as an ordinary world citizen than as a remarkable representative of my own tribe.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is short, time is extremely precious and completely irrecoverable once lost or wasted, therefore we should make the most of it.

Por qué estoy en Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I intend to host couchsurfers in my appartment whenever I am in town and to travel myself and stay in other couchsurfers' homes whenever possible. My wife has been living in a different town 3000 km away for work (she's a singer) since July 2012, so the system will be 100% "help yourself": I have a stove, but I do not cook, I have a washing machine, but I can't operate it properly, and I will not wash used dishes, cover and mugs. I will provide blankets, pillows, towels and whatever will be necessary to my guests, for my house is fully equipped, and they should feel free to use any equipment available in the house, provided they operate it properly and clean after themselves. There is absolutely no need to tell me where they are going or whom they are going to meet, but I would appreciate being informed if the guest is not coming back overnight so that I won't worry about his/her safety. Sao Paulo, like Rio de Janeiro, unfortunately cannot be considered a safe city for foreigners and Brazilians alike. It is strictly forbidden to bring anyone into the appartment without my previous consent, and I strongly recommend taking higher than usual safety precautions while out in the streets.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have just had my first CS experience, hosting Taissia Baranovskaya from Estonia in my appartment April 3-5. It was great, and I hope there will be others.

Intereses

Travelling (mainly to big cities),
Long city walks,
Central & Eastern European, Balkanic and Middle-Eastern culture, History and architecture,
Learning foreign languages,
Meeting people from different lands and cultures,
Tasting national and regional food and drinks,
Anything related to Russia and Turkey.
I have passionate, profound love for and great interest in all aspects of life in the following cities:
Moscow, which is the one I am most deeply linked to (I've lived there for five years between 1989 and 1995 and my daughter is living there now),
Istanbul, by far the most fascinating city on Earth and the one I would live in if I could,
Prague, undisputably the most beautiful,
Vienna, the most charming,
Rome, which I consider the ultimate city.

• culture
• singing
• architecture
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• drinking
• chess
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• sports
• soccer
• history
• languages
• beaches

Música, películas y libros

RUSSIAN literature
RUSSIAN classical music and ballet
SOVIET cinema and theatre
Genius!

Algo increíble que he hecho

First time, and subsequently EVERY time I set my eyes on Prague's Staromestské Námestí, Moscow's Red Square, my native Rio de Janeiro from the top of Corcovado hill and the incomparable Bosphorus.
First time, and subsequently EVERY time I enter Constantinople's Haghia Sophia, cross the Vltava on Karluv Most, climb Athens' acropolis, navigate anywhere in Venice and have a walk in central Rome.
First time, and subsequently EVERY time I have a crunchy roast suckling piglet with a glass of Rioja at El Sobrino de Botín in Madrid (I visit every year in January), a Sachertorte with a cup of tea at Vienna's Hotel Sacher, a typical multi-course Caucasian dinner at Moscow's best Georgian restaurant Genatsvale and any of the unbelievably delicious and unique Anatolian specialties of wizard-chef Musa Dagdeviren at Kadiköy's Çiya Sofrasi in Istambul.
First time I saw, and subsequently EVERY time I look at my beautiful and loving wife.

Enseña, aprende, comparte

Human nature, in all its complexity and in all its manifestations, is the most intriguing and mysterious object of my attention. I would like to "learn" people, if only I were able to! Few things can be as exciting as the "discovery" of a new individuality, if it is not shallow and banal.
What I would expect to receive from the experience of couchsurfing is exactly the same thing I would have to offer: the possibility of sincere contact with a new, so far unknown, unique and hopefully interesting individuality.

Países que he visitado

Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, United Kingdom

Países en los que he vivido

Brazil, Italy, Russian Federation