⚪🔵 Porto is not a place, it's a feeling 🔵⚪

Hey! My name is Gonçalo, but you can call me Poli if that’s easier. I was born and raised here in Porto. Over time, my connection to the city’s cultural scene has grown, from working at the famous Livraria Lello to now helping make the world-renowned Pastéis de Nata. This journey, along with all the exploring I do around the "Invicta" with you here on this wonderful platform, has deepened my engagement with Porto even more.

Check my gallery for photos of me and people I've met in the hospitality exchange community, including some of the people who left their reference on my profile!

Excited to hear from you, don't be a stranger! I'm an accesible and sociable dude, I'll be more than happy to have a chat 🤝

Wish you all the best. Stay safe, stay healthy and have fun! :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm always involving myself in the community, whether it's as a guest, as a host or as a friendly connection in the city, to hangout or share information.

Back in the early 2010s, my older sister had an account on couchsurfing where we hosted many people from all over the world, but we had not done it in many years. Started again recently because we have always loved hosting friends and family in our house and we have great memories from the days we hosted strangers through hospitality exchange.

I'd hope that I can make some great connections from this, help you fall in love with Porto and it's people and I want to make friends from all over the world, who could maybe one day be so kind to host me back if I have the opportunity to visit :)

Interests

Love sports and competition, but I also love the depth of other discussions

• dogs
• sports
• basketball
• geography
• history
• philosophy
• psychology
• science
• football
• videogames
• outdoors
• sciences
• cultural exchange
• walking around
• ufc
• lowcost
• hospitality exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite genre is Hip-Hop, always been something i've gravitated towards because of the percussion, rythm and lyricism. It did wonders for my learning of English, it also taught me a lot of cuss words (sorry mom)

I like movies obviously but it's never been my favorite form of entertainment. I'll mention Tarantinos movies as some of my favorites because they always have iconic scenes, performances and dialogue.

I don't really read books, I try to consume story driven content other ways but I do read a lot, just not books. For me people are the best source of information so I prefer to learn through conversations, so please start yappin

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I think the most amazing thing I've done is hosting. I think the idea of hospitality exchange, welcoming people into your home and learning from them, making friends for life, sharing your culture, providing an authentic experience, etc., are some of the coolest things I've ever been part of and I am very passionate about it. I always recommend my friends to try it out because it's one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had and I plan to keep being a part of this community for a long time :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I think we always have things that we can share that can expand someone elses perspective about specific topics or about life in general and I would hope that my life experiences and background could do just that for whoever I'm having conversations with. I don't have anything that stands out to me that I can share, but I think as humans we constantly learn from each other, so I'll try contributing to that by being open and candid about my views and stories.

About learning, I'm open-minded and excited to soak wisdom from others, so whatever it is, I'll probably have interest in knowing about it, i'm all ears like Dumbo.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Hopefully good and fun conversations, information about my country and culture and an attitude of being helpful and unselfish. I can also cook a meal, of course! I'm loyal as a dog so if you show me kindness, I'll pay you back ten fold 🤍

Countries I’ve Visited

Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Portugal