CURRENT MISSION

Trying to overcome a world of superficiality!

ABOUT ME

Hello everyone! My name is Juan Gabriel and according to many I'm one of a kind. Also, I am the fifth son from a large brethren. My dad's Catalan and my mum's Colombian and as you could expect, this preposterous admixture could give birth -only- to someone like me.

In spite of it all, I believe optimism describes well my demeanor. I take kindness, sharing and loving on trust as the main ingredients of life's secret recipe. Likewise, as years go by, I realize how important it is to understand humankind from a more realistic biological premise, rather than through social or conceptual constructs.

Admittedly, I'm entering a new phase of my life. I've traveled a bit over the past few years and I've lived in a few countries. Lately, However, I'm experiencing a refreshing bath of retrospection at this new stage of my life. I'm also currently studying a degree in translation studies.

I'll be game showing my future fellow Couchsurfers around town.
I'm an easy-going guy who can't help viewing the world from a somewhat, humorous, perspective.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in the good morals and common sense shared and taught by all religions rather than just the rituals and traditions, whereby, people are meant to act according to preconceived rules.
Sharing and communicating is my religion.
Love is the word!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm having tones of fun, So far so good!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So far so good, I'm loving it...

Interests

I guess languages and, perhaps, psychology are amongst my interests. But, I could list a few more things I enjoy, such as writing, travelling, diving or attending different cultural events. Anything and everything, really. But, there's one thing I can't really live without, and it is coffee. Yes, I confess I'm a coffeeholic, so every morning I must plead guilty to indulging in the almost lascivious pleasures that every sip of it evokes in my soul and most notably in my body. The stimulation attained by my all senses -particularily, by my taste buds- as I anxiously jerk from the almost unsurmountable pleasure caused by the smell of it coming from the kitchen is rather heavenly to say the least...

I'm pretty sure I could write a whole book on how I feel about coffee.

• writing
• books
• coffee
• traveling
• scuba diving
• languages
• psychology
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Books

I admit that in what regards reading, I had a soft spot for Russian literature, so Tolstoy, Chejov, Turgenyev, Bulgakov made me indulge in pure magic, back in the day. I also enjoy the authenticity in South American and Spanish literature. But, I pretty much can read a bit of eveything, from articles on politics and history to stuff related to the mind.

I read, not long ago, "A Confederacy of Dunces", which I loved.

Movies

I find very entertaining all films directed by Alejandro Amenabar. But,I like many other legendary films from different countries. When you come to Barcelona, try going to La Filmoteca at least once, great quality independent films for 3 euros!

I also enjoy the Cohen brothers and Tarantino's work.
I recall, at one point, watching films and plays directed by Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman. Very interesting stuff really. And, finally, I enjoy films starring Uruguayan actor, Daniel Hendler. He's quite a cool character, in his own way.

Music

I think, I can say I love rock music and most of its varieties really; ranging from early nineties Grunge to many many others styles. You name it, I like it.
I also enjoy traditional folk music in general. Balkan beat box and, especially, Eastern European Klezmer and Balkan music. However, the list could go on forever. ;)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Life itself is amazing, right?

Teach, Learn, Share

I´ll share my stories and listen to yours, too. I guess, I could teach people funny sayings in Spanish.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, France, Spain, United States