João

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hello there! I'm João Victor, an easy-going, adventurous, and curious guy from Jundiaí, near São Paulo, Brazil. My first experience as a solo traveler was in 2018, when I went to Toulouse to study French for three very enriching months. Upon my return to Brazil, I pursued a degree in English/Portuguese translation in São Paulo, graduating at the end of 2021.

In August 2022, fueled by a dream I'd had since I was a teenager, I embarked on a one-way flight to France, not knowing when I would return to Brazil (thanks to my Italian passport, my time in Europe isn't constrained by visa limitations). My plan? Well, it is just meeting new people, exploring new places, and picking up new skills along the way.

Ultimately, I look forward to lending a helping hand and immersing myself in your culture, language, family dynamics, and the activities you cherish. 😊

Interests

Architecture

Photography

Movies & TV

Farming

Charity work

Gardening

Writing

Sailing / Boating

Pets

Outdoor activities

Nature

Music

Mountain

Languages

Hitchhiking

Hiking

History

Culture

Camping

Books

Astronomy

Animals

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
Italian: Beginner

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Eco Projects

Charity Work

Gardening

Art Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Babysitting and creative play

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Languages

More details about your skills

I really enjoy looking after animals and playing with kids. So far, during my travel experience, I have been to the homes of 13 families with children aged between 1-12 years old and gained some experience with beekeeping and looking after horses.

I'm really into creative pursuits like writing, photography, and filmmaking. I've actually made eight short films with the families I've stayed with through Workaway. With the kids, we've dabbled in various genres like western, horror, war film, and silent comedy.

I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Translation English/Portuguese, so I've been writing in both languages a lot. During my time in college, I translated all sorts of stuff—journalistic, legal, and biomedical texts—but the ones I enjoyed the most were always the literary ones.

I'm totally up for learning new skills, whether it's gardening, farm work, or anything else you're willing to teach me.

Age

24

What else ...

I'm a huge movie buff. Two directors I absolutely adore are Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy. I'm drawn to the whimsical charm of films like "Peau d’âne" and "Les demoiselles de Rochefort," as well as touching documentaries such as "Les Glaneurs et la Glaneuse" and "Les plages d'Agnès." Wim Wenders' films, especially "Paris, Texas" and "Alice in Den Städten," resonate deeply with me. I'm also captivated by the poetic and captivating documentaries of Werner Herzog, the surreal worlds crafted by David Lynch, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Luis Buñuel, and Terry Gilliam, the gripping thrillers by Jean-Pierre Melville and Henri-Georges Clouzot, and the experimental cinema of Chris Marker and Alain Resnais. The compelling atmosphere of Éric Rohmer's films always leaves a lasting impression on me. And of course, I can't overlook the talented filmmakers from Brazil, including Glauber Rocha, Walter Salles, Fernando Meirelles, Luiz Fernando Carvalho, Karim Aïnouz, Eduardo Coutinho, and Kleber Mendonça Filho.

When it comes to reading, I'm particularly drawn to Jorge Luis Borges' intricate labyrinths and encyclopedias (I explored memory themes in his short story "Funes, the Memorious" for my Bachelor's dissertation). I'm also enchanted by García Marquez's magical realism, Hermann Hesse's spiritual journeys, and the sweeping family sagas of Steinbeck, Mann, and Lampedusa. Russian literature holds a special place in my heart, with works like Chekhov's short stories, Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment," Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita," and Turgenev's "Sketches from a Hunter's Album." And of course, I can't forget to mention my favorite Brazilian authors: Raduan Nassar, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Clarice Lispector, Machado de Assis, and João Ubaldo Ribeiro.

In terms of music, my taste is eclectic. I love listening to The Beatles, Radiohead, and Neil Young. The emblematic voices of Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg and Nick Drake always leave me entranced. I'm deeply moved by the lyrics and melodies of Leonard Cohen, and I take pride in the musical legacy of Brazilian icons like Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben Jor, Tom Zé, João Gilberto, and Cartola. Movie soundtracks composed by legends such as Ennio Morricone, Bernard Herrmann, Nino Rota, and Philip Glass are also a favorite of mine. And when I'm in the mood for classical music, composers like Wagner, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Bach, and Beethoven never fail to captivate me. Lastly, I love discovering new rhythms and languages through music, which is why I have a playlist dedicated to songs from countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mali, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Lebanon, Russia, and the Czech Republic.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements