Job interview practicing

Hey, guys; how are you doing?
While looking for some jobs, I thought I´d better start preparing for interviews. As the "talk about you" topic is many times asked, I decided to write a response to that, just to have an idea of how I´d cope with that in English. So, here it goes.

I believe that most of our characteristics are consequences of influences we receive. Considering that, the first thought that comes to my mind when describind myself is the place where I live: Capão Redondo, a region of São Paulo well-known for its poorness. People who live there know that life is not easy and that one must fight tirelessly to reach his/her objectives. This characteristic explains why we are able to wake up at 5 am and arrive back home just at 22 pm. I shall also say that I live in São Paulo, a cosmopolitan town where I could find many opportunities and a comprehensive diversity of people. Finally, being Brazilian, I stand cheerful and optimistic regardless how hard life may be.

My parents reinforced all these characteristics throughout my life; they also kept our house filled with books, eletronics devices that were intended to be taken apart and other objects that influenced on my tendency to be curious and, therefore, eager to learn.  (I'm not sure if I fully understand what you meant by electronic devices turned apart - so perhaps I haven't captured your intent here)

As I do not have money to burn, many of my achievements came from scholarships I got in schools, summer programms and English courses, for instance. Finally, I may complete add that I am stubborn persistent and eager for the opportunity to put all the things that I have learned into practice. Since I was 8 years old, I have had the dream of making the world a better place. This is the start of the realization of that dream.

Hope you liked it, my friends! Feel free to also say things about the content itself. I will really appreciate if you tell me wether the text sounds like English, I mean, if it doesn´t have structures and else of another language (portuguese, that is).
Thank you very much, hope you have a good weekend!

(ps - This was fantastic. I think your structure was very native-like (actually even more well-written). Amazing! And beautiful sentiment.

About me

Hello everyone!

I love meeting new people from cultures, for that reason, I travel regularly and try to learn the language of some of the countries I visit such as German and Italian. I speak Spanish, which is my native language, and English and French the official languages of Canada, the country where I have lived for 30 years. I play chess, and I especially love tennis, which allows me to make new friends in the countries I visit.
Qualifications & Experience
Certificates in Biochemistry, Pharmacology. Diplomas in CAD, CAM, CAE. I particularly enjoy IT technology. As a businessman, I started my own business of fine chemicals.