I’m an illustrator with a curious and exploring mind trying to find a comfortable balance between doing things and taking care of my health.

I love exploring and learning new things. Though travelling and couch surfing are new to me, I’ve always travelled through books and meet with people from all over the world whenever possible.

I love homely environments, hanging around and talking, being in nature, reading/writing, drawing and painting, music and dance.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet new people while travelling and discovering different cultures and ways of living. I want to connect with local communities and culture, be a part of it instead of only observing from a distance.

Interests

If you want to see some of my illustrations and sketches I'm @illuxander on Instagram. :)

• culture
• writing
• reading
• painting
• drawing
• music
• history
• languages
• nature
• dance
• sewing
• myths
• legends

Music, Movies, and Books

My music preferences go in phases, right now I’m sort of obsessed with Indian music (both contemporary and classical) and 1920s-1950s swing jazz and blues (think Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, etc.) But I’ve been a metalhead for a long time, listen to rock, had periods of country and folk music, and often come back to lofi, dance/electronics. (favourites include Bonobo, Fakear, Jungle, Maribou State)

Books… That’s harder to pinpoint. I will forever have a special place in my heart for The Neverending Story (Michael Ende), Sophie’s World (Jostein Gaarder), some fantasy novels, ALL fairytales and folk tales, myths and legends, epics (recently read the Ramayana and Mahabharata)… And even though I love reading nonfiction too (recently read books on gender, our senses, history, etc), my biggest love remains stories/fictions.

My taste in movies and tv kind of reflects my love for epics and storytelling so I loved LOTR, Game of Thrones, the Witcher, Kabuki Akadousuzunosuke, RRR, Kumari, Gangubai Kathiawadi, Minnan Murali, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Rebooting my life and choosing to follow my heart instead of outside expectations

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can try and draw your portrait and/or home, share stories, some knowledge on languages, history and culture. I’m also very good at narration (reading out loud), specifically in English.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Germany, Hungary, India, Luxembourg, Netherlands

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium