Hi ! My name’s Iván and I’m an open minded, calm and outgoing person from Mexico. I love getting to know new people, having nice conversations, sharing food, exploring new places. I currently teach ceramics in a university in Toulon, France, where I am also enrolled as a student of Contemporary Art. I’ve been working and studying full time in the arts for 5 years.
My heart intention is to create artwork that can help us realize how we are all connected in this world.
You can see my work in Instagram @ivan.monroy.

I've lived many lives the last few years. I studied digital art and design in one of the best schools of my home city, Monterrey, before I dropped out and become a painter assistant in Oaxaca, Mexico. I then worked in wood and stone sculpture for a while. Then, one day, clay found me ! Love at first touch.

Soon after that, I decided to go learn traditional pottery in a small village nearby Oaxaca. There I became the apprentice of the last potter of the village, a lovely lady called Amelia. She worked clay for 70 years before retiring from the craft at 94 years old ! I admire her profoundly and I visit her every time I go back to Mexico. After my apprenticeship with her, I started moving around a lot, finally ending up living in the south of France.

My favorite food are the tlayudas oaxaqueñas. I also adore sheep greek yogurt. I quite sadly cannot eat it every day of my life since I'm a bit sensitive to lactose.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I’d love to get to know new people here and share experiences with them :) I'm also happy to host while I can. Right now I'm hosting in my house in Toulon (more on my "My Home" section).
Please personalize your request. "Copy/paste" requests will receive a "copy/paste" answer.

I started travelling earlier this year to Paris to work on an art project, and I've stayed with two Couchsurfing hosts for the moment. It was a great experience!
I'll be coming back to Paris in July to continue my project. I’m currently looking for place(s) to stay while I’m there. I’d love to talk about this with you in person and I'd be really grateful if I could stay in your place for a couple of nights :)

I would verify my profile, but I’d rather use that money to invite you some real Mexican tacos <3

Interests

I love anything related to art, music, meditation, and culture. I also really enjoy meeting new people and hanging out.

• arts
• culture
• coffee
• meditation
• traveling
• music
• languages
• sharing
• meeting new people
• humanitarian action

Music, Movies, and Books

I love music and have played the guitar for a while now. I like to sing too. My favorite band is Black Sea Dahu. Right now I'm listening to Flyte and Cat Clyde.

My favorite book is The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I made an art intervention/performance in which I changed the destiny of a Christmas Tree. It’s called “Becoming Evergreen”, you can find it in my YouTube channel @monroyroesch. https://youtu.be/e_NebH-PcMc

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to teach. I give ceramics classes all the time and I love sharing what I know about it and the arts in general. I have also given guitar lessons and I have a few nice singing tips.

My friends tell me I'm empathetic and a good listener. I always keep my heart open. I'm sure we can have interesting discussions about anything and everything.
I'd love sharing some good food with you too !

What I Can Share with Hosts

If my hosts have some clay around or we can buy (even dig!) some nearby, I'd love to give them an introductory course to clay and ceramics ;) I also enjoy guiding meditations, playing music together, and I’m happy to share all I know about art.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Mexico