Introduction: Alex Ignatius

 

Background: Alex was born in Helsinki, during the summer of '93, to a Swedish-speaking Finnish mother and a Portuguese father. His life has been divided by these two cultures and nations, and even more when his father moved to Belgium and got married to a Belgian woman. At the age of 9, Alex moved to live with his father and stepmother in Belgium where he studied in French and Dutch. I 2016, he decided to move back to Finland to pursue a higher education degree.

Personality: He is a peace maker yet an accidentaly honest soul, that sees the best in everybody and everything, and has a wabi-sabi take on life (the beauty in the broken, old, used, simple...).

He's an intuitive lunatic, "accidentally" knows what to do.

There is so much more to one being than can be expressed in an introduction. This description contains but a few glimpses of who this person really is. If you decide to talk to him, you might see a part of him come to light.

https://vimeo.com/144939753: "Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights."
-Uncle Iroh (from "Avatar: The Last Airbender")

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My dream is to meet native (aboriginal), original and/or fun people--at least...

In a more realistic sense, I would like to figure out how Couchsurfing works because a lot of my friends do it, and I just love the idea of meeting people from all over the place (figuratively as well as literally) and really wanna meet humans in their natural habitats.

Interests

Alex is one of those people who has endless lists of passions and who will always find new passions in his life, but currently those passions are:

Dancing: He has been dancing Argentine Tango since he was 15 years old but he also likes other improv dancing.

Arts: He draws and paints, loves architecture, appreciates pottery (and wants to learn it). He plays the ocarina, is designing his own clothes (naturally he wants to learn sewing so he can make them himself). He writes his thoughts and ideas in a special folder waiting for the right moment to make a book out of them. He has a few comic projects for fun, and much more.

Science and research:  He likes to be updated on the latest advancements in various fields such as quantum mechanics, biochemistry and especially medical research--particularly Ayurveda and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). He feels that these two are underappreciated and that they have been proven to be more than effective alternatives or complements.

茶道 (Chádào): "The path of tea" would be a good translation of this concept. He has been walking this path for some time, meditating on the importance of humility and enjoying tea as a divine herb, learning the importance of the energetics of different teas and the serenity that they can bring to your soul. Tea is more than just a beverage; it’s a culture, but it is also a path to mindful liberation hidden in a trivial daily practice.

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: TOOL, Trevor hall , Kerli , Carlos di Sarli, Mozart ...

Movies: The Perks of being a wallflowe, Rubby Sparks, into the wild...

Books: Guy de Maupassant in General, Hermann Hesse in General, The Autobiography of a yogi by Paramanhansa Yogananda, Bernard Werber, ...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've saved a kid from drowning 😎

Teach, Learn, Share

T: How to mindfully drink tea, Argentin Tango, how to brew tea.

L: Languages, Cultures, Cuisine.

S: TEA!!!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Tea, Healing, dance, fun, food and a good conversation ;)

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Italy, Macedonia, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Finland