CURRENT MISSION

To discover the world and its people in order to discover hidden spots within myself. I love small sites off the beaten track that have a special atmosphere and are valuable for the people who live there.

ABOUT ME

It’s been already 5 years that I left behind my comfort zone and started wandering the world. I have no steady home and no steady job. I am trying to live life to the fullest. I try to spend at least a few weeks every year traveling, and the rest is focused on developing my professional project: The Amateurs Theatre Company. This is a theater company I founded 2 years ago with which I intend to produce theatre in Barcelona (my hometown) and London (where I live most part of the year). My job at The Amateurs is to write scripts and to put them onstage. It’s my life project, my passion right now. In these two years, we have produced two shows that have been performed in the UK, Barcelona and Paris. Curious? Have a look: www.theamateurscompany.com or @theamateursco.

I am also a Somatic Trainer. What is that? I try to teach people how to deal with the different experiences happening within our body. I find quite funny that we are so thoroughly taught about history, maths, chemistry, physics… but never about the functioning of our own body. Of course, we have all studied Science and know about the muscular system, and the nerves and all that. But how useful is that information when I am scared about something in life? How does that help when I have to make a decision? Why nobody ever taught me how to breathe properly and how to relax when I am full of stress? I think these skills are very needed today. That’s what a Somatic Trainer teaches. That’s what I also do.

Part of my aim right now is to put these two things together: body awareness and theatre. And that’s what I’m doing also with The Amateurs Company, designing and putting onstage shows where performers have been trained to develop their body awareness in order to deliver a powerful performance full of intensity and truth.

PHILOSOPHY

I became very aware of death at a very early age. I am very aware that our time in this amazingly beautiful world is short (and might be even shorter due to the way we are treating the world today). So I try to make the best of every day by not wasting a minute of my time and trying to offer to the world the best of me.

More info: www.theamateurscompany.com

Instagram: @ivan_andrade

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

With a lot of curiosity and the spirit of an adventurer. The same way we need to breathe, we also need to expand our heart with the encounter of new places, new people, and new experiences. I think this hunger for adventure is very needed in the heart of every human being and very neglected in today’s society because... it's not very productive.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In all the trips I have done in South America, South East Asia, North & Central America… the best thing was always making new friends. Those encounters and the experiences that arose from them were the very best, regardless of how beautiful, rich or poor was the town or city I was visiting. I have met many wonderful people and some of them are now my friends. We talk through Facebook, we exchange emails or we visit each other in our countries, which enriches my life a lot every year. I am proud to have friends spread all over the world. And part of that is thank to Couchsurfing.

Interests

• literature
• meditation
• music
• classical music
• jazz
• nature
• watching movies
• theatre
• pop music

Music, Movies, and Books

I love science fiction movies.
I love all kinds of books.
I love jazz music, but also soul music, classical music, and any kind of well-crafted music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Perhaps one of the amazing things I try to do as much as I can is to tell the most honest truth in the most difficult moments. When you are risking a friendship or facing a situation that would just be way better or easier if you told a small lie and get away with it.

The honest truth is something becoming a rare experience in this world, and that is a truly sad thing.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My life expands into 3 directions: traveling, theater and teaching about the body awareness.

I travel to learn about life, other people and myself.
I have a theatre company to share what I learn about life, other people and myself.
I am a Somatic Trainer because I enjoy feeling well in my life, overcoming challenges and learing from it to be better... and I love teaching people about it.

Apart from that, I am a pretty good cook, I love to chat, good coffee, good wine, silence, good company, discussing about the politics of the world and how bad we are doing today :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Cuba, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Spain

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