Hello there, thanks for reading this! I will try to present some things that I think can help you understand me a little bit. I hope to meet you soon!

I’m a peaceful person who loves wondering around learning new things, finding new experiences and people wherever in this beautiful globe. I study music in my hometown Helsinki, and work there as a musician and piano teacher.

When it comes to music, I don’t have any boundaries. I can be touched by any kind of music, and often those moments surprise me as well. On the other hand there are times I don’t feel like listening to music at all on my ”free time” (there is no such thing…). In general, live music is cool and I like to support it wherever I go.

I’m teaching myself to taking good care of my body as well as my soul and mental wellbeing. I enjoy spending time in nature, on my own if possible - a typical Finnish character, I know.. Running brings me the feeling of freedom. I’ve practiced pilates (saved me!), yoga and boxing.
I don’t go to gyms, to be honest I hate it.! Lately I challenged myself and started learning judo - it’s really fun and I appreciate the idea of budo/martial arts.

I LOVE cooking, and my kitchen is the most important place in my home! I love the colors and different tastes of vegetables and fruits. Whenever I go abroad I buy the oddest looking vegetables or fruits that I can find and then try to figure out what to do with them! I have been eating mostly vegetarian food for many years now. However, for me the most important thing is the ethics when it comes to food - eating meat from local small farms or hunters feels natural for me. The same thing applies to any food I eat. I don’t approve any kind of factory farming of meat or dairy products. I enjoy cooking vegan meals, especially imitating Indian, Middle East, Japanese or Chinese/Taiwanese/Vietnamese styles.

I used to read a lot, and nowadays I'm trying to make more time for reading. It's one of the best things you can do to your brain.

I might describe myself a non-religious, but spiritual person even though I don’t like boxes of any kind..

A glass of red wine or good beer is always welcome!

Take a look at the profile of me and my dear friend Elina: https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/2003723246
We travelled around Europe in summer 2016, which is why this profile was created!

I also have a profile in AirBnB that has some recommendations as well.. You can take a look here: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/71949997

If you're interested, you are welcome to check out my music here:
https://idalanen.com (my musician website, in Finnish, sorry about that!)
https://soundcloud.com/ida-alanen

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The reason why I’m here in Couchsurfing: my desire for adventures, meeting new people and sharing experiences and thoughts. I have met the loveliest people in odd circumstances, been offered help by unknown people - I want more of these encounters in my life. In summer 2016 I travelled around Europe with my lovely friend Elina. You can take a look at our profile here: https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/2003723246

Interests

• arts
• books
• architecture
• music
• languages
• solo travel
• adventure travel
• food
• different cultures
• silence
• peace
• judo

Music, Movies, and Books

A few random albums I have listened a lot:
- Seven Seas - Avishai Cohen
- From Gagarin's Point of View - Esbjörn Svensson Trio
- Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition played by Ivo Pogorelich
- Orient Occident II - Hommage à la Syrie - Jordi Savall
- Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley
- Night Train - Oscar Peterson
- Red Garland's Piano - Red Garland
- Black Radio - Robert Glasper Experiment
- Mozart Horn Concertos & Quintet - Radek Baborak
- Grace - Jeff Buckley

A few random bookes that matter to me:
- Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
- Momo - Michael Ende
- The Neverending Story - Michael Ende
- Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
- We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
- The Third Jesus - Deepak Chopra
- The Power of Now - Echart Tolle

Countries I’ve Visited

Cyprus, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, Portugal