Ivan Cooper

After a false start working as a lab technician, Ivan spent several years kicking around Asia, including long journeys through Pakistan, China and India. In the following years teaching jobs in Taiwan and Korea sparked an enduring, if love-hate, relationship with oriental languages. Growing fascinated with Tibet after visiting Buddhist regions of China and India, Ivan made his home for ten years in Dharamsala — the Indian headquarters of the Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile, where he studied Tibetan, Sanskrit and Buddhist Philosophy. After moving back to England in 2009, Ivan divides his time between looking after his young son and instructing youngsters in the art of sushi making.