Episode Three: CouchSurfing: Changing the World One Couch at a Time

Episode Three: CouchSurfing:  Changing the world one couch at a time.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to experience what France, Germany, Israel, Belarus, Lithuania, and Detroit had to offer.  And I didn’t even have to leave the Bay Area; CouchSurfing made it all possible. 

CouchSurfing’s mission is to “participate in creating a better world, one couch at a time” and to “internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding.”  On the surface, CouchSurfing is a way for travelers to connect with people from all over the world, allowing for people to meet up for coffee or lunch, and in most cases, offering to host travelers in their house for a few days for free. 

But it’s much more than that.  The thing that I love most about traveling, aside from seeing the tourist-y attractions, is the interactions that I have with the locals because it helps me expand my perspectives and allows me to become a better global citizen; being a part of CouchSurfing facilitates this process.   For example, I hosted Tzahi, an Israeli who’s traveling in the United States for 3 months. He’s shared with me stories about his service time in the Israeli army, and gave me his perspective about the Israel-Palestine conflict.  It’s that first-person narrative that humanizes the headlines for me.  Asya, the first person that I couch-surfed with, shared with me her struggles growing up here in the US after leaving Belarus when she was 7; it’s something that we had in common. I left the Philippines when I was 13, and it’s been a struggle trying to maintain an identity that harmonizes both cultures.  

Geddis, my Lithuanian CouchSurfer, shared with me his experience growing up in Lithuania post-USSR, and got me to watch "Californification".  Steve from Rouen, my first CouchSurfer, was on the tail-end of his three-year journey around the world that took him around Africa, Central and North America.  Aside from the French lessons, he’s inspired me to be more brave and pursue things that interests me.  Carsten and Esther, my CouchSurfers from Dusseldorf, has affirmed that true love can still be had; they’ve been going strong for 7 years.  Heather and William, my first stateside CouchSurfers from Detroit, has taught me all about Sans Serif and Georgia O’Keefe and their experience at Creative Studies College. 

Now, I know what you’re gonna say, and no, I’m not crazy... well, maybe a little bit.  How can I let a complete stranger stay at my apartment?  Aren’t I scared that they’ll turn up to be some crazy sociopath that will kill me in my sleep?  And I think that’s the beauty with this whole social experiment.  No, not the crazy sociopath part, but the whole “pay it forward” idealism of it.  And in this ever treacherous and untrusting world that we live in, we can all use a little bit more trust and goodwill.  As Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” This idealism is what resonates with me and CouchSurfing. 

And I have met some really interesting people from CouchSurfing; not just the travelers that I have crossed paths with, but also the wonderful hosts here in San Francisco.  We have a really active chapter here in the city and the greater Bay Area as a whole, with multiple events and gatherings that caters to different tastes; from the weekly social gathering, CS Underground, at Coffee Bar in Potrero, the 3^rd Sunday Potlucks, the A-Z restaurant series, language tables, museum days, and many others.  These events have allowed me to get to know the amazing people that make up CouchSurfing.  There’s Zach, the creator of the “Free Hugs” campaign, Dan, the party man and the brains behind the infamous “Apron Party”;  Nithin, the political activist and a Karaoke extraordinaire, Walker, the Wonder Man;  Gabe, the consummate party host, and one of the most adorable human being alive, Maggie, the French enthusiast and a fellow foodie; Lulu, the lovable nurse who has even more energy than I do; Cynthia, my hiking enthusiast buddy and the one and only Amy.  I can go on and on, but I think you get the point. 

It’s a little harder to host someone now, just because of my school schedule, but that doesn’t rule it out completely.  “A stranger is a friend that you haven’t met yet”, and thanks to CouchSurfing, there are less and less strangers to me. 

Website:  www.couchsurfing.com