Why I Might Not Use CouchSurfing Again - Meet My New Brother Felipe

“Couchsurfing? No, I don’t thnk I will use that” I hear that a lot. And for a good reason. It is hard to want to trust a stranger to your home, or a trust a stranger you have never meet and stay with them for a time. How do you know they won’t do something bad or steal your items? Couchsurfing can be very scary. I can tell you that after my first time using Couchsurfing I don’t want to use it again.

What is Couchsurfing?

What is Couchsurfing? Well, it is a website designed to meet people around the world. It has groups where you can discuss with people with similar interests online. It has events where you can meet up with people that share you desires and interests. But the most powerful part is that people can open up their house/room/couch to a stranger and show them their life and culture and in return learn more about someone else’s life and culture.

My First Experience

I have always feared using Couchsurfing, it just did not seem like the right thing for me. But I was running out of money while staying in Bogota. I needed a place to stay, but even more so I did not want to stay in a hostel as I would be around other travelers rather than a local. My friend mentioned how much fun she had meeting and hosting people through Couchsurfing and that I should give it a try. I also have another friend who happens to be ambassador for her region and I hear the great stories she has of people she has hosted. With all these positive things people had to say about Couchsurfing it was time for me to dive right on in, eyes closed, unaware what might happen.

Finding Someone

After scouring through mounds and mounds of profiles I submitted a request to 5 different people who seemed like they were interesting people. One really stood out, he did not have a lot of references, just one… the thing that is said about this person “He is always smiling”. That was the person I wanted to stay with and learn more about. His name Felipe.

The Rejection and Acceptance

One by one each person proceeded to tell me that they did not have space available, were out of town, and one by one my heart started to sink and feel heavy. The pound of my heart could be felt as my disappointment set. Four people had said they were not available for host me at the time for the three week period. Felipe was the last person on my list. His response finally came with and I started to read it, my heart started to sink a bit more. The words “I do not have a room available…” were the first set of words I saw. At that point I did not want to read on. I was glad that I did though. The email continued “…until Monday, where I have a guest who is already staying with me.” I had accepted his invitation and so I booked a place to stay for the 5 days wait after I landed in Bogotá, Colombia.

Day 1

After those eventful filled five days we meet in the region of Suba in Bogota, an area I was used to as I had stayed there 2 years before. In my email requesting a place to stay I had mentioned that I was an excellent cook and enjoyed cooking. For the first night, I wanted to prove what I had said. We headed to the store and picked up the ingredients needed to create an Indian curry and combined the ingredients to create a steaming hot turmeric stained food that is very common in Inida. As we ate, we had some beers and moved our mouths and tongues as we conversed all night long. I don’t remember what our conversation was about, but it must have been a good conversation as we did not get some sleep until almost 1 am. It was starting to become a good connection. The connection kept getting stronger and stronger over the next few days, especially when the weekend came. How so you ask?

The Family

That next weekend we headed to Tunja where I was taken in as family. First we meet up with his cousins, two Colombians who lived in Brazil. The two were also on the same route, we shared a car ride with them. The car ride was a bonding experience with his family.

As I arrived to a square house on the corner of an intersection of Tunja I was given a room to stay. I got to meet his sisters and felt like I was starting of become part of the family. We had lunch, a vegan meal, which was fantastic since I am a vegetarian. I got to converse with his sisters as well as his father, who spoke very little English. I was shown around the town of Tunja personally by his father and I got take part of family activities. It was like I was having another family in a different land than my own. And from this I was learning what it meant to be in a Colombian family. We headed back to Bogotá and I thanked Felipe for the wonderful weekend.

Our Time

While in Bogotá I got introduce Felipe of what I know of Bogotá from the 6 times I have visited. We got to know the nightlife of Bogotá as it was now the week of my birthday. A week hard to remember and hard to forget. It was basically partying just about every night, not one night ending before 2 am. It made it hard for me to do my work, but the memories made (if I could remember them), were amazing. We both had a great time meeting new friends.

Why I Don’t Want To Use Couch Surfing Again

Felipe called me his brother, and I considered him to be my brother. And because of this experience, I may never want to do Couch Surfing again. It will be impossible to try to out do this experience. I can’t imagine a better host and a better connection than what I had for three weeks. It is hard to imagine that Couch Surfing can better than this experience. I fear that it can’t get any better than my time with Felipe. I meet a new a family member that I never knew I had and a strong connection to his family. I learned a lot from Felipe, and what it really means to be in a family. It is hard to forget what I learned in those three weeks (especially never to take a shot called Kill Me). I want to reach this article out to him and say thank you. I also want to thank Couch Surfing for making this happen.

Who knows, perhaps someday I will Couch Surf again, but that person has to be very special, or perhaps I will leap blindly like I did the first time using Couch Surfing. It is hard to get past that fear.

What do you think of CouchSurfing? Tell us Perhaps you have questions? We want to hear those stories. Leave a comment below, send me a tweet on twitter, or post on my facebook. Heck even send us a message. Let me know so I can help. Happy travels

Erick Redcloud

A partially blind Graphic Designer, Freelance Travel Photographer, Artist, Buddhist and Vegetarian who loves to travel. Erick loves traveling by being with the locals and going off the beaten path. He is the founder and owner of Pathlesstravels and loves inspiring others to follow their dreams, whether it is to travel or something completely different. He started Pathlesstravels to hone is photography skills and to meet amazing people, and to help a friend break into journalism. Check out his photography at his link.

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