Couchsurfing the World , or the World of Couchsurfing
In recent years people around the globe have been increasingly using a very particular kind of budget travelling – Couchsurfing . According to the information on the official platform webpage , the Couchsurfing community today is formed by roughly 10 million people in more than 200,000 cities . People who open the doors of their homes to meet strangers , to share their time , their ways of living , their cultures and traditions . These are people that the website calls friends you haven ’ t met yet . Even though Couchsurfing provides its users with means to assure your adventures to be safe ( like reading the references other surfers leave about hosts ), in my personal social circle there are still lots of those who openly or secretly consider me crazy for choosing this way of travelling . As for me , this became a very natural , very pleasant and very exciting way to explore the world . Maybe I have been incredibly lucky , but all my Couchsurfing experiences have been very positive . MALLORCA
Quite a long time passed before I decided to surf some more couches . It was a sad night in Moscow and I was feeling more exhausted and stressed than ever , finding myself in a coma-like state , I opened Couchsurfing app on my phone , randomly picked Mallorca as my next destination and posted a public trip with the following content : « Hey there ! I ’ m a friendly and very tired Russian girl who really needs a beach vacation . Please let me sleep on your coach !» The following morning I received a couch offer from a guy named Francisco . No reviews , no Couchsurfing friends and just a few pictures . Haven ’ t hosted or surfed yet . Hmmm . I wrote to him to thank him and then googled weather forecast for the next week . Moscow : rain and cold . Mallorca : sunny and hot . “ I ’ m buying the tickets ” was my next message to Xisco . A couple of days later I was in a plane on my way to Spain . I was nervous , yes , but that was a good kind of nervousness . Happiness hit me as soon as I got out of the airport . Indeed , it was sunny ; indeed , it was warm . I pulled off my jacket . Almost immediately I started thinking of a way to live on the island . It felt that awesome ! It took me some time to find the place where Xisco lived , but I speak Spanish , so I was able to ask people for directions and in the end I found the right house . My nervousness was all gone after the first five minutes of talking to the guy – he was the sweetest thing ! We walked around the city centre until it got late and had some “ Nice to meet you ” beers . It already felt like we were friends ! As I would find out later , that was how majority of people who use Couchsurfing turned out to be . In the evening , we had a dinner with Xisco ’ s girlfriend . She was from Colombia , and more than happy to talk about her homeland . She loved her country and talked about it very passionately ! The following day I visited La Seu Cathedral , the most famous landmark of Palma de Mallorca that stands on the seafront . I was there on my own , strolling around and indulging in its beauty , breathing in its history . At noon , I found some shade and had lunch sitting on the grass and watching groups of tourists from different countries passing by . They all spoke different languages , acted and look differently – but they all seemed to enjoy the place just as much as I did . When the heat went down a little , I headed to the beach . The water was
a deep shade of turquoise , it was unspeakably nice feeling its touch on my skin after having spent months wearing coats and boots in Russia . As the night got closer , there were fewer people left , and I could sit there in silence , listen to music and really enjoy the moment . The moment of peace and calmness that I needed badly … My lovely hosts offered to take me to my next host – the one that was living on the other side of the island and whose offer I accepted the night before my trip . Mauricio was from Argentina and definitely one of the nicest people I have ever met . He did not only let me use his entire room , but he also cooked dinner every night and played a whole variety of instruments ! Beat that ! I was amazed at just how lucky I was as soon as I stepped inside of his apartment . The view from the balcony was indescribably beautiful ! As far as the eye could see , there was , well , the sea You could even spot a bit of the lake that lay right across the street from the shore . Minutes after I sank in the cushions thrown on the mattress on the balcony floor , I found myself telling Mauro very particular chapters of my biography . Once again , it just felt so comfortable , so cozy , and the person sitting next to me seemed so understanding , that I couldn ’ t help but feel at home . I knew that I was at a safe place where I would spend some happy time . And I surely did ! Every night we would have long , juicy conversations about life , travelling , music and so many other things . We would be laughing , comfortably sitting at the table moved to the balcony , candles lit , moon shining , and the sea waves creating the perfect background sound for us . We went for walks on the beach , learnt about each other ’ s countries and ways of living and dealing with whatever obstacles life makes sometimes . Every day I would spend lying on the white sand , reading a book or listening to my favorite songs , walking , watching people enjoy their summer vacations , thinking , musing , unwinding . That was precisely what I needed , that was what I had been asking heavens for – and I couldn ’ t have possibly gotten a better response to my prayers . When I was leaving , I was really happy . Not happy to leave – but happy to have lived what I lived there . Svetlana Lazareva
2016-2017 , Winter / missLINGVA 35