Couchsurfing

coucsurfing

Hullo guys... back to write again, while I have the mood on it... hmm.. this time I'm gonna write something about a community that recently I'm joining in.... it is Couchsurfing..... from couchsurfing.org.... it has been a long time that I wanted to write a story about this community with all experiences and passion that I feel... Joining this community totally given me a new life experience and new vision... so many things that wanted to do and so many passions that I got..... This community is like opening the door for the dreams that has been laid for a long time in my heart.... Really glad that I am able to know about this community and being part of it...

Before I go with the story of my own, I would like to give you a brief description about what couchsurfing is. I take it directly from their site, http://www.couchsurfing.org.....

What is CouchSurfing?

CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using our system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding.

Our mission as an organization is to create inspiring experiences: cross-cultural encounters that are fun, engaging, and illuminating. These experiences take many forms. CouchSurfing's initial focus was on hosting and "surfing" (staying with a local as a guest in their home). Alongside these core experiences, we now also facilitate a growing array of activities and events.

We have a vision of a world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter. Each CouchSurfing experience shared by our members brings us closer to that vision.

It was on December 2009 that I got the information about couchsurfing.org.... we know each other from local newspaper... yeah... the newspaper provide a big article about couchsurfing.org..... the title wasn't that much appealing.. but the pictures that come along with it for sure is attracting....... the pictures taken when there was a couchsurfing gathering in Indonesia.. in Jakarta maybe... and.. well... the whole picture is almost full with d girls.... even there is an indonesian actress on it... ahaha.. so stupid right....but well.. from that stupid little thing I knew that there is a community that similar with hospitality club, called couchsurfing, which is able to provide a free accomodation for anybody who travel around the world..... this things is like opening my mind and unleashed my sleeping desired to travel around the world.... I see that it wasn't impossible anymore to visit many different countries, feel different cultures, meet different races, enjoying natural beauty of many different places, meeting different kind of beautiful girls, taste foreign delicious foods, freezing in high latitudes countries, burned in middle east or Africa, ahhh... so many things that I wanted to do and couchsurfing make it possible. Then.... without any hestitate, after reading the articles, I opened the internet and log in to http://www.couchsurfing.org.......... hmm.... my first impression was like... ahh.. this site is just like any other social networking site.... but then I realize that I was false after I tried to become their member... hmm.. so many forms that I have to feel in and it is not that easy to add a friend to our friend list... hmm.... it's interesting.... first experience with the site is just usual.... ok.... I became their member... then what??? I tried to explore a little bit and I found that there is something like a forum... and this forum is divided into many groups...... ahh... I found a group that is belong to my hometown....then I straightly join the group and started to read it to look for better information about couchsurfing......... After several days playing with coucsurfing web site, in Bandung's group discussion, I see that they are planing to celebrate the new years eve 2010.................... ahhhh this is it.... an opportunity for me to get deeper with couchsurfing community..... then...I persuade my friend which is also my neighbour, Bagus, to also join in the party...... hell yeah... he is interested.. very unusual..... heheh..... then.... on 31 December 2009, before 12 am... we went to TreeHouse, a restaurant where the party taken place.......... When we arrived, there were already so many people doing barbequeing, having chit chat, laughing, telling story, so much fun.....I was actually have no idea in how to get drown to the crowd and be part of the party.... thanks to Bagus that he previously had contacted Bandung's group discussion moderator, Riri, that we would like to join in the party.......yeah... that's how we get involved with couchsurfing community....... from new years eve party 2010....that's how I started.... and maybe I should thank to this guy that has brought me a lot of experience in hosting a travelers from other countries. He is Andhika Pnaduwinata Sahabat.... I met him on new years eve.. yeah.. on that party.. and it was also his first experience to join in couchsurfing community gathering... so... he is also knew no body there.... this guy is the first guy that I talked to in that party.... after several chit chat, I found that he is an amazing guy with quite a lot of traveling experience..... we share a lot of things and changing cellphone number..... well I thought our friendship will only last for that night, coz... I don't know when and where we will share an experience together again..... but who knows.... in the end we become a really good friends and always hosting foreign travelers together.... and there is something funny about us... well...me, bagus and pandu is actually living nearby... .. yup... we are neighbour.......And I just found it after going out with Pandu for several times.....ahahahhaa.... funny isn't it...... so couchsurfing is not only a site for finding a host for you to stay, but also a site to find your neighbour !!!

To be continue....