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Couchsurfing

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by sojourner, Mar 6, 2011.

  1. sojourner

    sojourner Silver IL'ite

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    Note:There are a lot of risks associated with something like couchsurfing.

    Couchsurfing is one of those developments that became possible only because of the net.

    Basically, it works like this. People with space for other people to stay in (i.e., people with "couches") advertise. They are rated by previous users. People needing a place to stay contact those with couches, make arrangements, and stay with them. There is a Web site for this.

    In the ideal situation it works great for both parties -- the guest gets an alternative to staying in a cold, impersonal hotel room; the host enjoys the company of another person and grows/learns from the experience. I leave it to your imagination regarding what can happen in the worst case. [We have had known visitors from India whom we could not wait to send back.]

    It was started by an American visiting Iceland. He used the net to find alternate accommodation and got a lot of interest from students at the University of Iceland. This experience encouraged him to start the site Couchsurfing.

    I have looked at this site some. What surprised me was the number of couchsurfers at places where I least expected to find them. I don't remember what these surprising places were. It seems to me that there were a lot of surfers in India and China, and even in places like Afghanistan and Burma. (This is from my fallible memory.)

    The type of people who use this service also surprised me. My sense is that Indians are very conservative in things like this. (Rightly so.) I am too. I was surprised to see that an Indian dentist from Mumbai had stayed over with her daughter in Europe as a couchsurfer.

    I found out about couchsurfing from my friend Ramki's Web site. He seems to be quite active in this. Couchsurfing leaders have meetups in cities like Chennai.

    My wife is even more conservative than I. I mentioned to her about couchsurfing once and kidded that we should offer our unused children's rooms as couchsurfings couches, fully expecting to be hit on the head for this brash suggestion. She surprised me when she said "As long as it is a female, I don't mind." It shows how lonely all of us really are. And she trusts me with the female during the 60 mile drive from the nearest airport :)

    A brave new world indeed.

    Again, please be careful. And use anything like this, only at your own risk.
    -------------------------------------------
    Added at 3 PM on 3/6/2011
    ---------------------------------------
    Instead of relying on my memory, I decided to view the Couchsurfing site. Here is some information that surprised me.

    Total Number of Members: 2.6 million
    Number of Members in India: 37100
    Number of Members in China: 55000
    Number of Members in Pakistan: 2800
    Number of Members in Afghanistan: 250
    Number of Hindi Speaking Surfers: 20000
    Countries/Territories Represented: 245
    Languages Represented: 334

    I didn't do this blog entry justice. You can snoop around their site without logging in, and can find information about all kinds of interesting people. A common theme recurs: we all like to get to know interesting people.

    Also, one can meet the surfers such for a meal or coffee, instead of staying with them. This way you control the amount of interaction you have. If they start talking too much about B.F.Skinner, you can get up and leave :)
     
  2. SARASVADIVU

    SARASVADIVU Silver IL'ite

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    sojourner (sir),

    That's some interesting information.

    What's actually your Indian name sir?

    Why did you chose this name which means

    being in a place for a short time??

    :cheers
    Saras
     
  3. sojourner

    sojourner Silver IL'ite

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    > Why did you choose this name which means being in a place for a short time??

    Several years ago, I started working in a town about 75 miles from my home. [Thanks outsourcing :)] I lived by myself during the workweek, in an apartment near work. I put an ad in the Indian paper for takeout Indian food. I didn't want to use my real name for this. I didn't want the whole world to know that I was desperate for food. I chose "sojourner" without much thought. I have stayed with it.

    One of my children was surprised by this choice too. He told me that "sojourner" was the name of a female African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist.

    I probably saw this name somewhere else and just picked it. If this was the case, it would be called a formal prompt (a prompt having the same form as the resultant response). If there was a logical reason for picking it, it would be called a thematic prompt.

    In Dicken's Oliver Twist, the master Mr.Bumble takes Oliver before a board that would decide his fate.

    "Take a bow before the board, Oliver" says Mr.Bumble.

    Oliver has a problem. He doesn't know what a board is. He sees that the board members are sitting in front of a table and bows to the table, hoping that the table may be the aforementioned board. He lucks out.

    As for my real name, it is கணியன் பூங்குன்றனார். [Sorry, couldn't resist.] It is Chandrasekhar.
     
  4. SARASVADIVU

    SARASVADIVU Silver IL'ite

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    Sir,

    Naangaelam blog mattum ezhuthina neengalo comment-box la oru 'mini blog' yaie ezhuthireenga!!

    (Thematic prompt, formal prompt, Oliver Twist et al)
    Pinnringa sir!


    So, Chandrasekhar sir, nice knowing ur name.

    :cheers
    SARAS
     
  5. sojourner

    sojourner Silver IL'ite

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    > Thematic prompt, formal prompt

    I will never miss a chance to try and spread my world view :)
     
  6. AbhiSing

    AbhiSing Gold IL'ite

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    Hahahahaha...........:thumbsup:rotfl. Like it:cheers

    Sojourner...did you see Mozhi movie?
     
  7. sojourner

    sojourner Silver IL'ite

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    > Sojourner...did you see Mozhi movie?

    No I didn't. I recall கணியன் as the author of "யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர்". I wanted to work this into the blog entry but forgot.
     
  8. AbhiSing

    AbhiSing Gold IL'ite

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    (if you watch it...you will know why I laughed.)

    I was reminded of the comedy scenes from that movie..where the hero would ask for heroine's name but everytime he would hear some other names incidentally.(I searched for that movie clips in youtube...but not able to find the. sorry)

    Now I know the reason why you said Kaniyan poongundranar, the purananootrup pulavar.Excellent!Waiting for your blog on him!
     
  9. AkilaMani

    AkilaMani Local Champion Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Chandrashekar sir,

    Hope you don't mind me calling you that!! couch surfing just sounds too dangerous (at least to a indian mom!!) i really wonder how people take a chance like that, or may be i am just being too paranoid (Indian women!!)

    anyways, it was interesting to learn, and to warn my kids (once the grow up!!)

    Akila
     
  10. sojourner

    sojourner Silver IL'ite

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    Akila,

    I will write more later. You comments made me think of something I read once by the great actress and person Meryl Streep:

    "Once I had a children, I started feeling vulnerable in a way that I had never felt before."

    I want to write another blog entry about some experiences with my younger son, Mr.Big Shot. I will, one of these days. I am barely resisting the temptation to do so now :) I have tax/insurance stuff to take care of right now.

    “The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
     

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