That very happy, and obviously odd fellow to the left is my brother Jim. This picture bears witness to his great cause CouchSurfing.com, a site dedicated to hooking travelers up with couches to sleep on in most every city around the globe. He loves it...no I mean it...he's not really big into commitment, but he has been a loyal crusader for this cause for years now. I've been less enthusiastic, to say the least.
The idea of inviting strangers into my house via the internet does not sound like a good idea. Isn't that how every 60 Minutes or other news-magazine show begins?..."..the predator stalked his victims on the message board..." No thanks, I don't want to wake up gagged and tied in my own house, or in someone else's, for that matter. I've just not been comfortable with the idea, but that was all before I beheld the true beauty of the idea.
I didn't ever need it before, but things have changed. I am trying to plan a summer escpape to Germany, to study the language at the University of Munich, and this particular program does not have student housing, which turns out to be both a good and a bad. The good is that it cuts the price nearly in half from other programs I have looked at, and the bad is obvious....I have nowhere to live. This is where I have placed my proverbial faith in the pseudo-saviour, CouchSurfing. As of yesterday I became the newest member of the CS community, with a very favorable recommendation by my bro (who has reached some level of celebrity status within the organization). Now I am crossing my fingers and beginning to search for places to stay this summer.
I will be sure to keep everyone (and by everyone I mean both of you reading this) posted on the particulars of my trip, both now and as it unfolds this summer, but I am finally decided and heading full-steam in that direction. Deutschland, here I come!
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