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| Oribi Gorge - KZN |
I have had itchy feet for a while (metaphorically - I literally have had itchy hands since Monday when I volunteered at SANCCOB, it would be tragic if I was allergic to penguins, but I suspect it is more likely the cleaning product they use**) but with no funding for the last two years I spent more time in one place (my home, in Claremont, funnily enough) than I have in a number of years. There was one year during my PhD that I took 13 flights - I almost wish that I hadn't counted them until after the 13th flight, but obviously (by virtue of me writing this) despite a superstitious moment, the 13th flight was still fine. During the early years I had calculated that I hadn't been in more than one place for more than 3 consecutive months.
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| Dullstroom - Mpumalanga |
OK, OK, so when put like that, it's not actually all that bad... And I have actually been really spoilt. For ten years (2002 - 2012) I tried to go to a new country every year - and almost succeeded, but was too busy having fun in my own country during the 2010 World Cup to go somewhere else.
And now, having not stamped my passport for the last couple of years, I have found another way to "globe trot" and all from convenience of my own home. In 2012 I signed up for this AWESOME adventure by joining the "Couchsurfing"community. And while I have only actually surfed on other people's couches twice (both times in Oslo, Norway, and the second time it was actually a spare bed) I have hosted many lovely people on my couch.
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| This is stolen from the couch surfing website. |
OK, so when I mention couch surfing to people they are frequently surprised that I willing let a stranger into my house. Because I was away so often in the earlier part of my PhD, if someone was visiting the department and needed a place to stay, I would let them stay at mine. It wasn't a big leap from "an academic in the department" to "random foreigner" but what really got me hooked was my trip to Norway.
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| Sharing my favourite place with couch surfers |
I was only there for three nights, and I was searching online for a hotel or hostel that was centrally placed and reasonable. Only while I was searching, I realised that I know NOTHING about Oslo, and have no idea where "centrally placed" is. I didn't want to stay in a backpackers with drunk Eurotripping 20 year olds and I was worried that if I stayed in a hotel I would wuss out of exploring and spend the evenings alone feeling like I was missing out. Couch surfing to the rescue, and I couldn't have had a better experience.
My two hosts were so kind, generous (they bought me wine) and accommodating, they showed me around the city and we went to a rock concert (Norwegian band - The Carburetors - that would never in a million years have happened if I had been alone) and picnicked on the grass during the air-force display. This would just never have happened if I had been alone in the city. My host even gave me a lift to the airport at 3am! More than that, I made friends, with two Norwegians that I would have been unlikely to meet in any other way. That's pretty amazing.  |
| After my private tour of the Italian navy vessel... |
So, obviously, I decided to pay the kindness that these two awesome humans had shown me forward. To be honest though, it is something I really enjoy doing. I love getting to meet people from all over the world and hearing their stories. I marvel at some of the adventures they have which inspire me to have some of my own. I am taken out of my comfort zone and end up partying until 4am (after thesis was finished) on Halloween. I am reminded how beautiful Cape Town is while I see people appreciate it for the very first time. I have an excuse to visit the wine farms and cheesy tourist spots. I get supper made for me by a Frenchman and a cake made by a Brazilian, sung to by an Argentian and had dinner with three members of the Italian Navy. I am constantly reminded about how many nice, interesting people there are in the world. (And they say nice things about me on my profile.)
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| I am hoping this is anonymous enough to go on the web? |
It does get a bit exhausting (all that socialising) so I don't host when I am super busy with work (i.e. a large part of the last two years). And, I am not going to lie, some of the couch surfers have been easier than others. There are some that have come and gone and others that I am still in touch with (or pretend to be in touch with by being Facebook friends) and consider friends. Recently I have had the absolute pleasure to meet up with my Norwegian host in Cape Town and hopefully repay him a little for the kindness he showed me in Oslo (and score with a private tour by one of the owners at Delheim because he was renting their air b'nb). I have also had a repeat visit from a German couch surfer friend.
There is also the option of just meeting people that are new to the country or staying in a hotel but wanting to meet locals (I got to see inside my first 5* hotel because of this). It is also interesting to meet people from completely different backgrounds and cultures and aren't studying biology, or don't automatically believe that eating shark-fin soup and whale meat is bad (this was a difficult conversation for me to have, but I think it is an important reminder that people have different beliefs and values and that's OK - although not if they are eating sharks and whales...) It is also interesting to see what people find weird about South Africa and their perspective on penguins (crazy frenchman said squirrels were cooler than penguins? HUH!) car guards, four-way stops, crime, the use of the term "robot" and affirmative action (yes, there are serious discussions in between the wine sipping).
So, if you are feeling a little isolated from the world during your PhD.... Give it a try.... you never know what it is going to be like, or what the next adventure will be...
(IF I had known that this would be the topic of my blog today I would have made an effort to figure out the number of surfers I have had and where they were all from. I didn't. So, off the top of my head, I have met up with or hosted people from: Puerto Rico, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, USA, France, Singapore, India, Netherlands, England, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland... but I am possibly missing some.)
* Again, not my title but a comment a friend made that I have stolen!
** OOOO just realised that you might think that SANCCOB isn't a good place to volunteer, it is!!! The staff at SANCCOB work so hard trying to get every single penguin they can back in to the wild which is so important given how much the penguin population is struggling! SANCCOB is awesome!!! And so are penguins! I just have silly skin!
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