It is really difficult to fully describe the experience I had couchsurfing. I can tell you that I feel it was one of the best things, if not the best thing, I have done since I came to Spain. I can also tell you I was terrified before we met who we were staying with.
If you ask your every day person off the street the idea sounds absolutely dangerous and insane. That is because it is. When I told my mom I had signed up for couchsurfers she literally almost had a heart-attack. I remember the night I signed up, it was a whim. I would be traveling so long with my best friend Kristen for spring break and didn't want to spend tons of money on lodging. I told my mom what it was and she turned to me and said,"Sarah, you are going to another country. I need to know you are going to be responsible and make smart choices and this does nothing to convince me that you are going to do that. I would rather pay for you to stay in a hotel than stay with some random person you don't know." If you know anything about me you know that 95% of the time I listen to whatever my mom says because she is generally always right (Don't you hate that about moms?). I remember I answered her by saying, "Mom...this is not just about paying for a hostel. This is about the whole experience...about meeting new people and trying new things. How cool would it be to say that I slept on peoples couches all throughout Europe?" She said, "How cool would it be if you were raped and murdered?" Hahaha she did have a point (an overdramatic one) but, I believe I had one too.
I think that the older people get the more cynical they become about the world. How can you not become more cynical? There is more pain and sadness. You see more horrible things. With couchsurfer the core is about people helping other people. Its about opening yourself up to new experiences and new things...broadening your horizons. I wanted and, still want to believe that most people are inherently good. That is why I didn't want my fear or anybody else's to stop me from trying this experience. Without risk there is no reward. In my case the risk payed off.
As I mentioned in M1 (Madrid part one) I thought we would be staying with a girl but, Connie lied to me (for good reason) and, we ended up staying with a Moroccan man. His name was Ali. We finally got back from Segovia at around 9:00p.m. and then took the metro and a bus to his house. His house was about 40 minutes away from downtown Madrid by metro and bus but, only 10 minutes away in his car. We finally got to his house at about 10:00p.m.
Going up to his apartment for the first time was definitely the scariest part. You have all this fear/excitement jumping around in your gut plus a staccato of "rape and death" in your head (thanks to your mom). I mean...we are taught since we are little not to talk to strangers and here I was going to a strangers house to spend the night. I am such a rebel. Thats right...everyone take note...Sarah Bryan is no angel! I like to live on the edge.
All that fear drained away when we met Ali. Ali was 35 years old and from Morocco. Surprisingly, he just had this air about him of calmness and tranquility. When you are around him you can't help but be relaxed. His house (apartment) was beautifully decorated. He was very artsy and had some of the most relaxing music I have ever heard. I am of the opinion that all of his furniture was so comfortable since he was from Morocco and apparently natives of Morocco are experts on comfy furniture. He had little poufs and such a great sofa/bed and chair. He also had masks for decorations! Let me just say it was a big step up from a hostel and I automatically felt at home in his house.
About five minutes after we walked in he said he was going to go out and meet some friends and asked if we wanted to come. Of course we both automatically agreed. After a quick shower we were on our way to downtown Madrid in his beautiful car.
*Side note...I miss my car. After taking all these planes, trains, buses, and metros it was so nice to be in a car listening to good music! When I get home I am going to plaster kisses all over my baby and apologize for taking her for granted.
We parked and then Ali took us to Plaza del Sol where they have the bear and Madroño tree statue (symbol of Madrid) and ground zero. All distances are measured from this point in Spain. It was one of the things on my "to see list" and I was so happy to be taken to it with a Madrileno!
After doing the tourist thing we walked to a bar that Connie and I never could have found on our own. The bar was called, "Costello". We had to walk down Calle Montero to get to the bar and crazily enough the family I am staying with had warned me about this street. Why you ask? Well, it was because Calle Montero is the street where single men go to pick up prostitutes. Of course, after they told me I shouldn't go...shhh...don't tell... I secretly wanted to go. I was so happy that by chance I ended up walking down that exact street. There were quite a few hookers but, the police station is on this street so I felt safe. It was interesting to see that prostitution does exist outside my protected little world.
We stayed in Costello for about two hours drinking and listening to the music just getting to know each other. My dad would like the music at this bar and I can't wait to take him when he comes to Madrid. The nice thing about being with Ali was that we got to try out a bar that was all locals and, I felt like I experienced a side of Madrid that I never would have seen as a tourist. Being with Ali made me feel like I was living in Madrid, not just visiting to snap a few photos.
We left the bar and went to a discoteca (dance club) called El Sol. Normally there was a 9 euro cover but because the bouncers knew Ali all of us got in free. Just another perk of couchsurfing:) The music here was also great. They didn't really play pop music but instead music from different time periods. The most interesting thing about this discoteca was that there were people of all ages. I had never seen anything like it. There were 20 year olds, 30 year olds, 40 year olds, and 50 year olds all coming together and having a great time. We danced for hours and didn't leave the place until around 5:30a.m. Again, I felt like a real madrileño...I partied all night and into the morning.
When we got back to the house Connie passed out and Ali and I talked for another hour while he showed me pictures of his house in Morocco. I finally made it to bed at around 7:00a.m. (yup...I take my dancing/party time seriously). Connie and I still managed to wake up the next day at 10:00a.m. (at least I managed to wake up and then bug Connie until she got out of bed). I only had three hours of sleep but I didn't want to miss anything....next up El Escorial!
I had such an amazing time and it had only been a night/morning of couchsurfing. There is, of course, more to come on this subject...
If you ask your every day person off the street the idea sounds absolutely dangerous and insane. That is because it is. When I told my mom I had signed up for couchsurfers she literally almost had a heart-attack. I remember the night I signed up, it was a whim. I would be traveling so long with my best friend Kristen for spring break and didn't want to spend tons of money on lodging. I told my mom what it was and she turned to me and said,"Sarah, you are going to another country. I need to know you are going to be responsible and make smart choices and this does nothing to convince me that you are going to do that. I would rather pay for you to stay in a hotel than stay with some random person you don't know." If you know anything about me you know that 95% of the time I listen to whatever my mom says because she is generally always right (Don't you hate that about moms?). I remember I answered her by saying, "Mom...this is not just about paying for a hostel. This is about the whole experience...about meeting new people and trying new things. How cool would it be to say that I slept on peoples couches all throughout Europe?" She said, "How cool would it be if you were raped and murdered?" Hahaha she did have a point (an overdramatic one) but, I believe I had one too.
I think that the older people get the more cynical they become about the world. How can you not become more cynical? There is more pain and sadness. You see more horrible things. With couchsurfer the core is about people helping other people. Its about opening yourself up to new experiences and new things...broadening your horizons. I wanted and, still want to believe that most people are inherently good. That is why I didn't want my fear or anybody else's to stop me from trying this experience. Without risk there is no reward. In my case the risk payed off.
As I mentioned in M1 (Madrid part one) I thought we would be staying with a girl but, Connie lied to me (for good reason) and, we ended up staying with a Moroccan man. His name was Ali. We finally got back from Segovia at around 9:00p.m. and then took the metro and a bus to his house. His house was about 40 minutes away from downtown Madrid by metro and bus but, only 10 minutes away in his car. We finally got to his house at about 10:00p.m.
Going up to his apartment for the first time was definitely the scariest part. You have all this fear/excitement jumping around in your gut plus a staccato of "rape and death" in your head (thanks to your mom). I mean...we are taught since we are little not to talk to strangers and here I was going to a strangers house to spend the night. I am such a rebel. Thats right...everyone take note...Sarah Bryan is no angel! I like to live on the edge.
All that fear drained away when we met Ali. Ali was 35 years old and from Morocco. Surprisingly, he just had this air about him of calmness and tranquility. When you are around him you can't help but be relaxed. His house (apartment) was beautifully decorated. He was very artsy and had some of the most relaxing music I have ever heard. I am of the opinion that all of his furniture was so comfortable since he was from Morocco and apparently natives of Morocco are experts on comfy furniture. He had little poufs and such a great sofa/bed and chair. He also had masks for decorations! Let me just say it was a big step up from a hostel and I automatically felt at home in his house.
About five minutes after we walked in he said he was going to go out and meet some friends and asked if we wanted to come. Of course we both automatically agreed. After a quick shower we were on our way to downtown Madrid in his beautiful car.
*Side note...I miss my car. After taking all these planes, trains, buses, and metros it was so nice to be in a car listening to good music! When I get home I am going to plaster kisses all over my baby and apologize for taking her for granted.
We parked and then Ali took us to Plaza del Sol where they have the bear and Madroño tree statue (symbol of Madrid) and ground zero. All distances are measured from this point in Spain. It was one of the things on my "to see list" and I was so happy to be taken to it with a Madrileno!
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| "El oso y el Madroño" *the statue weighs almost 20 tons |
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| Left to right: Ali's foot, my foot, and Connie's foot *All distances in Spain are measured from this point! |
After doing the tourist thing we walked to a bar that Connie and I never could have found on our own. The bar was called, "Costello". We had to walk down Calle Montero to get to the bar and crazily enough the family I am staying with had warned me about this street. Why you ask? Well, it was because Calle Montero is the street where single men go to pick up prostitutes. Of course, after they told me I shouldn't go...shhh...don't tell... I secretly wanted to go. I was so happy that by chance I ended up walking down that exact street. There were quite a few hookers but, the police station is on this street so I felt safe. It was interesting to see that prostitution does exist outside my protected little world.
We stayed in Costello for about two hours drinking and listening to the music just getting to know each other. My dad would like the music at this bar and I can't wait to take him when he comes to Madrid. The nice thing about being with Ali was that we got to try out a bar that was all locals and, I felt like I experienced a side of Madrid that I never would have seen as a tourist. Being with Ali made me feel like I was living in Madrid, not just visiting to snap a few photos.
We left the bar and went to a discoteca (dance club) called El Sol. Normally there was a 9 euro cover but because the bouncers knew Ali all of us got in free. Just another perk of couchsurfing:) The music here was also great. They didn't really play pop music but instead music from different time periods. The most interesting thing about this discoteca was that there were people of all ages. I had never seen anything like it. There were 20 year olds, 30 year olds, 40 year olds, and 50 year olds all coming together and having a great time. We danced for hours and didn't leave the place until around 5:30a.m. Again, I felt like a real madrileño...I partied all night and into the morning.
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| Connie, Ali, and I in the crazy club lights... |
I had such an amazing time and it had only been a night/morning of couchsurfing. There is, of course, more to come on this subject...
