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There are things in this world
that continue to surprise me and one of these things is this
what we are going to start talking now. It is CouchSurfing
today’s Eesti Ekspress writes about it on multiple pages and it sounded so interesting
to us that we asked one CouchSurfer to join us here in the studio
to talk about what it actually is
who deal with it and if it isn't maybe little dangerous subject. Good evening
- Good evening
- What is CouchSurfing for those who really haven't heard anything about it
and haven't read today’s Ekpress newspaper yet?
- CouchSurfing is like
quoting the article it's a lifestyle
it is organization of people
who share hospitality
what starts with a web page
where there are profiles that you can read
and thanks to this it's possible to find a place to stay at all around the world.
- I understand it's kind of like a cheap way of traveling?
- Well it indeed is cheaper
than usual traveling by staying at hotels or some hostels
but it also isn't the main
it's not its main idea the fact is that it is actually
also still called as "social travel"
we can even check out all the sightseeing places also from internet by ourselves everywhere
but if a local person shows you their favorite pubs or
or favorite places or beautiful places and talks their own stories with them
then it gives totally different dimension to it.
- I understand one part of this way of traveling completely, I understand why you want to
go to a foreign country and stay at their couch and not pay for it
it's absolutely obvious and it doesn't need much explanation
but at the same time it also works the other way round. As I understand you have hosted
about 60 different people at your home.
Why do you do it?
- Everybody have their own reasons why they generally join CouchSurfing
For example I lived in a foreign country for a while
and when I returned then I really missed international company
- Where did you live?
- Portugal. And for example use of different languages
one option is to practice different languages
but as many there are people as many there are reasons why they join this
Some young people really use it to travel for longer
periods of time because they spend less money
But also I have hosted people
who really doesn't do it for the money but they are just looking for people
with the same value judgment or same interest
and hobbies from a different country
it's just a vast expansion of friends
and later it's also possible to visit these people yourself
- Well it's great to know but how do you know that some thug won't just step in
or some nice gentleman wants to visit you but maybe when you
have to go out briefly and when you return the apartment would be empty or when you wake up
in the morning and you'd be dead?
- Yeah well, that’s why the web page is really its very functional heart
of this whole thing, how it works is kind of like the facebook
people go there, they register they put their information
and from there it all starts depending how much info you want to show. For example do you put your correct address
It's even possible, through credit card
it's free of course but
with the help of credit card it's possible to verify identity
and of course references. Every time when somebody stays at your place
or when you travel with someone, then you write a reference to their profile
- So it's not totally random? Have you had any situations where you say
"Damn! Why did I have to accept that person!"
- Actually I think it's very important to trust your gut
As many as there are people you can run into a person
there are all kinds of different surfers
I for example am very choosing. I read the profile thoroughly and
if I get a good feeling... - Who do you prefer?
- uh... people who for example speak good English
because I myself speak English then yeah
of my own personal interest I like people with whom I can practice or
maybe even learn some English
But also profiles are very important because
for example if you like to party and you want to go out at night
then you can read it out from profile - What's written in your profile? What do you like?
- Well... for example I have that I don't like to cook but I like when someone cooks for me
and thanks to this you will get if a person
has read your profile
If someone writes to me that: "Oh! I'm prepared to make you a wonderful dinner"
for example from brazil somewhere
then of course this person has a bigger chance because you can see
that they want to spend some time on personal level, not that I'm just a free space for them
but they are interested in spending same leisure time with me.
- Well you have had in last years
since year 2006 you started with it and hosted about 60 people since then.
It means that practically almost all the time you have some stranger staying at your couch?
- Well, it's not like that actually because there have been few years where
I haven't accepted anyone
- So this means that in some years there are people all the time at your home?
- No, because summers are a lot more active periods than winters
and at summer for example I have hosted
total about four people at the same time
as much as there are mattresses and then we share mattresses between us
- So you are satisfied to live that kind of life, commune life.
- Yes because why not?
It's like that, there are also
surfers who don't host anyone
and who also don't go to others but they attend social life and activities because
in Tallinn, and in Estonia generally we have really strongly developed social life.
- But who covers the expenses? I understand that if someone visits you
they basically do not pay anything for that accommodation even though they
probably use some water and maybe washes hands with soap and maybe eats something
How do you deal with the expenses? - It's actually really nicely developed
There are these little traditions
For example one nice tradition is
that at least one dinner or meal at one night is by surfer
who is coming to stay at a couch
- At one night only? But what if they stay for nine nights, then 8 nights are by you?
- Well that depends... then it's 50/50 but for example people bring gifts to their hosts
when I go traveling somewhere outside of Estonia then I like to bring wooden butter knives
they are really light but they are personal so I can at least leave
some kind of symbolic gift from my visit
- What are the more colorful types of people that have visited you?
- I have had luck to accept really different people... I like people
and then really from age 19 to
the oldest surfer was, I think 67
and she was a German woman
who once was therapist but now travels through CS around the Europe
and she for example, when 67 year old woman visits me
then I would think that there’s going to be a quiet night
but at 1am she asked kind of like incomprehensible glance
"Aren't we going to pubs tonight?"
and when I introduced her to Tallinn pubs then she was deeply puzzled asking
"Where are all the other my aged people?"
- After all you have to show them Tallinn
take them to your favorite spots
Where do you take em? For you what are the main attractions
for surfers in Tallinn?
- Well, I like to take them to Chocolateri
it's really nice and cozy
but of course old town... just walking in old town for few hours
different panoramas - What do people really think of our old town?
They really like it! They feel like in a fairy-tale world
- I don't know if you are married or not, is it possible to find a partner or
a spouse? Haven't you thought about that?
- In Estonian community it has happened, one couple got married
one Estonian girl found a husband
- Are you married or not? Do you have partner or not?
- I have a partner but he is Estonian
- How does he look at this hobby of yours, maybe somewhere
some Brazilian or Mexican
or Argentinean or I don't know Bolivian gentleman comes instead of him
- He doesn't. I haven't hosted anyone since we've been together
but when I've asked other couples then they like to host
other couples usually
- Well we already talked about your name Barbara Lettens, if we heard your name we thought you are going to
speak in English when you come to our tv show and where is this name from?
- Got it from my father
Don't really know... pure... already been many generations Estonian
- You speak Estonian pretty well - Yep, seems so
- Thank you for this interview