Part
one – My first ever Couchsurfing experience!
 |
| 5th Avenue New York |
This is the story about 11 days in New York
that changed my life. No, it was not the sightseeing that made the difference, it was the fact that I tried Couchsurfing (courchsurfing.org) for the first
time; went to the authentic and lets say more dirty areas of NYC; did “my
thang”; met so many incredibly friendly and inspiring people; listened to live
music and that I did the most energizing, inspiring and challenging seminar by
Tony Robbins called Unleash the Power Within where I also walked on burning hot
coal – yes I did the “Firewalk”.
Now I am back in Berlin again, writing this
post from one of my favorite cafés here in Mitte (St Oberholtz) digesting it
all. I feel excited and nervous at the same time and both feelings reside in
exactly the same place in my body – my tummy, yet one (fear / nervousness) is
the key to stagnation in my life and the other can propel me ahead as I realize
my biggest dreams, because that is what I am in the process of doing right now and that is why I decided to go to this seminar in NYC. I needed a final push, I needed leverage as Tony Robbins would say!
First time I heard about Couchsurfing
 | |
| View of skyline from Brooklyn |
Anyway, about 6 months ago I met a Mexican girl
here in Berlin who was lost and needed directions. She told me she was
couchsurfing and I had no idea what it was. When she told me that she was
travelling through Europe staying with strangers who offered travelers their
hospitality and a couch or guestroom for free my initial response was wow, what
a brave girl. My friend who was with me was so worried on her behalf cause just
think what could happen when a girl travels around alone and stays with
strangers. I could feel that this meeting had sparked an
interest in me and I found the concept intriguing yet also nerving, cause I
never tried anything like it before.
Its all about TRUST!
Just think about how much you can travel and
see the world when you do it this way and all the friendships you make along the way. Many of
you may also be thinking: how can you be sure you end up with a nice “host”
that wont try to rape you, steal or your things, lock you in a room and make
life miserable for you? Well, turn the scenario around for a minute. These
people are opening their home to a total stranger who may steal things from
them or be crazy! You see, it is all about trust; about wanting to help others; about meeting new people; about learning
about other cultures; about curiosity and contribution. I believe this concept
makes us open more up to help strangers and maybe realize too, that in spite of
living in different cultures we share the same dreams and fears and challenges
in life.
 |
| A New Yorker with style |
The reason why I went to NYC in the first place was that I was
going to this rather famous Seminar called “unleash the power
within” by Anthony Robbins. He is the no. 1 coach in the world, and he actually invented the word
“coaching” some 25 - 35 years ago (where people laughed at him and said a coach was someone who was in a sports team) and he now coaches presidents, top athletes & businessmen as well as normal people like me through seminars. I will write about this in my next
blogpost. When it was time for me to plan my trip to NYC I really wanted to
stay longer than just the 4 days the seminar lasted, yet my savings did not
allow me to. I thought that there had got to be a way around this and I was gonna find it! I decided to push myself
past my comfort zone and try Couchsurfing. When I told my friends I would do
this 50% of them got a shocked look in their eyes and immediately shared all
their thoughts on what could happen to me and the other half were as excited as me and
loved the concept.
How does couchsurfing work?
I created a profile on couchsurfing.org with a good and honest description of me and I posted on the couchsurfsite that I was
coming to NYC from 1.11 – 11.11. One day later the offers began pouring
in, yes, they literally poured in. I read the profiles of the people offering
to host me and the reviews other people had given them and then I just went
with my “gut-feeling” or shall we say intuition. Only one week before my trip
the final details were in place and I just had to stay calm and trust all would
work out well. I was going stay with three different hosts.
My
First Couchsurf host - Norm
 |
| Sunshine, Central Park and my host Norm and me |
I arrived at JFK on the 1st of November
and I found my way into central Manhatten on the Subway and from there to Upper
East Manhatten where my first ever Couchsurf experience was gonna take place. I
found the door and hesitated for a moment before I rang the bell. This was it.
I was gonna stay from Friday until Monday morning with a real New Yorker who I
never met before, just emailed a little with, and I felt a surge of energy rush
through me. I was doing it. I had moved passed my comfort zone and embarked on
a new adventure. I never tried to surf on the sea, but I could now call myself a couch surfer!
My host Norm, opened the door and greeted
me with a big smile. He lived in a nice 2 room flat with his own garden at the back and told me he had many BBQ’s here in the
summer. I can only imagine the thrill of having your own green spot in the
buzzing city where the sun can actually reach the grass between all the skyscrapers.
We sat down and had a tea and talked about why Norm hosted couchsurfers. Like
me he enjoys meeting people from all over the world and getting to know their
story. It so broadens life, acceptance of diversity and its fun while you also
help people explore the world on a low budget. I had the living room and a huge
fold-out couch to myself. What a luxury!
 |
| Arthur's Tavern NYC with GREAT liveband! |
Norm is a successful business man and when
I was not out sightseeing during the day he showed me around Central Park; took
me for a birthday meal at the ShakeShack (Famous Burgerbar) as I had just had
my 33rd Birthday; took me to hear the best ever band play Motown
songs in Arthur's Tavern, as I had asked before I came if we could listen to
some livemusic; took me to a fantastic Puerto Rican restaurant; took me to the
best ever Open Stage with amazing singers at Village Underground, where I heard
Maria Careys vocal coach Melanie sing her heart out (Wow – I will never forget
this).
Norm and I hit it off well and talked a
lot. I was to learn about his lifestory and how he too had made some big
changes in his life to be where he is today. Norm knows a lot about the jewish Orthodox community in New York which
I found so interesting. Later that week when I was to visit Brooklyn and walk
through the jewish Orthodox community (feeling very much like the odd one out)
I had a total different view on the people there and I understood why they all
looked away when I passed them on the sidewalk. Had I not known about their
customs through Norm I would have been deeply offended by the fact that no one
returned my smiles and hello’s on the street. I could write a lot more about this, cause I find it fascinating, yet this post is about couchsurfing ;)
My 2nd host Edgard
 | |
| Harlem - NYC |
After 4 amazing days with Norm and getting
to see the New York Marathon too, I left to stay with my next host
Edgard, who is from Puerto Rico but lives in New York and works as a business
consultant. He was a bright man and a lot of fun too. I only stayed for one night and
Edgard told me he hosts couchsurfers in periods to meet people from all over
the world and have fun. He happened to live just one street away from Norm, which was very
convenient for me and my heavy suitcase. He had a two floor flat and also here
I had the livingroom to myself and a foldout couch. When I went to the bathroom the
door jammed so I had to ask him to let me out every time, which we both found
rather funny. On the day I arrived I had a strong Purto Rican morning coffee
with Edgard who gave me a list on what to see and do as I was going sightseeing in Harlem with a friend of mine who drove me around the areas of this very diverse place - this was raw!
In the
evening Edgard took me to a nice restaurant and after that we went to see the
views from the absolutely outstanding Standart Hotel in the meatpacking
district. As the bar was closed we ended up in the bar from the film Coyote
Ugly, but this I did not realize before I was back in Berlin and someone told
me about this very trashy bar full of bras and waitresses serving us in just a
bra and tight trousers and cowboy boots. What an adventure to go from the Standard
Hotel Boom Boom room to this trashy bar ;)
My third host
 |
| Watching the sun set over Brooklyn from the rooftop |
My third host I will keep anonymous cause I
think he would prefer this. He was a talented musician
living in Broklyn and what a cool flat he had. We talked a lot about life,
music, travelling, about trust and fear and spirituality. He grew up with
couchsurfing being quite normal in his country (he was not from USA) and he
thought it was funny that so many people did not practice this as normality. He was used to people welcoming and helping strangers since he was a child.
I
was in for a real treat, cause he was so kind to write to scores
for a song of mine, which he grew fond of as we both played our songs for each
other. In the morning after we had woken up I enjoyed listening to him play
guitar and sing in the studio while I got ready to go sightseeing in Brooklyn
and enjoy the views over the Manhatten skyline. I stayed for 2 nights and felt
so relaxed. In the evening we watched the sun set from his rooftop terasse and
I felt so blessed to be around yet a wonderful person who welcomed a stranger
into his home.
Not only did I have a wonderful time
experiencing New York, but I also got to meet 3 extraordinary and kind people
who gladly open up their home to host a total stranger and share life stories. I have
three new friends and I am so glad I did not stay in a hostel or a cheap
hotel with other tourists, but that I decided to move past my comfortzone and feel New York from within. It made me feel so alive! I will never forget this experience and these wonderful
people and the places I were and the feelings I felt as I embarked on this adventure.
After my last host I went to New Jersey
where yet a life changing adventure was awaiting me – a 4 day intense (9.00 –
23.00) seminar called “Unleash The Power Within” by Anthony Robbins. How this seminar was and what it “did to me” I will write
about in my next blogpost, so until then:
Stay warm, stay grateful, practice smiling
daily and never stop dreaming BIG dreams and even better… realize them!
Happy 5th of December all of you
beautiful people,
One Love
Nina
