Hosting Nishant

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 3

THE RESOLUTION: Random Acts of Kindness

Couchsurfers are the same kind of weird :P

I became a couch surfer before I even knew such a thing actually existed. Staying with locals as I traveled around the world is about much more than a free nights sleep on a couch somewhere. It is more than that home-cooked meal you’ve been yearning for. It’s more than the proper shower you so desperately need. Couch surfing is how you get to touch the heart and soul of a place you know nothing about. 

When strangers invite you into their home, they open the doors to the spirit of a culture.  There is no more gratifying a way to discover the values and customs of every new city, every country, than to spend a single day living in their shoes. 

I’ve been so fortunate to be welcomed into all kinds of homes around the world. Whether it was the old man on the bus in Costa Rica, the girl on the train in Italy, or the new generation Indonesian students in Yogyakarta using Internet tools such as Couchsurfing.org to connect with travelers like myself, the kindness done unto me is unforgettable. 

A few years ago I set up my own profile on the couchsurfing site in order to lure world travelers to my own little nest so that I too could share my slice of life with them. Unfortunately, Hamilton has exactly proven to be a tourist magnet (despite our truly excellent location exactly halfway between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ontario). So when I received a couch request from Nishant this morning I jumped at the opportunity to invite him ‘home’. 

A tall, dark and handsome mish-mash of Fiji, India and Seattle currently riding across North America, (on a bicycle!!!) Nishant encompasses the travel spirit that only a person with a great story can possess. Our visit will be short. He still has to pedal more than 4,600km to his hometown and this time the nomad has a very important deadline, a fourth of July wedding. But first, we are going to eat chicken wings and drink beer before he bakes his legendary chocolate cake lathered in whipped cream.  

I wish you the best on your journey Nishant. 

One woman. One year. 71 down. 128 to go.