I was thrilled to reunite with Alvaro at the capital and to be back in the couchsurfing realm again. His mother joined us for a few days whilst visiting the city and I was treated to some spectacular homemade ‘Milanesa’ and a local delicacy made from a cows throat in a special white sauce, a strange but pleasant texture almost like a blob of hard butter in the mouth.

With my uncle arriving soon from the USA with some goodies, I was thankful for Alvaro’s help and patience with me hogging his internet for weeks enabling me to download all the programs I would need to reinstall on my new laptop including over ten language programs ready for my new I-pod. I was close to being fully functional again. Alvaro proved he was more than just a host but a great friend I could always rely on and one that continued to stand by his word. If you need something sorting, he is the man!

Once Ryan returned from Chile we all rented a tent together with another surfer and close friend of Alvaro the lovable Guillermo Carpintero and joined a train full of surfers from all around the globe heading for the biggest cs event I’ve attended, an annual camping trip in the small town of Tigre a few hours out of the city. With around two hundred surfers expected to attend it was sure to be an interesting weekend. Trying to cater for so many people in a bar or club would be almost impossible so a campsite is the ideal solution however I feared such a big group was a sign of things to come within the network which currently has a growth rate of over ten thousand new members a week. In the past the most successful meetings have always been with fewer people in a local place easily accessible for all. Camping out of the city is an awesome solution for space and easier for people to chat but not everyone may have the money or time to attend. If all the groups continue to grow what will be the solution for five hundred people to meet at a local bar for example?

My experience has also led me to discover that over time a large group tends to split into individual sub groups all sharing different ideas which can often lead to a conflict. People who like nightlife for example tend to avoid organized day events and hence forth. I was surprised how smooth the organization was of so many people at the camping with everyone participating in the cs Olympic games and helping make Pizza’s for the entire group and of course a giant ‘Asado” and although I never had chance to connect with everyone, I enjoyed very much the company of those I did.

However a great threat looms to the future of the couchsurfing network. It’s still considerably underground on a world scale yet as it grows from day to day and continues to reach media all around the world the community begins to have less control of the preservation of its true spirit. How can it be for example that over one hundred and fifty people attend a meeting yet I and everyone I’ve spoken to say that Buenos Aires is one of the most difficult places to find a couch? I appreciate there are more tourists than hosts yet the majority of people I spoke to at the camp lived in Buenos Aires, have been a member of cs for more than six months yet have hosted little or nobody since joining.

I also feel that the volunteer ambassadors of all the groups around the world run the risk of taking on too much commitment as well as holding down a full time job and without passionate people in place a group can easily fall apart. A bigger fear however are some of the ambassadors already in place that take their role a little too serious and allow pride to raise its ugly head. Why do I feel this? I’ve been accused of being a self seeker, a loud voice with a cocky profile by a few who haven’t even met me yet the finger pointers forget to look into my heart just for a second and feel my compassion to help protect the future of such a beautiful network and prove to the world that love is all around us, even in those that are blinded by a jealous zeal.

I asked a key member what he thought about the rapid growth of the group in general.

“We’ve created a monster”.

The problem with monsters is that they always seem to attract thousands of curious tourists who come, don’t meet their expectations and leave empty handed. Obviously there’s no such thing as the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ and I feel sorry for anyone that travelled to Scotland, stood there for hours and didn’t see it, however let’s not forget that its myth dwells in a beautiful place and if your eyes are open its often the something you wasn’t expecting that leaves the final impression. So for any new and old members who have yet to host or surf due to uncertainties, doubts or concerns then if I may be as kind to offer some advice, try it, you never know, your house may well become a place others travel to from far and wide and unlike ‘nessy’ actually give people the chance to really know you. 

Two years have passed since I’ve seen any family and according to ‘Don Corleone’,

‘You can’t call yourself a man if you don’t spend time with your family.’ 

In my defence, I’m spending time with several families although I’d never for a second doubt the Godfather.

Being away from family is a peculiar feeling. I keep in touch with my sister and niece by phone on a regular basis and everyone’s reading my journals back home but the truth is it’s an issue I try to avoid to protect myself from an emotional breakdown. I’ve watched my niece grow for seventeen years yet when I return I probably won’t recognize her. My only grandmother always gets excited when I call thinking I’m finally home again and has yet to accept that I’ve actually left. I feel closer to my sister even though I’m away due to all the help she’s given me from back home, without who I wouldn’t have maintained a smooth project. My parents however are here beside me, patiently guiding me safely back to my loved ones.

The last member of family I spent time with was my uncle Ian at the start of my trip in the USA. We helped kill three birds with one stone, he wanted a break from the winter chill, I was desperately in need of a laptop, which of course is much cheaper in the States and I’d get to spend some much needed time with family again. I was overjoyed to have him join me for a month’s adventure; my only concern was how he would adjust to couchsurfing? Alvaro agreed to let us both stay for the first few days, however I would need to find another couch whilst his father came to visit. We would be welcome to come back once his father left.

My uncle is the closest soul I have to my father and although my father wasn’t keen on hugging like me, my uncle’s ‘bear like hugs’ more than suffice. Often people who knew my father will say how much they see of him in me as I see him in my uncle. There’s no escaping the family mannerisms and throughout any blood line no matter how different the person, characteristics will always have similarities good and bad. The miracles of genetics are the subliminal signals alerting you that a soul close by has shared a valuable and honest moment in or before your life. If an atom is split, both halves will continue to mimic each other no matter how far they are separated. If one halve turns to the right, the other will follow, a phenomena called non – locality. A theory yet to be explained by any science local to what our minds perceive! We could say then that the qualities shared with family are our localities. Looking deep into my uncles eyes, I felt a piece of home again.

My uncle immediately warmed to Alvaro and his brother and was more than happy with a luxurious first time couchsurfing experience. Suddenly I was a host again giving tours of the city, translating a little Spanish and generally making sure my guest was at ease, which he was until we had to move out for a few days. I had been recommended to stay with my (90TH Official Host) Ezequiel (EZEQUIEL) by several other surfers in advance who all commented on his passion for couchsurfing. He was very welcoming and considerate about my uncle’s arrival and even with limited space opened his home to the both of us. I did however forget to mention to uncle that Ezequiel also lived with three cats and was unaware of any allergies. I’m so accustomed to organizing myself that it didn’t occur to me to ask? Furthermore Ezequiel did highlight on his profile that if anyone has a problem with cats, it’s probably better to find another host. An embarrassing moment for all of us yet big respect to uncle for taking his pills and tolerating two days of cat hair! Ezequiel was incredibly thoughtful. His main concern was that my uncle felt comfortable in his home as well as making sure the cats felt the same in theirs. He could have easily just kicked us out but Ezequiel is a true couchsurfer in every sense. It was a short experience yet I learnt many new insights from a man that needs to talk very little to make a point.

Although uncle was a little troubled by the cats it didn’t seem to deter him from couchsurfing and make an effort to know Ezequiel although it was obvious he favoured the cat free zone at Alvaro’s. My project so far has taught me to always be prepared for any situation and that I must always respect my host and adjust to the way they live. It’s not always pleasant or luxurious however if I am to understand society then I must look in all corners of life. My uncle had the choice to stay in a hotel but for whatever reason decided to stay and make the most of the experience. I love you for that!

Back at Alvaro’s I could relax again knowing uncle was without allergies and felt comfortable walking about the house without the fear of a cat brushing past him. However with Christmas approaching and the addition of Ryan joining us for our trip to Uruguay, I was anxious about finding a host over the festive season for all three of us. I spent days browsing profiles hoping to find a member that was relatively new to the network and who would be eager to have his first couchsurfing experience. The time was ticking..

I had been waiting for my uncle to arrive before sampling the ‘Bife Chorizo’ in the capital which according to the locals is the best meat in the world. Alvaro and his girlfriend accompanied us both to one of his favourite restaurants with only one thing on our mind. 

“tres Chorizos muy grande por favour, y un botela de Malbec’

The moment that meat hit my mouth followed by a generous slug of vino was like the moment you discover masturbation and upon completion felt exactly the same. A small part of me felt bad for being a carnivore yet my big stomach grumbled in satisfaction, who am I to argue with the belly?

A small bar crawl later and it was time to head home, however finding a taxi in the earlier hours at the weekend is almost impossible so instead we decided to walk. Somehow I found myself alone a few hundred yards behind uncle and Alvaro and which point I was confronted by what looked like a women from a distance with a breast hanging out to get my attention, yet close up it was an obvious man. With an accomplice transvestite they quickly tried to seduce me whilst searching my pants for a wallet or money. I politely told them to “F*** off’ and began shouting towards Alvaro that someone was trying to rob me. Before I managed to reach them both the same two robbers had already raced ahead, distracted my uncle and stole his wallet before fleeing in car. Luckily he only had cards and little money.

It was time for me to leave Argentina I thought, too many bad things keep happening here.

Robbed twice in Mendoza, almost put in jail for speaking English in the street, frowned upon numerous times when I show my passport in a supermarket, punched and butted in the face because of historical moment I had absolutely no control over and of which I have no support for whatsoever. I mean what is there to love about this country?

Thankfully I do have some great memories, my hosts in Cordoba, Pam and Juan and the couchsurfing group are fantastic souls, Patagonia is a beautiful place and Alvaro, well my brother you are a fine example of how we should all live together in harmony.

Do I dislike Argentina? No because it belongs to the world we all share which is a miracle we need to embrace, however aside from visiting my friends again I’m in no rush to go back.