Déjà vu…..we’ve all had it happen: all of a sudden you feel like you’ve experienced the same moment before. Well, when you are lucky enough to meet up up with former hosts or surfers again I like to call it Déjà Surfing!
Couchsurfing says we have friends all over the world we just haven’t met yet. It’s true, because I’ve been lucky enough to have had quite a few Déjà Surfing experiences with former hosts and surfers I now call friends.
My first surfers in 2008 Ron & Kitty invited me to surf with them and not long after they slept on my ‘couch’ in Connecticut, I slept on theirs in Amsterdam in 2009.
In 2010 I went to China for the World Expo in Shanghai. One of my very first hosts, Jean-Marie in China, who really showed me the generosity and spirit Couchsurfing brings to humanity met up with me again in 2015 while I was in Milan and yet again in 2017 in Kyrgyzstan with his CS buddies Carl and Keith who I also met back in 2010.
Then there’s Sonia in South Korea who I surfed with in 2012 when I went to the World Expo in Yeosu, I spent about a week with her and had more crazy experiences than I can remember (did I really win that fashion show?!) she made it to my place in 2016 for a visit.
On my trip to Italy in 2015 for the World Expo in Milan I stayed with some amazing hosts, three of them were Franco in Lecco, Nico in Monza and Guilio who actually lived in Milan. Well last year I traveled to Kazakhstan for the World Expo in Astana and of course arranged a layover in Milan and was hosted by all three of them again! I was also hosted by Giorgio who I met a meetup when I was there in 2015. So great to catch up, share memories and create some new ones with everyone.
My big surfing trip in 2017 was to the World Expo in Astana, Kazakhstan. While I did not surf with her,I did meet the crazy and rambunctious Lorelei at a CS hangout there and then randomly met her again while we were both in Kyrgyzstan!
How about Déjà Crashing? I went to the Bend Oregon Couchcrash in 2014 and had such a great time I had to go back and surf with my same hosts Tom & Candy when they had their second crash in 2017. Remember Lorelei who I met in Kazakhstan….. ends up she is from Bend and we met up again at the 2017 Bend Couchcrash!
Thanks to Bend in 2014 I was inspired to get my local Couchsurfers together to plan ConnectiCOUCH 2016 …Connecticut’s first Couchcrash. This made for more future Déjà Surfing when Rob and Mandy who came to ConnectiCOUCH headed to the 2017 Bend Couchcrash as well. Of course, later this year at ConnectiCOUCH 2018 I hope to see some familiar faces!
Right now I’m looking forward to this summer when two of the organizers of Bend’s Couchcrash surf with me…can’t wait to see you Liana & Peter!
And I haven’t even mentioned all the CS friends made over the years at our monthly local meetups.
It’s true…we’ve got a lot of friends all over the world we haven’t met yet….so get out there ….host, surf & meet them and hopefully you’ll get to experience some Déjà Surfing yourself!
