Couch Surfing In Dublin

The Aftermath

2010-06-08T15:57:00.014+01:00

Ok, so it's been a while since I've posted to the blog.
As you all know, the couchsurfing journey is long over.

But it's sentiment lives on.

When I first started writing this blog, I did it only for myself. I enjoy writing and it was something to keep me entertained whilst being back home in Ireland. So in the beginning, I didn't publicize this blog in any way. I kept these posts to myself and it was only read by the few who knew about it.

However, as time went on, more and more people began reading and suddenly I found people telling me they really enjoyed it. I was surprized. Maybe this was something people were interested in.

Some friends suggested that it might be something the media may have interest in. This idea intrigued me greatly but I shrugged it off without seriousness. I still wasn't ready to let anyone else read my bullshit.

Then a friend requested permission to send it on to a friend of his who might make use of it. I happily agreed. I wasn't going to publicize it myself but if someone else had interest in it, great! Next thing I know, my blog's mentioned on "mulley.net". Many thanks to Dave Rooney for getting me this mention and essentially getting the ball rolling. That specific mention can be seen here.

Now this mention was nothing major, just a line or two, but it's amazing how much one thing can do. I started getting more traffic to the blog. More and more people were checking it out. Before I knew it, culch.ie had tweeted about me. I'm not sure if this was a direct result, but many thanks to Bernard McNerney for possibly being the instigator of this one.

A short time after, I discovered via StatCounter that someone had come to my blog from another link which I didn't recognize. I sussed it out and it turned out to be the website of the Irish Independent's online magazine, "Day and Night Mag". I got a nice little mention here.

An unusual mention which I also got sometime within this period was on "The Property Pin" forum. Here, talking about the recession, I was used as an example of someone who's a bit mad.

These may all seem small but nothing is small in the media world. It's amazing how the internet and social media work. One thing leads to another and to another and so on.

Next I was contacted by one of Ireland's national newspapers, The Irish Examiner. They wanted to do an interview with me about the experience and run an article in the newspaper. I gladly obliged. Things had suddenly jumped ship. I couldn't believe this was happening.

The newspaper article can be seen below. The scan isn't the best but it's legible at least. Many thanks to LadyUmbrella for the use of their scanner and their help in piecing it together!

[Click image to enlarge or zoom]

I did the interview for the paper just after I had finished the CS journey but the reporter told me it wouldn't be printed too soon as they had other stories backed up to run first. After a long awaited four weeks, the Irish Examiner finally contacted me and told me the article would be printed that Thursday. I have to say, I was excited but also slightly worried as to how I would be portrayed. The journalist assured me it would simply be a "light-hearted" read but you can never be sure what that means. 'Maybe I will be made out to be a complete bum', I thought. But at the end of the day, publicity is publicity, and as they say "No publicity is bad publicity" so I didn't worry too much. But I have to say, I'm satisfied with the article and I think it's a decent read.

But it doesn't end there.

The evening before the story was to be published, I was contacted by Newstalk Radio who asked me if I'd do an interview on the "Tom Dunne Show" the next day, whilst the story was in the paper and a "hot topic". I couldn't believe it. Of course I agreed, but I never thought I'd be on the radio for such a thing, let alone something I did of my own accord for my own benefits, and even better, something I was somewhat forced into doing.

The next day, I waited nervously by the phone. I was told that it would be a very short interview and just a quick synopsis of what I did. I wasn't told that I'd be following a guy who had just spent 118 days crossing the Atlantic or that Tom Dunne would be misinformed as to how long I couchsurfed and mistakenly say six months. Because of these factors, the interview turned out to be a complete let-down. However, I still think it's pretty cool to say I was both in the national newspaper and on national radio in the one day, and for something as simple as this. I certainly don't regret it and I'm delighted to have had such opportunity.

One more thing that disappointed me about the radio interview though was this:
My mother rang me just before the interview to tell me she'd bought the paper. She told me that she was quite disappointed with the article because, as any mother would I suppose, she looked at it as portraying us as broke and not being able to afford rent. In reality the truth is that I didn't tell my parents I had been couchsurfing until it was all over and I had deliberately done so because they would have offered me the money and insisted I take it, whilst I didn't want to take any more donations from them. It wasn't that they couldn't afford to give it to me, it's that I'm 24 years old and they're still paying for courses for me and I wanted to be somewhat responsible and independent myself. And that's why I took on couchsurfing. As a way of saving money yes, but also as a way of catching up with friends I hadn't seen in a year and a half and a means of getting back into writing. The truth is, as difficult as it was sometimes, I enjoyed it.
SO, after this phonecall, I decided to make this clear on the radio by saying that "I could have gotten the money from my parents if I wanted to", but unfortunately this just made the whole thing then sound like a farce. In my opinion, that one line made my whole couchsurfing experience sound like a typical rich kid just trying to live the poor and get sympathy for it. Myself and my family are far from poor, but we're certainly not rich either. And my reasons for couchsurfing you already know. So I just hope you don't let that line ruin your opinion of the journey.

The radio interview can be heard here.

I personally find the entire interview hilarious. Prepare to hear a bogger at large.
I try to sound semi-professional the whole way through and then end with saying, "No bother".
Some genius! I'll admit I was pretty nervous.
Listen how disappointed Tom Dunne sounds when I say it was only six weeks!

That's the basic aftermath of my couchsurfing experience, folks. It just proves how powerful the internet is and what social media can do. I've since moved back into my old house and have completed the CELT five week course which means I'm now fully qualified to teach English anywhere in the world. I hope to move abroad again soon and, of course, start writing again. I'm looking forward to a new adventure.

I have an interview tomorrow for a position in Dubai so wish me luck!

Take care folks.

And when things get ya down, just remember,
Life's a garden; dig it!

Home Sweet Home

2010-04-16T18:08:00.040+01:00

It's finished. It actually finished! Six weeks, twelve houses and several different sleeping arrangements later, I'm home. I've finally arrived back where I started. Its been a hell of a trip and there's been both good and bad but I'm extremely glad to have my own place again. Overall, it's been an amazing experience and I feel like I've benefitted a lot from it. Let me tell you about some of the things that I've learned, discovered or realized along the way or since I've returned.

First of all, a lot of people have asked me why I don't / didn't stay with strangers; go on the official website and find people on there to stay with. The main answer I usually give to this and my primary reason for not doing so is that one of the main reasons I enjoyed the couchsurfing and one of the main reasons I even had for doing it in the first place was that it was a great way to catch up with old friends. I felt that doing this gave the couchsurfing some sort of purpose and it wasn't just me bumming around the place, stepping on people's toes. Also, the difference in staying with friends is that they don't try and impress you, they don't feel in any way awkward that you're there and there's nothing but normality going on. I felt a lot more comfortable because I was around mates and I didn't want or need the hassle of trying to get to know someone new when I was also trying to maintain a regular lifestyle of going to college everyday etc. . One more important point to make is that because I stayed with friends, they knew me and trusted me enough to give me a spare key if they had one. This is not something I could see a stranger doing very quickly or straight off the bat.

Another thing people have asked me is what I've learned or what were the best and worst things about the whole experience. I think the biggest problem for me was simply not being able to sleep at any time or for as long as I liked. In a few houses that I stayed at, my mates didn't have a spare key and if I wanted to leave the house / apartment that day, I had to leave when they left for work or college in the morning. In fact, I was surprised at how many houses have doors that you can't lock by simply pulling them out behind you. So therefore with random sleeping patterns and sometimes uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, I was constantly tired or often found it difficult to get to sleep at night.

The best thing about couchsurfing was definitely getting to see a lot of my friends and catch up with them after so long. It was great because it wasn't just a catch-up over a few pints either, it was quality time spent over the course of two to four days. It was great to get to see the city too and moving around constantly, although could be tiring, made for a nice little holiday. I stayed with everyone from college students to working professionals to even a mate who has set up his own business. I got live on the north side, the south side and even in the city itself and I learned a lot about how to get around Dublin and what buses go where.

I think the couchsurfing as a whole was a very satisfying and learning experience. In some ways, I think it's even made me somewhat of a better person. I feel a lot more comfortable now when present in other people's homes and seeing the kindness and support from everyone really helped me see the good in the world. It can be very heartbreaking trying to survive in a city these days when job after job rejects your application, or you get an email telling you that so many people have applied and you know that at least one of all those people probably has better qualifications than you. It's soul-trodding trying to figure out your future when you realize that the opportunities out there have become so slim. So it was very easy sometimes to get down on myself about the whole 'bumming around' thing but couchsurfing really was an amazing experience. It really picked my spirits up in that although I still didn't have very much money, I was no longer worrying about money. Whilst before I would have trouble doing anything other than surviving week to week on Tesco groceries and my only entertainment was one night out a week in town, whilst couchsurfing I was able to live a little looser. I mean it didn't exactly let me go mad but it relieved me of worrying so much about where the next pennies were coming from.

As I mentioned before, I've had offers from other friends now to surf their couches too but I've turned them down because I'm just physically drained and need a break from the whole thing for the moment. But it's great to see the interest that I've gotten out of this 'experiment' of mine and I hope I've been able to make more people aware of couchsurfing; that it's a real thing, it's out there, and that it could be a great way for you to spend your holiday abroad or while traveling and save a little cash on accommodation. I, myself, am a member of the official couchsurfing website and although I have never surfed myself before now, I have hosted many people coming from abroad in the past. I found it a very worthy experience, being able to meet new people and make new friends. Many of those who stayed with me are still in touch with me to this day.

So couchsurfing around Dublin was a fantastic experience because I got to spend time with my mates. It really made me realize too that I have many good friends, and that no matter what happens in life, if you have good friends to fall back on, you're sure to be fine. I was very surprised at all the kind words I got from people and thought most people might not get the whole concept or realize why I was actually doing it (apart from the economic factors forcing it upon me). Whereas I thought people might be looking down at me or thinking I was a waster who needs to sort his life out, instead I was actually being egged on by all my mates and more and more couches were being offered up to me. I've been told I'll "land on my feet no matter what [I] do" or that I can do "anything I set my mind to". I find these extremely kind words and not only kind but reassuring because I often question my own ethics myself. It's not hard to question where life is headed when you only go away for one year and return to find that your qualifications don't seem to be worth squat.

This blog hasn't just been about couchsurfing though. It's been about the recession, about homelessness and about the generosity of people. And it's also been about figuring out what I want to do with my life. You see, when I first returned to Ireland, I spent so long applying for jobs in the IT industry without any luck. And then, after all the rejection and disappointment, I realized that half the jobs that I'd been applying for, I didn't really want anyway. I had just been doing the normal thing of trying to get a job in the sector related to my studies. And of course I had been. Where else does one look for a job than in the area where you would think he might be qualified to get one?

But now my whole outlook has changed. For me, it might be taking longer than most, but I prefer to take the time to head in the right direction than do the straightforward option of working a nine to five job that I only somewhat enjoy (not that I can get one now anyways - Trust me, I've really tried.) But isn't life about being happy? Happiness just means different things for different people. For me, it means hanging with different people, seeing different lifestyles, traveling the world and writing about it. Now I just need to figure out how to make a career out of it. I have computer skills obviously that I wouldn't mind putting to use too but given the state of the economy right now, it looks like I'll be leaving again soon. I'm doing the official CELTA course in a week and I might just blog about that for anyone out there who wants to hear what kind of material is covered. It seems more and more people are falling victim to the TEFL ways these days.

I love writing though, I really do, and I love traveling and what I love most about it all is that it can be done from anywhere in the world. I'm not saying I'm a good writer by any means and I definitely have a lot of room for improvement, but it is something I enjoy doing and for some reason I get a kick out of it. I'd love to work for myself and not for a company but that's a different ballgame entirely. These days, I get up whenever I want but that's only because I'm not getting paid at the moment and I'm not going to strain myself when there's no cash motivation. But I'd honestly love to have a steady number where I get up early and make the most of my day with a productive outcome. I'd love to have some sort of routine. I see my future where I wake up at 7am in some hot country to a beautiful wife beside me, I go for a run on the beach and then come home to make a cup of coffee and sit down to another day of doing what I love most. For some people this sounds like heaven, others would say this is something everyone would love to do, but for me this is something I would like to make a reality. Because you can do anything you want really and you can be anything you want to be. In the words of George Michael, you just "gotta have faith".

Baz Luhrmann said in his song, Sunscreen, "Don’t worry about the future.....Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know, still don’t."

I agree with this in part and parcel. I think the main idea I hope you come away with from my blog and these lyrics is that you shouldn't worry so much about where you're life is headed. Yes, you should work hard, and yes, you should do your best to make a career for yourself in order to secure a financial future. But if you're not sure what you'd like to do, don't stress too much trying to get a job you won't enjoy and ten years down the line find yourself sitting bored in work, hating your job, wishing you had the time to go back and do something else that you would have loved to have done. Of course, this isn't the best advice in this day and age given the state of the economy and you should probably take any job you can get right now to earn money. But take opportunities where they present themselves and the most important thing to remember is that if you like something, stick at it, regardless of how good you are at it in the beginning. Your passion for it will make you work hard and help you improve over time.

On the Jac Vanek website recently, I read a post in which the author said, "When I finally stopped trying to please and impress everyone around me and started focusing on what made me happy, everything began to fall into place." She also quoted Conan O'brien, a quote I'd never heard before, that said, "If you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen."

I took a positive outlook on this couchsurfing experience and I've had nothing but positive feedback. I mean, sure, some random people who don't know me have mocked or criticized me for what I did. I've been left comments telling me I'm a "layabout" or that I'll soon have no friends. But this doesn't change the fact that just because something is different or somewhat original, it doesn't mean that it's bad. I've gotten a fair bit of publicity about the blog lately and there might even be a possible story coming out about this experience in the paper soon (I'll update you on that when I know more). But for now, I just want to thank everyone who's been kind enough to let me stay and who's supported me throughout the past six weeks. It's been wonderfully fulfilling and different.

Some things I'd like to add or mention that I've noticed since I've returned home:

I'm a lot cleaner now in the kitchen. I find myself washes dishes after every meal and keeping the place as clean as possible. This is from being so used to staying in people's homes and not wanting to be any way messy.
I've discovered that I get bored very easily now. The couchsurfing experience, if more than anything, was a great way of keeping me entertained and I enjoyed writing about it and catching up with everyone. Now I find myself bored sitting at home in the evening where nothing and noone changes.

In conclusion, going back to the whole reason as to why I came up with the idea for couchsurfing in the first place, it's very difficult to save money when living off the dole, renting or not. When I was couchsurfing, there always seemed to be something to spend money on, whether it was taxis between houses, eating out in town because I couldn't return during the day, Mother's Day, Easter or birthdays. However, throughout all, I managed to get enough money together to allow me to pay rent for another month and for that alone I am truly happy.

That's everything I have to say on the experience, folks.
Once again, thanks so much for reading and for following me on my journey throughout the past six weeks.

Keep an eye here for any more updates on the story, but for now, from me, it's Adios!!

Smithfield

2010-04-16T16:07:00.006+01:00

House #12

Duration: 3 days, 3 nights

Location: Smithfield Market, Smithfield

Initially, I thought my next stop would be Dorset Street but when this started to look like it was falling through, I had to consider other options. Nothing was popping up but then just when things were starting to look bleak and I had no idea of where I might be staying next, I happened to bump into a friend of mine, Fiona, in town one evening. Fiona had just moved to Smithfield and was telling me how she loved being so much closer to everything. I never even thought of asking to stay but she asked how the couchsurfing experience was going and next thing you know, I was sorted again for the next few days. She had previously offered when she lived just off Griffith Avenue back in the initial stages of my journey, but at that time I had already houses lined up to stay in and after that I had gone from the Drumcondra area.

Fiona's originally from Denmark but works for DHL here, having come to Ireland in 2007. I met her a few years back through some friends of mine when she came to one of my college parties and we've been friends ever since. Last year, she and her flatmate even stopped over to visit me in Korea when they were on vacation in Vietnam. Her flatmate, Montse, is originally from Spain and works for Lufthansa here in the city. She, too, loves to travel and was away on holidays again at the time that I stayed.

When I arrived in Smithfield, Fiona came down to greet me and showed me up to her apartment. She had been curled up on the couch trying to watch tv on the only two or three channels that she had, having not yet gotten the connection set up properly. Not only that, but she was trying to watch them with a very static reception. When I suggested the old hanger trick, I was surprised to find out that she didn't know what I was talking about. It turns out that in Denmark all their hangers are wooden so I guess this is a trick only the Irish are used to using. I felt like I was contributing to my stay by becoming a handyman for the next ten minutes.

The apartment was very nice. First impressions: very fancy place; sweet pad. The living room was large and well lit with two sofas and a dinner table just off the kitchen. The kitchen was in the same room but separated by a partial wall so it didn’t feel like it. This gave the apartment a more homely touch. There was a small balcony off of the living room which was perfect for smoking on and the bathroom in the hallway was nice and clean with a ready-to-go hot shower. Apparently, according to Fiona, the water’s not always hot, but I guess I lucked out every time so I had no complaints.

When I’d pulled a few tricks out of my sleeve and improved the picture with a little hanger magic, Fiona thanked me with a beer from the fridge. She’s one of the few girls I know to actually drink beer and it was good to be able to chill with her over a can. It’s interesting how everyone seems to welcome me into their house with a meal or an alcoholic drink. I’m not sure if this is an Irish thing, whether my friends just like to greet me in this way (which would seriously say something about me) or whether it's just kindness in order to get a good review. Regardless of the welcoming gift or lack thereof, I don't think I could fault anyone who’s allowed me to stay. Everyone’s been amazingly supportive and welcoming and I knew staying with Fiona would be no different. At first, she was a little intimidated by the fact that I would be reviewing my stay with her but I told her not to worry as I knew it would be a good review. [Note: The tinfoil in the photo was added by Fiona - I'm not really sure what that was about. Maybe to hold it together or something.]

Montse hadn’t left her key behind but my stay had been pretty much a spur of the moment thing, so they couldn't have planned for me staying anyways. However, Fiona kindly loaned me her key whenever she could; if she was staying home for the night and I was heading out or if she knew I’d be home before her. It’s interesting to mention though that I have rarely stated how my presence has affected the people I’ve stayed with, I normally just say how it’s affected me. To be honest, I generally try to be in the least bit outputting and so mostly it doesn’t affect people too much but one example of how things could go wrong became evident one night during my stay here.

The Saturday night that I was staying with Fiona, I was heading out to a house party and she was staying home because she had to be in work early the next morning. She loaned me her key to take with me, asking me to leave it on the table for her when I got home as she needed to bring it with her when she was leaving for work the next day. That night in particular ended up being a very late night and although I was out till all hours of the morning, I was still very concious of the fact that I needed to be home in time before she left for work. However, my phone died throughout the night without me realizing and when I returned to the apartment it was quite early in the morning. I was back in plenty of time before Fiona left for work but she had woken up an hour earlier than she'd needed to and panicked when she saw I wasn’t home yet. She was both worried about me and also the fact that I might not be back in time to give her the key. It all worked out fine in the end but you can see now how I'm relying on other people a lot of the time but sometimes, they are relying on me.

The first night that I stayed in Fiona's, I headed over to a friend’s house. I had promised my mate a number of times that week that I'd pop out to see him and I couldn't let him down once again. Fiona had said the couch was available to sleep on or there was a mattress I could use if I liked. The couch had looked comfy enough to me so I'd told her it would suit me just fine. However, later that night when I returned, I discovered that she had actually made up a proper little bed for me using the mattress with sheets, a duvet and cushions. It was beautiful and I hadn't had a proper bed in quite some time so I immediately looked forward to sleeping in it. It turned out to be much more comfortable than the couch would have been. In fact, I slept so well that I didn’t even hear Fiona leave for work the next morning and I’m a light sleeper so I’m usually aware of everything that goes on around me. Therefore, I was very pleased with the level of comfortability provided in this residence.

I was pleasantly surprised at how close Fiona's apartment was to my previous residence too and after taking a taxi the first evening, discovered it was actually only around the corner; a short walking distance away. But it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t have known where I was going and I can vouch for the fact that it’s not nice when you're wandering the streets lost with heavy bags like mine. So obviously, my new residence was again in a great location being only a short distance away from the Luas line, the quays and the city center. I never had to spend a penny on transport and it was actually a nice scenic walk too (kind of).

Sunday I was pretty hungover and Fiona let me sleep in her bed till the afternoon. The rest of the day, we spent chilling on her balcony in the sun, each reading or together looking at photographs. It was crazy to look back at old photos that I either didn’t remember or had never seen before and notice how people have changed since back in the day. It was a great day of relaxation and whilst I lay on the couch in comfort, I realized that this was what I missed; my own place to chill out and relax. Feeling tired and physically drained, I began counting up the days in my head since I started the couchsurfing journey and realized that that day was actually the six week anniversary. I had always said I'd only do it for six weeks and suddenly I just wanted to go home. I had two houses left to visit but I decided to cancel on them both, thanking them for their offers nonetheless. That evening, I returned to the old roost, looking forward to some kind of routine again.

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Review

Staying with Fiona was almost like being home again and I think that's what made me actually cut the journey short and move back in the end. Fiona was very accommodating, always really helpful and at all times trying to make my stay as comfortable as possible, but nothing could have been as comfortable as the bed that she made up for me. I was delighted to have a (somewhat) proper bed again to sleep in and Fiona's place was very homely given the large amount of space and nice, general layout. The weather over the few days that I stayed was perfect too and it made the walk back each day from town to the apartment that much more enjoyable. Overall, I was treated extremely well and it was a great place for my final stay on the CS journey.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ Given that it was only recently moved into by Fiona, the apartment had a very nice, new feel to it. It was very clean and tidy and there was plenty of space which made it very homely.

+ The apartment was not only very close to town but it was pretty much a straight walk back from O'Connell street so even the first night when I had doubts about where I was headed, I was able to find it easily.

+ A very comfortable sleeping place

- Most of the time I had the key and freedom to come and go as I pleased but seeing as we only had the one key to share, sometimes I did have to wait to get back into the apartment (only a short while though) or I did feel a little worried that I might be putting Fiona out.

- Given that Fiona had just moved in, she hadn't yet gotten the internet set up in the apartment.

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What was gained from the experience:

As with every other house, a great thing about staying was being able to catch up with my host and get more acquainted after having not chatted properly in ages

I got to learn a few shortcuts to and from Smithfield in regards to both town and Dorset Street and I added to my new and improved general knowledge of the Dublin area on foot.

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Okay folks, I'm sorry to say that's it.
This was the last house that I stayed in.

Thanks so much for reading throughout and for sticking with me!

However, don't fold just yet.
Stay tuned for the final review where I will recap about the experience as a whole and tell you what I learned overall.

Stoneybatter

2010-04-13T18:01:00.111+01:00

House #11

Duration: 3 days, 3 nights

Location: Blackhall Place, Stoneybatter

I arrived in Stoneybatter at 7pm and Kev met me just up the road outside Centra. He led me to his home and my new temporary residence; an apartment complex nearby that was guarded from the outside by a big, black, iron gate. He told me right there and then what the code was to get in and which keypad to punch it in (there were three). Next, he walked me to his apartment on the ground floor. As he unlocked the door, he told me that the key he was using could be given to me for the few days that I was staying and not to worry if it sticks, to just twiddle it and it'll eventually work. He was already covering the basics.

Inside, Kev's mate, Andy, was cooking dinner. Kev had called earlier to see what time I'd be round and they had put on enough food to include me. And might I say what a feed it turned out to be. There was steak and onion pie, vegetables, potatoes and even gravy. Kev's welcoming was like a fattening up and little did I know that this wasn't the only massive meal I'd be having in this house. For the first time in ages, I had to force myself to finish everything on my plate.

After dinner, Andy left and Kev and I sat down to watch tv. I'd arrived with beers I had leftover from a recent party I'd gone to and so we got cracking into them. It was good to chill and catch up with Kev and it was nice to have Sky Digital again too. While flicking through the stations, Kev landed on the MTV show, 'Cribs'. He turned to me and said, “Your blog is like cribs for poor people”. I realized that this was one of those statements that was not only funny but true.

I was surprized too that within twenty minutes of being in the flat, Kev had pretty much answered all the questions I had yet to ask. He'd showed me how to heat the water for a shower, he'd told me where I would be sleeping, he'd showed me how to get in and out of the gate and already given me a key to the apartment, and he'd even been kind enough to mention that there was a 24hour shop around the corner if I needed it. I told him I was amazed that he'd pretty much covered everything I needed to know and he said he'd been reading my blog. He knew what kind of stuff was important to me by now.

Later that night when it was time to hit the hay, I had a choice of two couches to sleep on. One was a nice leather couch that sat inside the front door and the other was a soft cushion couch further in that had been broken and sat low to the ground. It was an easy decision. Leather couches can be a pain because they tend to stick to you but I knew the leather couch would be a lot more comfy than the broken one. Kev gave me a sleeping bag and pillow and I was surprized at how comfortable I was able to get. This was mainly due to the fact that Kev's sleeping bag was the warmest I've ever come across.

The next day, Brian came back up. Brian is Kev's flatmate but had been down home for the Easter weekend. Kev is from Kerry and Brian is from Carlow but they both live and work together in Dublin. In fact, I used to work with both of them in IT Support. Stoneybatter is a great place to live. It's only a few minutes walk from Pheonix Park and yet very close to town at the same time – only a few minutes bus ride away or walking distance. I enjoyed being able to get in and out of town in such a short time.

It was great to see Brian again. He's one of these people who's not the easiest to keep in touch with and so meeting with him in person seems to be the only way to go if you want to get any word on how he's doing. Both Kev and Brian have a humour all to their own and they get on well together. They're very easy-going lads and so it was great craic to hang out with them and have a laugh. We caught up, played computer games and talked nonsense.

This week's revelation:

Lately I've been dreaming a lot about the love of my life; noone in particular, just this mysterious girl in my dreams that I'm madly in love with. And in my dreams, the girl is always getting away from me or dying. Now maybe I have been a little lonely lately (possibly as a result of my vagabond ways) and maybe finally craving a steady girlfriend for once, but maybe the girl is a metaphor. Maybe the girl represents my love of traveling, and the overall dream represents my worry that the opportunity to do so again might be slipping away from me or dying out for the near future at least. And maybe, just maybe, this couchsurfing represents the chase; the continuous fight to keep that dream alive – the chase to keep up with my love.
I've always said that traveling is my first love. It seems to me it's just appearing in a different form here.

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Review

I was shown nothing but the utmost hospitality whilst staying with the lads. Every evening when I returned to the apartment, Kev seemed to be right in the middle of taking out dinner of which he'd cooked enough for me too. Brian, although a night-owl like myself, made a point to never stay too late in the Living Room at night so as to allow me to get some sleep and Kev tiptoed around in the morning when he was leaving for work. I never complained or wouldn't have minded what time I got to bed at or if I was woken up, but that's just the type of lads that they are. They didn't go out of their way intentionally as though it was a hassle but simply acted themselves, being both considerate and kind.

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Advantages / Disadvantages:

+ The first evening that I stayed, I felt like I was breaking all the rules by being able to smoke in the house again. Brian wasn't around that evening and Kev smokes likes myself, so while the cat was away, the mice would smoke inside. It was great to sit in the warmth of the living room in contrast to leaning halfway out a door into the cold. It's little things like this that come to matter a lot because if I had my own place, I could always smoke in my bedroom.

+ Kev gave me a cd so I can now study for my theory test. A driving license is something that I'm seriously lacking in life given my tendancy to travel abroad and the fact that when I am in Ireland, I'm never anything short of a bus ride away from the city. Simply put, I've never really needed one. The cd won't get me to a full driver's license but it might at least get me a provisional which is a start.

+ I ate like a king whilst staying with the lads. They love their food and they eat extremely well. I can honestly say I don't think either of their future wives will ever go hungry. I, myself, was stuffed after every meal.

+ It was great to be living with guys again. Living with girls is fine and everyone who has hosted me has been great but there's just something different to living with blokes. I find there's a much more relaxed atmosphere in a house of guys and I don't feel as though I can do something wrong as easily.

- The couch and overall sleeping arrangement were more than comfortable when I was actually sleeping but I usually struggled each night in the beginning to get to sleep.

- It took forty minutes for the water to heat up if I wanted to have a hot shower. This is quite a long time and often meant that I had to wake up early to turn on the water heater and go back to sleep then until it was ready.

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What was gained from the experience:

I got to learn what's happening these days in my old job, who is still around and what's changed. I enjoyed looking back on working there and learning how everyone's doing now.

I got to see the lads whom I had only seen once since I last left the job a year and a half ago. It was great to reunite with them and catch up.

It was very easy to get a bus from the lads' house into town and back again and I find that I'm learning more and more about Dublin bus routes from this couchsurfing experience.

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It's getting towards the end now folks.

Soon I'll be heading home.

Next stop: Smithfield.

The Carlow Girls

2010-04-10T17:24:00.049+01:00

House #10

Duration: 4 days, 4 nights

Location: Harold's Cross Cottages, Dublin 6

My next stop on the CS journey was Harold’s Cross. I said goodbye to the girls on Bride Street and hailed a taxi down St. Patrick's Street and up and over the bridge to some cottages on the far side. My new hosts were more Carlow girls – Mandy, Annemarie and Jackie – and again all friends that I made way back in my first year of college. Regardless of whether we've seen each other in weeks, months or even years, the girls and I always have great time for each other. The last time I’d seen Mandy was in Asia – I randomly bumped into her at the Full Moon Party in Thailand last October and then she came to Laos a few weeks later when I was working there. Annemarie or Jackie, I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

I arrived near the girls’ place about six in the evening and Mandy came out to find me in the maze of small houses named Harold's Cross Cottages. It's actually a lovely little area apart from the fact that, like many estates I've been in before, the numbering was a bit confusing. When I got inside, hugs were in order. Jackie rose from the couch with warm greetings, and although Annemarie wasn't home yet, she had just as much love for me when she got back. Mandy had prepared a lovely beef curry with rice for dinner and so when it was ready, we all dug in. It was exactly what I needed.
Mandy had told me early on that she was cooking so I'd held off eating and was starving. The meal turned out to be nothing short of delicious and in fact it started out what became quite the little house party. Two of the girls had their boyfriends over and Mandy had a friend visiting from England whom she'd met on her travels throughout Asia. After dinner and tea, the wine and beer were whipped out and what followed was an evening of general discussion, some catching up and even some good intellectual conversation. In college, Mandy studied Biotechnology, Jackie studied Business and Annemarie studied Accounting, so quite a mix between them. Having not seen or caught up with them properly in ages, it was wonderful (and a bit surreal even) now to sit and hear what they'd been up to and find out what they’re doing these days.

Lately, I’m noticing more and more how much easier the CouchSurfing experience has gotten. Staying in people's homes doesn't seem as much of a big deal anymore – it simply feels like I'm visiting friends and it gets too late to go home so I crash in theirs, except of course that I have my toothbrush and a change of clothes along with me. Moving from house to house on a regular basis, I’ve also gotten used to what I need to know and what are the essential questions to ask right away. Things like how the shower works and whether I need to take time to heat the water first, whether there’s a spare key or if the front door can be locked without using one, or whether there’s a spare duvet or pillow to keep me warm or more comfortable at night. These, among other things, are some of the first things I ask now when I move in to a house. It’s the little things that are important; things that you take for granted when you have your own place.

My sleeping area in the girls’ house was once again the couch. There were two couches in the Living Room and after giving each one a comfort check, I settled on the one furthest from the radiator. There were no differences in the couches really except that sleeping too close to the radiator seemed like it might be bad for my health. Each couch was a two-person seater, made of unyielding leather with thick rectangular arm-rests on either side. They were short in length and, quite frankly, a bit awkward to sleep on. After one night of bearing through, I took to the floor instead for a little more comfort. There was a yoga mat in the corner of the room which I now laid out to use as a mattress, ending up back beside the radiator after trying to get away from it.

The house itself was quite narrow and rather cold but it made good use of the space that it had. There was a kitchen, bathroom and living room, and the girls each had their own bedroom, of course. Although, Annemarie’s bedroom was something that I'd never seen before. It was basically a converted attic. Now you might think to yourself, “Well I’ve seen plenty of converted attics before”, but this was different - she didn’t actually have any door. Being a cottage, the attic wasn’t the largest, and the stairs leading up to the attic led you right into Annemarie's room. I’ve seen this type of conversion for a Study before, but I’ve never seen it done for a bedroom. I thought it a little strange. Other than that though, the house was great and the Harolds Cross Cottages definitely get a thumbs up from me!

This week’s quotes:

My life is like an extract from the Oasis song, 'Underneath The Sky':

"..... a storyteller sleeping alone,

....his whereabouts are sort of unknown,

....All he needs is his life in a suitcase."

"I'm just looking forward to going home to bed...

...or should I say... to floor."

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Review

Living with the girls was like having three sisters. They were wonderful. They fed me in the evenings, they gave me beer, they made sure I was comfortable and warm at night and told me to turn on the heating if I got the slightest bit cold. Jackie even loaned me her hairdryer one day to dry my new semi-long mess of a head of hair that I have no idea how to maintain. They were all absolutely lovely and, like everyone before them, extremely welcoming of me in their home.

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Advantages / Disadvantages:

+ A huge disadvantage that I've found to couchsurfing is that when moving from house to house so often, it's quite easy to forget something behind you or lose something along the way. Twice now I've lost my phone charger which isn't a easy replacement given that I still have one of the older Nokia phones that requires the charger with the thick connection. When I arrived at the girls' house and realized I'd lost my charger for the second time, Mandy made everything better by telling me that she not only had the charger I needed, but that I could keep it because she didn't use it herself. This was a major plus.

+ The girls cook a cracking meal. Mandy cooked enough food the first evening to feed an army and so I got to enjoy her lovely chilli two evenings in a row. It was tasty, free and quite fulfilling.

+ One of the nights that I was staying here, I went out with some friends in town and ended up at a house party afterwards. As I exited the house in the wee hours of the morning, I was pleasantly surprised and quite frankly amazed to find that I was just across the bridge from the girls' house. It was literally a two minute walk!

+ There are no words to describe how good it was having the internet in the house again.

- The couch was quite uncomfortable and the floor wasn’t much better either. Saying this though, most nights that I slept in the apartment, I had been out in town beforehand and had enough drink on me to sleep through a storm so I slept just fine. However, on my last night in the house, being sober and more aware, I truly felt the hard surface of the floor, the cold temperature of the room and the lacking comforts of a proper bed.

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What was gained from the experience:

From living with the girls and going in and out of town, I got a much better idea of how to get to Harold's Cross and what buses go out there and where. This could be helpful in the future.

I got to catch up with the girls, some of whom I hadn't seen in a long, long time. It was great to hear how they're doing and also fill them in on my own exploits to date.

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As you can clearly see, there were much more advantages than disadvantages to staying with the girls. I stayed for one more night than normal and if I hadn't been going home for Easter, they would have let me stay for the weekend too. When I came back up to Dublin though, my time was done. Stoneybatter was calling and I was excited to see some of my old workmates again. Bring on House #11.

The Heart of the City

2010-04-07T16:17:00.015+01:00

House #9

Duration: 3 days, 3 nights

Location: Christchurch, Dublin 8

Off I went again, this time leaving Hanover Quay and heading for St. Stephen's Green. I wasn't staying here but rather meeting one half of my new hosts for the next few days at this location. I've been growing my hair and beard out lately and two weeks ago in a pub, I was delighted when somebody told me I looked like a rock star. When the random taxi driver I got from my last CS house once again mistakenly thought I was coming from doing a gig in the theater, I felt cool. He proceeded to tell me of how he had picked up someone famous just before me. He knew the guy's name but had never heard of him, just been told by his friend who he was. The name sounded familiar to me but I had no idea who it was either. I left the cab with full intentions to look it up when I got to my new home. Unfortunately, I would later find out that the girls didn't have any internet in their apartment. Now I forget the name.

Although Saidhbhin lives out near Christchurch, I met her by the park because she was in town doing some shopping with her sister at the time. Her sister kindly offered to give us a lift out to the house in her car and I can't say I even thought about refusing – Christchurch can be a long walk from the top of Grafton street when you've backbreaking luggage like mine. She was parked in the Brown Thomas parking lot and so I followed them through the shop, immediately feeling out of place by all the hotness and all the women. Not only did I not see any other men in the store, but there was noone near underdressed like I appeared to be, wearing a hoody, jeans and sneakers, lugging around my home is three overly packed bags.

The lift to Saidhbhin's was quick, for although it would have been a long walk, it was only a short drive away. Her sister dropped us off around the corner from the house and we walked down the street to her apartment. Saidhbhin offered plenty of times to help carry my bags but I refused knowing how heavy they were and not wanting to put her under that strain. However, upon persistence, I let her carry my backpack; the lightest of the three. She carried it up the stairs for me and welcomed me into her home.

So let me give you a glimpse into the profiles of my new hosts. Two girls and both from Carlow, Saidhbhin and Kate each went to college in Dublin and are now working full time in the city. Saidhbhin went to Froebel School of Education where she studied Primary School Teaching and she now works as a teacher full time. Kate studied Financial and Actuarial Mathematics in DCU and is another of my earliest friends from college, although she and I haven't kept in the best contact over the past few years. Saidbhin is actually the one I'd be closest with these days. She and I met through Kate and some other mutual friends a few years back but I only saw her a few times randomly after that. I only got to know her better when she was on vacation in Asia this past year and came to Laos with another friend of mine during the six weeks that I managed a bar there. She ended up working for me in Vang Vieng for a few days helping me promote Sakura bar so we got to know each other a lot better then.

When we'd had a cup of tea and caught up briefly, Saidhbhin set about packing. She was headed home for the weekend and Kate wasn't going to be around that evening either so I was told that I would actually have the house to myself that night. I was surprized at how comfortable the girls felt leaving me in their home alone, given that I wouldn't be as close with them as some of the other people that I've stayed with thus far, but I was truly grateful. Saidhbhin gave me her keys to hold on to for the few days that she was home and I was able to come and go as I pleased in the apartment that was practically my own. I was told to eat whatever I wanted from fridge or dig in to the bottle of vodka on the counter if I fancied it. It was like arriving in a hotel where there's a free mini bar in the room and free chocolates on the pillows. I didn't help myself of course, as I felt it would have just been rude, but I was grateful for the offers and was simply happy having another place to stay.

My new sleeping area was once again the couch in the Living Room. Saidhbhin offered up her bed to me but I find it a bit strange being in a girl's room when she's not around. I'm not the kind to get up to anything unruly but I feel like it might be uncomfortable for both parties. Regardless, the couch was comfy enough and I made it work. A duvet and a pillow were available and I made good use of these in making the couch my own. Although a little short in length, the couch was very comfortable and the soft cushions made for a quality lie so I had no trouble getting my forty winks.

The apartment's location was fantastic too. As the title suggests, it was right in the heart of the city. I was less than ten minutes walk from college, just down the road from “Leo Burdock's” (the best fish and chip shop in Dublin), right next to the Dublin City Council offices where I used to work and right next to Dame Street which has every kind of shop, cafe or pub that you could hope for. In fact, I had friends visiting from abroad one of the days I was staying there and their hostel happened to be right around the corner. Talk about luck!

Lately since I've started couchsurfing, I feel especially guilty when I walk past homeless people on the streets of Dublin, and yet I still don't give them change. This is possibly why I feel so guilty but generally the reason I don't give them anything is because usually I only actually have a few coins on me that I need to pay for my lunch that day or get the bus home that evening. However, the other day I was delighted to see a guy giving a Subway roll, a bottle of coke and a bag of crisps to a homeless man on Westmoreland Street, who was holding a sign that said he needed money for food. It's always nice to see such generosity in the world and although people offering me a place to stay is different because they're friends of mine and just helping me out, essentially it's the same generosity and selflessness as seen here. It's exactly the same thing. The world is full of good people, you just have to look past the bad. I truly believe that the majority of people in the world are good and when you see the good in the people, it makes you a better person, because it makes you want to be good.

As far as my own eating habits went over the few days, I'll admit I got lazy and Leo Burdock's became an easy alternative to the usual. It's actually a great place to pick up some grub if you have somewhere to go and eat it afterwards. Not only is it known as, and in my opinion 'legitimately', the best fish and chip shop in Dublin, but it's prices aren't anything to complain about either. If you're going cheap, you can get a battered sausage for only €2.00 or a battered burger for €2.95, and each comes with a handful of chips thrown in for good measure. Leo Burdock's provides a quality feed no matter what you order, be it something small like the aforementioned snacks or something larger for a proper meal.

This week's quotes / thoughts:

"Sometimes I get down on myself about what I'm doing – how I'm going from house to house almost like a bum – but when I sit down at night and take a time out, when my work for the day is done and I'm not thinking about all the things that I have to do, I realize that I love what I'm doing. Because it's not just like regular couchsurfing. It's about friendship, reliability and trust, but most of all, it's about how these people have my back. And I respect that so much and appreciate it, and I realize that this is something original; something that most people will never get to do. And I'm just so happy that I get to experience it."

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Review

The experience of CouchSurfing is starting to show effects now in that I find myself becoming a lot more comfortable a lot quicker in people's homes. Whenever I move into a new place now, it automatically feels like home; I don't find myself needing to adjust as much as before. I found myself very much at home in the girls' apartment almost immediately. It was very easy going and I had no worries as long as I locked up correctly. I had the apartment to myself most of the time, I had a nice big tv with Sky Digital, I had a small balcony to stand out on and smoke and I was right next to everything I needed. It was a perfect little holiday home.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ Saidhbhin and Kate lived so close to everything. I was an even shorter walk from college that I'd ever been and yet I was still close enough to walk to O'Connell Street in just a few minutes as well.

+ The girls had something special in their apartment that I hadn't come across in a long time, if ever experienced before; a shower radio. It was awesome to get up in the morning – or afternoon – and wake not only to a hot shower but a lively tune. Although it did leave me with a beat stuck in my head for about four days after that I didn't know the lyrics nor the name of. Headwrecking!

- A major disadvantage of staying in Saidhbhin and Kate's apartment was that there was no internet. You never realize how much you depend on the internet until you don't actually have it any more. On the Sunday that I stayed in the apartment, I had to go to Starbucks to use the internet to try and get some work done as college wasn't open that day either.

- The girls were very rarely around. It was great to have Saidhbhin's keys for the few days and it was nice having the place to myself for peace and quiet but it got quite lonely too. I hadn't seen the girls in ages and had been hoping to catch up with them and reminisce about old times.

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What was gained from the experience:

- I got to become more familiar with the Dublin 8 and Christchurch area and discover shortcuts to and from Georges Street and that continuous line.

- Given that I was staying near the Dublin City Council Offices, I was able to pop in and catch up with my old workmates. It was great to see how they were doing as I hadn't talked to them in a short while.

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I can't lie to you folks, that couch above is a Google image. There was a slip up with the photographs I took and some of them didn't get delivered to me on time. However, take comfort in the fact that I chose that couch because it looks exactly like the one that I slept on.

Next stop: Harolds Cross!

Down The Quays

2010-04-06T16:21:00.001+01:00

House #8

Duration: 3 days, 3 nights

Location: Hanover Quay, Dublin 2

For my next couch, I left the North Side of Dublin and headed South towards the docklands. My new host was my mate, Dave Rooney, another ex-flatmate and fellow DCU graduate. Dave lives in Hanover Quay in the Longboat Quay apartments, right next to the new theater that has been built there. When I got in a taxi, the taxi driver thought I was headed in to do some sort of gig, given the amount of bags that I had with me and the fact that I used the theater as a reference point in giving directions.

It was later than normal when I arrived at my new residence but Dave welcomed me in with a smile. It had been quite a while since I'd spent some quality time with Dave and I was excited to catch up with him properly for a change. I'd only seen him briefly since I got back from Korea and when it's been so long, it's hard to know what to say when you bump into someone in a crowd of people in a bar. No, for Dave and myself, it seemed we needed to make time to hang out, and the couchsurfing experience allowed for just that.

First impressions upon arriving at Dave's apartment were of how magnificent the surrounding area looked at night. The lights on the quays were beautiful and the view from Dave's balcony on the fourth floor was simply amazing. When Dave saw how impressed I was, he took me to the roof for a proper sightseeing tour. We sipped on Maker's Mark whiskey whilst he pointed out the what's what of buildings in the area as far as the eye could see that night. The whiskey was like my initiation into the household. In the beginning, my inexperience showed, not knowing whether I was supposed to sip on it or down it in one. I soon figured it out though, as did I that it was an acquired taste; each sip seeming to go down a little harsher than the one before. However, it was a tasty liquor and I could imagine myself thoroughly enjoying a glass of it over time.

After some catching up back inside, it was time to hit the hay. My new resting place was the sofa, but a sleeping bag and cushions were available for comfort and warmth. It wasn't as comfy as the bed I had before obviously or as some of the other couches in the past, but I still slept like a baby all the same. It seems that I'm getting accustomed to sleeping easier wherever I lay my head these days. Dave also had a spare set of keys for me so I was once again delighted to be able to rise at my own hour, rather than have had to leave when the flatmates did. I woke the next morning to find that Dave had left out a cable for me to connect up my laptop to the internet and had sent me a text message with the front door key code. I thought to myself, “What a legend!”.

Something I've learned from the CS experience is that 11am is a perfect time to rise. It's not too early, not too late, and it's a perfect hour in order to still catch a bit of the morning and have the whole day ahead of you to get whatever work you need to do, done. In fact, I've noticed recently that sometimes now I'm getting up earlier when I don't even need to. Having had to rise at 8am some mornings in the past few weeks to leave when people left for work has left me with an appreciation for getting up early and making the most of my day. Although the majority of the time I don't get up when I plan to, I often strive to get up earlier these days rather than sleeping in till one or two in the afternoon like I used to do when I lived in my old house in Whitehall.

When I got up and got dressed, I rolled a smoke and sat out in the comfy chairs on the balcony. As the sun glinted off the water and I took in the view in daylight, I realized that this couchsurfing experience is like a continuous holiday. Although I'm not abroad, I'm always moving, getting to see different parts of Dublin and experiencing different amenities wherever I go. In a way, it feels just like when I was moving from guesthouse to guesthouse traveling through Asia. I felt content as I gazed out on the water and watched the world go by.

Dave's apartment was the first place I stayed that I didn't know the flatmates at all. I had never been to Dave's apartment before and I had never met the people he lived with. He has two flatmates, Ronnie (Veronika) and James, and it was another house full of professionals. Dave works as a web designer for Allied Irish Bank, Ronnie works for Google and James works as a risk analyst for a Dutch Bank in the IFSC. It was a little strange being alone in the apartment when I'd only very briefly met Ronnie the first night I arrived, and I hadn't seen James at all, only heard as he had entered the kitchen that morning. I thought now of how kind it was of them to trust me, someone they didn't know, to be in the apartment by myself.

I eventually got to know Ronnie and James better and have nothing but good things to say about them. Ronnie is the soundest person I've met in a while that I didn't know beforehand, ie. she gives a great first impression. She is absolutely lovely, up for the craic, loves to go partying and was very welcoming of me in her home. She even gave me a birthday hug. James, I almost didn't meet at all. He was either gone to work, gone to bed or gone out whenever I was awake in the apartment. However, I finally got to meet him briefly in the last few hours of my stay. He seemed like an excellent chap and was intrigued by the experiment I'm undertaking and as supportive as my closest friends.

So as I might have let slip above, that Friday that I was staying there was my birthday. Dave met me after work that evening and I ended up getting free drinks for half the night, so it pleasantly made up for my lack of plans. I got to talk a bit of shop and discuss business ideas with Dave and it was great to get his opinion and insight on some matters. Dave's a man I respect a lot, he's done well for himself in the business world and he's a great man for always helping others out and throwing work their way. He has a good head on him for strategy and I was delighted to hear his opinions and views. Later in the night, we met up with some other mates and the session took over. Even later again after the pubs, I was thrilled to still be able to enjoy the perk of walking home.

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Review

Staying with Dave was a great example of spending time with an old friend. Of everyone I've stayed with so far, Dave is the one I've been in contact with the least and it was great to rectify that using couchsurfing as a medium. Veronika and James were bang on and, for people who didn't know me, made me feel extremely welcome. It was great to see another side of Dublin too that I haven't seen in so long. The Docklands area is like a hidden treasure of Dublin and although not very far out at all, provides a nicer alternative to city life.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ A clear advantage of staying with Dave was noticed immediately when teabags were once again readily available. When Dave made tea the second evening, he even sacrificed the last Barry's Tea teabag to me and used a Spar teabag for himself instead. Having not had my 'cha' fix in so long, drinking it now was like heaven in a cup.

+ The surrounding area where Dave lives is simply amazing. It's like a little holiday resort on a good sunny day and you can't help but stand out on the balcony and take in the view. It was beautiful.

- My first morning in the apartment, I didn't get a hot shower. A hot shower is something I pretty much need before I can function for a day. I figured out how to turn on the hot water in Dave's apartment but it took over half an hour for the water to heat up. This is something I didn't know and I certainly didn't expect it to take so long, so I ended up having to take a cold shower that day before I left for college.

- I've had a cold for the last few days and although I can't pin it on Dave's apartment, it may have had something to do with it; my voice gradually disappeared over the few days I was staying there. The couch was very close to the balcony door and so maybe I caught a draft, I can't be sure. I mean 'I' didn't notice anything but my throat certainly did and the last thing you want when you're couchsurfing is to be sick.

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What was gained from the experience:

I've often heard talk of it before but never really went with it. However, when Dave made a point to drink a pint of water before bed after the Friday session, I did too. This is now my new favorite trick that has saved me more than once already.

I now hang out with Dave on a more regular basis and I guess our friendship has been "rekindled" so to speak.

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You might notice that I changed the appearance of the blog.
Please leave me a comment letting me know what you think, whether it's better or worse, or if you have ideas on what more could be done to improve it.

Thanks guys!

Tom & Al's

2010-03-29T16:02:00.000+01:00

House #7
Duration: 5 days, 5 nights
Location: James Joyce Street, Dublin 1

For my next move, I took to the streets of Dublin on foot. I made my way down Talbot Street in the direction of Connolly Station, carrying with me my travel possessions. I was delighted to be able to walk to my new apartment rather than get a taxi or bus, given that it was just a stones throw away from my previous place of rest. My new accommodation was an apartment in Montgomery House on James Joyce Street, the residents of which were more mates from my college days, Tommy Kearns and Alan O'Connor. I lived with Al back in my days at DCU and I met Tommy through socializing and the DCU Karting Club.

Tom studied four years of accountancy in DCU and is currently working full time in his trade in the city centre, as is Al, who studied Multimedia and now works for a software solutions and enterprise cloud computing company. In fact, Al was away in London on business when I arrived and so his bed and room were left available for me to occupy. He'd even left behind his keys for me to have too while he was gone. It was fantastic. Picture this: my own bedroom, a comfy double bed, a spare set of keys, a HDTV and PS3 in the Living Room, a balcony view of the Spire and complete and utter freedom. I thought I knew freedom on the CS journey before but there's nothing like having your own place and, essentially, that's what I had here.

So for the next two days anyways, it was just myself and Tom. Tom's very laid back and easy-going, and he didn't care what I did as long as I made myself at home. He welcomed me in and got me set up with whatever I needed. I got sorted with the internet, got to do laundry and had room to unpack some of my clothes for a bit more comfort than living directly out of my bag. He was in the middle of playing Modern Warfare 2 when I arrived the first evening, a game that I would get to know only too well over the next few days. While he charged forward in uniform, I downloaded movies, amazed at their connection speed, and worked away at typing up reviews for the blog. It was great to get some work done at home for a change and it helped me catch up on a lot work in which I'd fallen behind. The Living Room had nice comfy couches, loads of space and good heating, and chilling there felt like I'd done so a million times before. It was a very comfortable environment and atmosphere, and it immediately felt like home.

That night, I slept like a baby. My new resting place - Al's bedroom - was perfect. It was great having my own bed again and a double one at that. Al's bed was extremely comfortable and I was very grateful to have the use of it. There were no problems with the room being too chilly like in the past, and it was nice to have my own space again too. I slept in late the next day and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. That day, I had some Canadian friends visiting and it was great to be so close-by when they called me late in the evening. I was able to join them in Temple Bar within fifteen minutes when it would normally take me a half an hour bus ride just to get to O'Connell street. It was fantastic too that night to be able to walk home when the clubs closed, and let myself in, rather than having to wake Tommy up or have had to come home earlier so as not to be outputting.

Al arrived back on Sunday afternoon and I got to catch up with him then. Tommy's given up alcohol for lent and so after his St. Patrick's Day party in the apartment, the fridge was left full with beer he couldn't drink. I had been told early on to help myself and so Al and I now dug in whilst he fixed lunch for the both of us. As I sipped on free beer and watched the football with the lads, the sun shone through the window with Dublin City and the Wicklow mountains in the background. I realized that my couchsurfing experience had reached a new level. Now, I was getting a taste of the good life.

That night, Al was heading over to stay at his girlfriend's house and he was flying back to London the next day so he offered me his room for an extra few nights if I wanted it. Needless to say, I accepted. Things were working out better than I could have hoped for and so I stayed as Tom's flatmate for a little while longer.

Over the next few days, I made an exciting discovery. It turns out that Tom's a fan of the WWE. Although I haven't followed it in years and I'm not much of a sports man myself, wrestling played a big part of the excitement in my youth. In fact, my favorite Playstation game to this day is still Smackdown Vs. Raw, which I played regularly in my old house in Whitehall. Ever since I moved out, I've had cravings, like with an addiction, to play it again. Upon this new discovery, I returned to the old haunt to fetch the game and Tom and I spent the next few days lashing out beatings via PS3 controllers.

My diet throughout my stay in the apartment consisted mainly of soup, sandwiches and capri sonnes, the latter of which was on offer from the lads and in plenty. However, for eating out in town, here are this past week's top tips.

Abrakebabra on Westmoreland Street are now doing an offer on Quarter Pounder meals for only €3.50. The burger's a little plain, just ketchup and onions, and the drink is a size small, but it does the job all the same (right).

Although probably not much use to you, I also discovered this week that I have access to the cafe in DBS on Aungier Street. With basic meals at low costs, this is somewhere I can see myself visiting a lot more often from now on, on those long days of study in college (left).

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Review

Staying with Tom and Al was the best so far, by far. Everywhere in town was close, and in the apartment, I had every facility I needed. I was able to walk to college within fifteen minutes every day and I looked forward each evening to coming home, watching another episode of wrestling and playing some computer games with Tommy. It was a simple yet satisfying life. When it came time to leave, I was sad to go. Al offered me his bed for one more night if I wanted it but the time had come to move on; my next home was awaiting my presence. Staying with the lads was the first time I felt like I had my own place again, and it was a great recipe for manly things like football, computer games and beer. Tom and Al were both extremely welcoming and never acted once as though I was a guest. For all anyone would have known, I lived with them.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ The internet connection in the apartment was extremely good. With all the movies I downloaded and a book Tommy loaned me to read, I have enough in-house entertainment now to keep me going for quite some time.

- Neither Tom or Al bother much with tea or coffee. This meant that there was none to be found in the apartment. I craved a cup of tea in the evening with my sandwich and would have loved a cup of coffee in the morning for waking up. I could have bought my own but there's no point buying a box of teabags or a jar of coffee when I'm constantly on the move.

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What was gained from the experience:

I'm getting excited about watching wrestling again. I don't really have many hobbies and even if you point out that wrestling's fake, it's still entertaining, and it's at least something I can follow and look forward too from now on. This mutual interest might even make Tom and I better mates in the future.

I got to feel like I had my own place again if only for a few days and remember what it's like to have some sort of grounding.

I got to see a different side to life in Dublin. Up until now, since I returned, I've been mainly around people who are still in college simply because I still lived out by DCU. Here, I got to see what it's like if I had gotten a good job and stayed in Ireland after college, and how maybe I could be living comfortably like the lads in town, rather than still scraping by in debt.

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This review took me forever because I had it all written up ready to publish and then lost the entire thing along with all my notes. This threw me off completely as I hate having to backtrack or write something all over again, and I'm still not completely satisfied with the post. However, as long as it does the lads justice, I'm happy.

My next move took me to the south side of Dublin.
Stay tuned to find out how this NorthSider faired out in D2.

Thanks for all the comments guys.
Let me know if you have any suggestions about things that I might change on the blog to make it better.

City Centre

2010-03-25T14:00:00.001Z

House #6

Duration: 3 days, 3 nights

Location: Cathedral Street, Dublin 1

This next trip was a major step as finally I got to move into town. I've never lived in town before; "town" being what we, who've lived here long enough, refer to Dublin City Centre as. My first host in the city was dear old Mark Weston. I met Mark through some of my old flatmates two years ago but only got to know him better when he came to visit me whilst I was living in Korea. At the time, he was on a loose end and looking for a holiday and I was excited at the prospect of having visitors, so we made it happen. He and his mate, Danny, came to visit and I put them up for a weekend and showed them around as best I could when I was off work. For the rest of their holiday, they stayed in Seoul.

But now, the favor was being returned as Mark offered me a couch to surf in his place. Mark's a really cool guy, a nice chap and a downright lady-killer. He comes across as the type of bloke a girl would love to bring home to her parents, but Mark is far from innocent, he just has a great personality that's wrapped up in charm. I was delighted to spend more time with him and see what random sessions it brought forth. In fact, the thing I was most excited about was getting to hang out with a new crowd. Mark has a whole other group of mates as well as those I know him through and if there's anything I miss from traveling, it's constantly being around new people. I love all my mates in Dublin but one of my favorite things to do is interact with new personalities and make new friends, and it can be annoying sometimes when you're always around the one crowd.

A clear advantage of this move was immediately seen on my first night when I was able to get a bus from house to house rather than a taxi. I was able to get on a bus just down the street from James' house and get off on O'Connell street, just up the way from Mark's place. It was great to save money not having to pay for a cab and it was great not having to walk a long distance with my bags. That night, Mark and I ended up going out on a last minute whim. After all, everywhere is walking distance from where he lives. Mark had the hookup for free entry to Club M and so we hit the town for a night of drinking. Later, we continued the party back at the house with some people we'd picked up on the way home. The random sessions had begun and the few days following didn't differ nor disappoint.

Mark's flatmates are Laura and Priya. Laura's from Wexford as is Mark, whilst Priya hails from Kilkenny. I met each of them only briefly before but first impressions were excellent. They both seemed like smashing girls; very bubbly, down-to-earth and gorgeous. Priya was down home for the few days that I was staying over, but I got to know Laura a bit better while I was there and she's an absolute star. The atmosphere in the house was again very relaxed, easy-going and fun, and I had a great time chilling with all.

My sleeping area in the house was supposed to be a nice leather couch which, for the few minutes I slept on it, seemed comfy enough. However, Mark ended up allowing me to share his room given that the house has a tendency for random parties and can kick off at any time (especially during St. Patrick's week). This I learned one night when I was just about to pass out on the couch and Laura, followed by ten other after-pubbers, crashed through the door. There wasn't much chance of me getting any rest in the Living Room then. I liked that there was always something going on though. It reminded me of the old days and how my apartment used to always be buzzing with a session.

In food news, one day whilst shopping in Dunnes, Mark introduced me to my new obsession; Knorrs Special Recipe soup. It comes in a plastic carton as seen and only needs to be poured into a bowl and heated up in the microwave. At only €2.45, it's a decent dish whether you're just peckish or you're feeling the rumble. It can be heated in a pot too but who needs to do that when a microwave is readily available and a much quicker alternative. Unless, of course, you're staying with the lads in Collinswood, in which case you might not be able to get the microwave open in the first place! Only slagging, lads!!

This week's quotes:

"From black couch to white couch, from mattress to bed, who knows where's the next place that I'll rest my head."

"When you're moving house so often, things are always changing. One day I'll have cable, the next day I won't!"

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Review

Staying with Mark was exactly what I had expected. It was fun, wild and crazy but at the same time, chill. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with a new crowd and meeting new people. I got to go to bars or clubs I've never been to or haven't been to in a long time and I got to end a streak that had been tormenting me for the last while. The days staying with Mark flew by and before I knew it, it was time to move on. In fact, the time went so fast that I ended up staying a night more than planned!

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ Being in town was fantastic. It was great being able to walk home at night rather than get a taxi, only having to go around the corner to find a Tesco or Dunnes and being close to O'Connell Street for any busstop I needed.

- Going out with Mark and his mates made for a great session but one that continued on from St. Patrick's night to early Friday morning without any sleep. Normally I love a carry-on session but I missed the only class I have each week in college because I was in no state to go, as a result. Given that there's only one class a week, I probably missed some important material.

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What was gained from the experience:

I got to end a streak that had been bugging me for a while

I got to hang with lots of new people and go to cool bars I wouldn't normally venture to.

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House #6 officially reviewed!! I'm catching up on the workload now.

Roll on the next review!

Phibsborough Place

2010-03-23T22:29:00.001Z

House #5

Duration: 2 days, 2 nights

Location: Spire View, Phibsborough

This was my furthest move to date. I finally left the Drumcondra/Whitehall area and took to the road to take up residence this time in Phibsborough. I noticed the distance significantly when it came to pay the cab fare and it was a striking level more than normal; it was no longer just above the minimum fare. As I counted out the coins, the taxi driver told me how the recession had affected his life. He said whilst once he might take in three hundred euros on a Friday night, now he only takes in half that.

My host for the next few days was a mate from my hometown and another Computer Applications graduate, James Reilly. James is also from Longford but I didn't meet him till I attended college in Dublin. Of all of the relationships I have with the people I've stayed with so far, my friendship with James goes the back the furthest. I practically lived out of his room in first year in college.

James has spent the last two years working for a software company in the city and is about to take his savings on the road to go traveling around Australia. He wants to rent a car while he's abroad and so was delighted to have passed his driving test the night before I moved in. It was for this very reason that I moved in with him a night early; to help him celebrate with a session.

When I arrived, James was almost finished making dinner. He'd confirmed with me earlier whether I'd be hungry and cooked enough dinner for both of us. It was nice to be welcomed with a meal in my new home. James' flatmates, Sharon and Paddy, are also friends of ours from the same era but neither were in the house that night. So for my first night, I also had a bed to look forward to as Sharon had kindly offered up hers.

James and I are old nostalgia buddies. When we go on a session, we reminisce about old times and then we make new memories. That night was no different. The next morning after a long night's session, I was delighted to have a pillow to lay my head on as the sun beamed through the window. James plays a bit of guitar and I try so we had spent the remaining hours of the night after the pubs 'jamming' and having a laugh in the house. It was great to catch up and remember old times.

The next day we drank and watched the rugby before I headed down home for Mother's Day. Returning the next evening, I was delighted to be staying a lot closer to the city rather than having to head the whole way out to Whitehall where I used to live. In fact, I even noticed that heading home I brought a lot less luggage with me than I normally would. Maybe it's because I'm so sick of lugging all my bags around from house to house, but it proves that couchsurfing has made me a lot more practical, bringing home just a backpack instead of a load of stuff.

Sunday night, Paddy and Sharon were back so my new crashing spot was the couch, but that was fine by me because they actually have the comfiest couch ever! Many a time I've been offered a spare bed in the house but chosen the couch over it. However, staying in this house never once felt like I was couchsurfing. I've often crashed here after a session and so that night just felt like another night that I was too lazy to go home - the slight differences being that I was sober, people had work the next day and I had to be up and out the next morning by 9am.

That night when everyone went to bed, I watched the recorded results of the All Ireland Talent Show. This is not something that I'm proud to admit watching but I'll admit to loving it all the same. I'd gotten into it with my old flatmates when we seemed to randomly flick on to it every Sunday evening as we sat with a cup of tea and a smoke, hopelessly looking for anything entertaining that might be on. Watching it now on my own, I missed the family atmosphere of commenting on the contestants with my old flatmates. I ended up commenting out loud to myself.

Having been able to record it was another perk to staying in the house. I loved having a nice HDTV for a change and the ability to fast forward through the advertisements during the show. However, the downside was that there were three remotes and actually figuring out how to fast forward proved quite confusing. When I finally figured it out though, I was delighted with myself and felt an enormous sense of achievement. Skipping through the ads was great, but the greatest thing of all was not having to sit through Mary Black performing live. There are little advantages to each house and I believe that this was one of the major ones here. I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to music but that was not something I cared to watch.

As time passes and I tell friends about my couchsurfing experience, I find myself coming out with more and more quotes that seem relevant to use in the blog. So from now on, they shall too be printed with each post.

This week's quote:

"The problem with living out of a bag is that you can't find your cadbury's cream egg when you're looking for it!"

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Review

Staying in Spire View with my oldest college buddies was a pleasure. I've often crashed here after a session so couchsurfing here didn't even feel like a chore. Each housemate was individually welcoming and I was even offered a bed for an extra night by Paddy if I was willing to take it. Unfortunately, I had already made plans for the next move at the time. It was great to be closer to town though and, although a long one, only a walk away from the city centre.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ I was staying near a 24hr Spar

+ I could smoke inside

+ I got to 'jam' again, after sadly having had to leave my guitar behind when I started couchsurfing

+ In-house entertainment: HDTV, Sky Plus, PS3...

- It was a long distance from my last CS house and therefore a more expensive cab fare

- No keys and an alarm meant I couldn't let myself in or out

- I was back to crashing on a couch or mattress again

- The house made a lot of noise at night (washing machine, stairs, neighbours, etc.)

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What was gained from the experience:

I got to spent some one-on-one guy time with James and reminsice about old times, advise him about his future travels and learn some tips about playing guitar

I got to play computer games again, something I've been seriously missing since I moved out of my old house.I'm excited for future plans to revisit James and play the new games he promised to buy.

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This was the first big change in my CS experience. I've finally moved closer to the city.
Things could become a lot easier or exciting from here on out.

Stay tuned! And thanks for reading!

Collinswood Estate

2010-03-19T18:03:00.000Z

House #4

Duration: 2 days, 2 nights

Location: Collinswood, Collins Avenue

From Gracepark Heights to Collinswood; my next venture didn't take me very far. For this stopover, I spent two nights in a house just up the road from my last place of temporary residency. This time I was staying with four guys that I know from my party days in DCU; top notch chaps and all-round gents. They all study Business in DCU and are currently finishing up their final weeks of college, hoping to graduate this November. Although, with the recession in full swing and so many people jobless at the moment, I can't see them having much to look forward to outside college.

I arrived at the house about six o'clock on my first evening. I got a taxi there because, although the distance was short, it was too far to walk with the weight of my luggage. Mike let me in and Cormac showed me to my sleeping quarters. He had to force the door in because it was blocked from the other side. The status of the room had obviously gone from "spare room" to "spare closet". Inside, the only standing space was directly inside the door beside a small locker whilst the rest of the room was crammed with boxes and bags of random stuff.

The light in the room didn't work either. I had to leave the door open at night to let light shine in from the toilet next door so I could see. Needless to say though, none of this bothered me one bit. In fact, I was extremely pleased. Not only did I have my own room again but I also had a nice, comfy double bed. The room wasn't too cold and later I would discover that it was actually the comfiest sleeping arrangment I'd have on the CS journey to date.

The rest of the house matched the state of the room. It was a college house through and through. Rubbish spilled out of bins, there wasn't a clean dish in sight and ashtrays were full to the brim but somehow I found comfort in it all. Instead of bothering me, the mess actually made me feel more at home. It reminded me of my old house - my college days - and I loved it. It was a typical lads house too. There was no toilet paper in the bathroom, there were no cups other than those tea-stained in bedrooms, and the only cutlery to be found was still sitting in the sink from when it was last used. I actually buttered my bread one evening with a spoon! Even the microwave had a crappy button on the door that made me initially think it was broken until Julian gave me a demonstration on how to open the door later. I quickly adjusted to being back in the college scene.

The lads didn't have a spare key for me, in fact, they barely had keys themselves but I didn't mind getting up early to leave with them the next morning because it allowed me to catch up on recently neglected study. However, that evening when I returned home to a locked front door, I was forced to wait outside assuming noone was home. I went around the back of the house so as not to look suspicious hanging around the front. Being exhausted, with nothing else to do and not knowing when the lads might be back, I decided to clear an area to lie down and rest while I waited. As I brushed the dust and gravel away with my feet, I realized that this must be how a homeless person feels when they pick a spot to sit at.
The ground was hard and uncomfortable but I spotted a small shed at the bottom of the garden and to my luck it was unlocked. Inside, I found some old carpet, still clean, and rolled it out to lie on back out in the yard. I moved the wheelie bin closer to keep off the wind and lay braced against the cold, hood up, trying hard to block out the sounds around so I could get some sleep. Again it hit me that this must be something a homeless person deals with all the time. Later, when I realized Mike had been in the house the entire hour that I had been outside, I was frustrated with myself for not having rang the bell in the first place. However, I was glad to have learned another valuable lesson and gotten some more insight into what it's really like to be homeless. I learned to appreciate the comforts of a bed once again and the warmth of simply being inside.

In other news, I mentioned before that I find myself eating out a lot these days but I'm doing my best to take advantage of any good deals I come across. For those of you similarly trying to spend less and save more, here are this week's special offers for eating cheap:

In the mornings, Burger King are now doing an offer on sausage, egg and cheese baps for only €0.99. I've tried it and can confirm that it makes for a tasty treat. At one cent less than a euro, this heated bap is a decent quick morning snack. (left)

Londis are also doing offers now each week on what they call a Weekly Madness roll. Julian kindly informed me of this offer before I saw a poster for it in the shop window the very next day. Last week, the Weekly Madness roll was a Ham Baguette. This week, as seen in the photograph, the special offer was a hot chicken fillet baguette. This roll tallies in at a low cost of €1.97 and, although may be somewhat plain, can definitely fill a hole. Lettuce and tomatoes seem to be the favored free fillings that come with it. (right)

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Review
I thoroughly enjoyed staying with the lads. There was very much a 'do what you like' attitude in the house and the lads trusted me as they would any other mate. It was great to catch up with them and there was a great sense of homeliness in the house. Whilst before where I might have been welcomed, taken in or in some cases treated like a housemate, here I actually felt like a housemate. The lads were very easy-going and their house reminded me very much of a house I used to live in two years ago. My last night staying with the lads, I found myself tidying up a bit and realized that I wasn't doing it to be courteous or because I felt like I should give something back, but because I felt like it was my house, it felt like home and tidying just came natural.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ I had my own bedroom with a double bed

+ I could smoke inside

+ There was wireless internet in the house

+ It was a short distance from my last CS house

- I didn't have a key to get in by myself or let myself out

- It was difficult to find a clean dish in the house

- There was very little light and space in the bedroom

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What was gained from the experience:

I got to reconnect with people that I really enjoy spending time with but rarely get the opportunity to see. I learned how the lads are doing in college and what their plans are for the future.

Although I had a double bed in this house, my time lying out in the cold thought me to appreciate any kind of sleeping arrangement again that doesn't involve being outside. It really helped me gain more sympathy for those on the streets.

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That's the review for house #4. Stay tuned for houses #5, #6 and #7!

I apologize for being behind in posts but I'll try and catch up soon.
St. Patrick's week kept me more than busy.

What did you do on St. Patrick's day? Good fun had by all?

Lady Umbrella

2010-03-12T11:16:00.000Z

House #3

Duration: 3 days, 3 nights

Location: Grace Park Heights, Drumcondra

On this trip, I went from being surrounded by magic props to surrounded by designer t-shirts. Next on the CouchSurfing list was a house in Grace Park Heights occupied by my old friend, Rob Ryan. I haven't been able to spend much time with Rob lately mainly due to the fact that he's been busy with his new t-shirt company, LadyUmbrella, set up towards the end of 2008. Rob also studied Computer Applications with me in college and a pattern's emerging that makes me realize what my mother said years ago is true:
"The friends you make in college are your friends for life."

Rob's a very down-to-earth guy - a man of many talents - and before studying in DCU, he did a Diploma in Ballyfermot Rock School. I've always found him to be very similar to myself; open-minded, easy-going and someone who is not afraid to take risks or do something different in order to follow a dream or do what they love most. In the past, Rob has managed a few bands, dabbled here and there in different areas of expertees, but I'm hugely proud of the tenacity and work he has put in to LadyUmbrella and I'm delighted to see him achieving success along this path.

The other half of the LadyUmbrella team is Spanish designer, Elena Montes Casado, Rob's girlfriend and housemate. Elena studied art in her hometown, Madrid, and moved to Ireland three years ago to study English after having completed a masters in Barcelona. For Elena, with the experience of the Irish weather came inspiration for a new design. She came up with the idea for the brand and creates all the unique and quirky designs that gives each ladies t-shirt it's originality and funk. I got to see some of Elena's artwork firsthand over the past few days and I can honestly say that she is a very talented lady.

LadyUmbrella launched it's online t-shirt store on 20th January 2010 and has taken off rapidly since then, both nationwide and across the globe. They've already sold t-shirts to avid fans in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States, Australia and South Korea. It's an impressive start and a step towards a prosperous future. As the company blows up, LadyUmbrella are set to take the fashion industry by storm. If you would like to check out the t-shirts for yourself or find out more about the LU team, you can log on to their website at http://www.ladyumbrella.com/ or join their Facebook fanpage on http://www.facebook.com/ladyumbrella.

Rob and Elena have two other housemates whom I met briefly throughout my stay. They, too, seemed like lovely people and had no problems whatsoever with me crashing for a few days in the LUHQ. The entire time I was there, I behaved courteous like a guest but was treated equally like a housemate. It was a very relaxed and chill atmosphere in the house and everyone made me feel very much at home. Rob even cooked dinner every evening and invited me to help myself to anything I needed.

My resting place in the house was a spare room on the ground floor. I had my own bed again and spent my nights sleeping amidst boxes of LadyUmbrella t-shirts. The bed was a little short and the room a little cold, but who's to complain when simply having a bed these days is a major plus and for that alone, I was very grateful. This post is entitled "Lady Umbrella" because it's not just a brand but a metaphor. Just as an umbrella protects one from the rain, Rob and Elena provided me with a roof over my head to keep me dry.

In other matters, this CouchSurfing thing is beginning to make my life feel a little like it's spiralling out of control. Moving house every few days can mess with one's head and I'm never fully sure what day it is anymore. On top of this, my study hours have been reduced. This is mainly due to the fact that this blog is taking up more time than I had expected. With a bed these days and easy-going flatmates, my habit of sleeping in late hasn't changed, and so my study hours have been replaced with blogging.

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Review

Staying with Rob and Elena for a few days was a great experience. It was a very relaxed and easy-going atmosphere and I got to become a temporary member of the LadyUmbrella team. I got to learn what goes on behind the scenes and see the creativity in action. It was great to catch up with Rob and I know who to go to now if I ever need to learn a thing or two about advertising or marketing in times ahead. Rob and Elena treated me like an equal; a housemate rather than a guest. They are a smashing couple and I wish them all the best with their business in the future.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ I had my own bedroom

+ I could smoke inside

+ Very chill atmosphere

+ I could pretty much return to the house as late as I liked because Rob works from home and is a night-owl like myself

- Bedroom was quite chilly

- Confusing numbering of houses in the estate

[I had to think hard to come up with disadvantages]

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What was gained from the experience:

I learned some things about marketing, advertising and how to go about getting the word out about a company or product.

I got to catch up with Rob, learn how he's doing and see the magic that happens behind the LadyUmbrella curtains.

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Three houses down, many more to come.

I think the project might be taking it's toll just a bit but I'm enjoying it still all the same.

I'm pretty sure I have hosts lined up for the next two weeks, but anyone else out there got a couch to offer in the near future?

Back Of The Regency

2010-03-08T16:53:00.000Z

House #2

Duration: 2 days, 3 nights

Location: Swords Road, Drumcondra

My next stop in the CSinDublin experiment was an apartment located at the back of the Regency Hotel. Another two friends of mine from college, Robert and Damien, currently live here. Rob, Damo and I all studied the same course in college and we've been mates for the past three and a half years. Rob is a full-time Application Support Specialist and a part-time magician who has performed at many gigs around Dublin. Damo is a Server Side Java Developer and an all-round computer whiz. Both these lads put me to shame. They've taken off well in their careers since we graduated in November 2007 but my passion for traveling has left me jobless over two years later in an economy that doesn't seem to be improving any time soon.

Damo and Rob's place is a nice two-bedroom apartment on the first floor of their building. It has a spacey living room and kitchen combo, soft comfy couches and a surrounding balcony on the outside. Being techies, the lads have all the gadgets with a big screen television, a desktop computer linked up, the wii, ps2 and excellent surround sound speakers. It makes for a sweet pad and a great place to chill. On top of this, my timing for crashing here couldn't have been better. It turned out Rob was actually going on holidays for a few days so he allowed me to occupy his room while he was gone. With a big double bed and a bit more heat than my previous arrangement, it was a sweet deal.

The evening of the move, Damo picked me up in his car and welcomed me with a beer from the fridge back at the apartment. I thought to myself, 'This is great!". The lift, the bed, and an ice cold beer - all little things - but things you appreciate a lot more when you're traveling, broke, or in my case, both. It was even good simply to be living with a bloke again. The girls were fantastic but sometimes you miss the ability that guys have to sit, drink beer and talk shit.

That night, Damo took a look at my old laptop. It pretty much kicked the bucket two weeks ago and I've always thought of Damo as a bit of a genius when it comes to I.T. problems, despite the fact that half of the stuff I should know myself. We may have studied the same course in college but I don't think I was exactly on track to my gifted line of work. I love some areas of I.T. but most of it doesn't appeal to me as a career.

When I previously visited the lads, I told them that I was planning on buying a new laptop. Damo had informed me that Aldi had a special offer on that week for a very decent laptop at only €299. At €200 less than I had expected to spend and the 'Damo' stamp of approval, I set about trying to get the money together for this offer knowing I'd save myself money in the long-run.

However, after two or three hours of tinkering, Damo now tells me I'm mad to buy a new one. He has the bloody thing up and running smoothly again with a new Dell keyboard en-route in the post. I'm happy to announce that my laptop's performance has immensely improved, there are no more annoying pop-ups or viruses, and I can run multiple programs at once without it freezing up or stalling now. Once again, Damo saved the day and I had learned a thing or two.

That night, I went to bed snug. It's amazing how much you appreciate the comfort of a bed when you've been without one, even if only for a few nights. The next morning, I had to get up at 8am in order to get a shower in before Damo left for work. If he left before me, I wouldn't be able to leave all day because I had no way of locking the apartment from the outside. It was a much earlier start than I'm used to but great all the same. It was nice to be up early for a change, it was a beautiful day and I got a quite a lot of work done.

The downside was that I also had class that evening from six to nine so that night when I returned home, I was exhausted. It had been a long day and an added thorn in my side was that the route I was now living on meant the number of buses I could get home had been reduced. The main two of these were the #3 and the #16, both of which are very irregular. I had the option of getting the #41's or the #33 from Lower Abbey Street, but that's quite a bit of a trek from South William. In the past, I could get any of the buses that went to the Ballymun road and take a shortcut through DCU if I had to. It was still a longer route but doable. Now, if I got one of these buses, it was a much longer walk to where I was staying.

Another disadvantage to this whole "homeless" thing that I'm also noticing is that I'm spending more money eating out these days. When I had my own place, I'd grab a sandwich from the house before I left during the day and cook dinner when I returned in the evening. Now with only non-perishable consumables, a kitchen not my own, and awkward study patterns, it's just easier to grab food in town when I'm hungry. And not only am I eating out more but I'm eating a lot of fast food, which isn't healthy.

Did you know that Burger King were doing a special offer on Crispy Chicken and Double Cheeseburger meals last week? You got a chicken or beef burger with lettuce and mayonnaise , or cheese - depending on your meal choice - small fries and a small drink, all for only €3.25! And if you liked, you could round it off to a fiver with a side option of onion rings, hash browns or mini scones! Score!

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Review

Living with Damo for a few days was a more solid experience. Having a room and a bed again made it feel a lot less like I was crashing and I felt a little less like a bum. It was good to have a mate to chill with in the evenings and I enjoyed hangin out and catching up with Damo once more. I think he even enjoyed the company for a few days while Rob was away. He had no problems with me staying in the house on Friday when he went to work and it was great being able to use my laptop to study again.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ I had my own bedroom again for a few days

+ I could smoke once more inside

+ There was wireless internet in the apartment

+ I had someone to chill with again in the evenings

- I couldn't leave the apartment alone because I had no way of locking up

- It was a longer walk from friends' houses and the shops

- If I went out, I couldn't return too late if I wanted to get back in

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What was gained from the experience:

I was able to hang out with Damo whom I hadn't caught up with in weeks.

I got my laptop fixed and learned a few things about how to keep it performing well. Furthermore, I'm probably saving myself a few hundred euros in the near future.

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That's it for house #2 folks.

Have you ever couchsurfed domestically or abroad?
Did you find it a satisfactory experience?

The Journey Begins...

2010-03-04T11:14:00.000Z

House #1

Duration: 3 days, 3 nights

Location: Iveragh Road, Whitehall

This house on Iveragh road was my first stop on the couchsurfing journey. The current residents are three girls from Louth and Dublin; Aoife, Aoife and Gill. It almost sounds like a 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' story, but reversed. The girls are a lovely bunch and three friends that I made throughout my days in DCU. Two studying International Languages and one studying Business, they're a busy lot with plenty of work to do in their final year of college. I moved in here Sunday night and was welcomed by 'Flano' who, at the time, was home alone. She let me in and I collapsed as I unloaded my belongings.

Packing was a shocking experience. I hadn't anticipated how much stuff I'd actually have to pack or how much thought I would have to put in as regards what to bring with me. There were clothes, cleaning products, shoes and hats, essential documents, my laptop and my guitar. The reality kicked in that I was actually moving out when I had to sort through everything and pack it in boxes and bags, deciding what I'd have to leave behind. Up until then, it had all seemed like a mini holiday that I was about to embark on. Suddenly it hit me that there would be no more comfy bed, late night tv, family dinners, or dirty dishes being overlooked. I realized all the comforts of having your own place that I hadn't appreciated until they weren't options anymore.

My resting place in my new short-term accommodation was a room just off the kitchen. With the girls living so close to my old house and a room sitting spare for me to take over, they were an obvious choice for my first stopover. The bedding itself consisted of a pullout comforter, a clean white pillow and a sleeping bag or two to keep me snug and warm. It didn't seem too shabby at all.

My first night in the house, however, I didn't sleep too well. My 'bed' seemed like the perfect place to crash but it wasn't quite what I was used to back in the comforts of my own home. The fact that I was in bed earlier than normal didn't help much either. Flano went to bed by midnight, and not wanting to be any way outputting on my first night especially, I hit the hay myself to catch some early snooze. There's a saying, "You can bring a horse to pasture, but that doesn't mean he'll eat". Well that's not actually the saying, but you get my drift. Let's just say I'm not used to going to bed early; it didn't work out too well. Another rule I had to get used to was the inability to smoke inside - one which I'm sure I'll come across many times over the coming weeks.

Monday morning, I woke to the noise of one of the girls entering the house. She had come up early from home and was getting ready to head to lectures. It was 9am, and as she saw her flatmate come down the stairs, I heard her say "Morning, lazy!". I thought to myself, "You're not in Kansas anymore, Toto" and knew my days of sleeping-in might well be numbered. However, I managed to stay in bed till midday without hassle before getting up and heading into college myself.

On the way home that evening, I dropped into some friends living nearby to discuss the option of staying with them for a few days next. I stayed around for a while and caught up on any news. This wasn't a visit I'd normally make and therefore I'm already spending more time with mates; time I used to spend visiting and catching up but due to the recession and financial restraints, have been forced to spend locked away in my room as of late, desperately trying not to spend money. Even a simple visit over the road could result in a few cans being bought (as we all know). After I left their apartment, I went back to my old house to collect a few things that I'd forgotten behind the night before. I realized I might be back and forth a few times before I eventually have my 'travel kit' perfect.

Tuesday, I discovered once more the consequences of couchsurfing or not having my own place. After leaving the house to head to college, I stopped off in the Post Office to collect my dole. When I arrived, it was shut for lunch and so I opted to do some light grocery shopping to fill in the time.

On top of my shopping, I bought myself a roll from the Deli and figured I'd pop back to the house, drop off the groceries and enjoy my roll over a cup of tea before popping back again in time for the Post Office opening after lunch. To my dismay, when I returned to the house I realized there was one thing I had overlooked. Without a key and with nobody home, I had no way of getting inside. With my bag too full to be able to get at my notes later in labs, I was forced to leave the groceries in the front yard for the girls to bring in when they returned, and I had to consume my roll on the bus on the way in to town for lack of anywhere better to eat it.

It wasn't as comfy as a couch and cup of tea to go with it but I learned a valuable lesson:- I need to think before I depart from now on.

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Review
Overall, the experience has been good so far. In a way I feel like I'm traveling - as if on holidays - as there's somewhat of a feel of excitement to the whole thing. I've had to adjust my way of living slightly and accept some in-house rules, but for now, it's working out well. I'm not crying my way home just yet.

The girls, my first hosts, were a pleasure to stay with. They made me feel very much at home and had no problem with me watching tv late at night or nicking the odd dash of milk and a teabag for a cuppa. They happily gave me the key to let myself in if I was returning late and if I avoided the creaking floorboards, they barely even knew I was in the house.

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Advantages / Disadvantages

+ Closer to Post Office and shop

+ Not quite a bed available, but a spare room which I won't have in most places

+ Free use of the kitchen and the house to myself after midnight

- No smoking inside

- No key to return if I left during the day

- No company late at night

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What was gained from the experience:

Living with my old flatmates, it was tough to cut down on smoking. I'd try not to smoke during the day but the smell of a cigarette often tempted me out of my abstinence. This didn't happen around the girls, none of whom smoke.

My old flatmates are doing more college work due to the fact that I am no longer always around. They would often call into my room for a chat and end up spending the rest of the evening watching television with me rather than tending to, quite possibly, necessary study.

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That's it for my first review!

I'm trying to take a semi-professional approach towards this blog, which is unusual for me, so please feel free to comment on how I'm doing; colours, layout, design... I know I tend to waffle too!

I am currently shacked up in house #2.
Keep an eye out for that review coming soon!

What do you think will be the hardest thing I will encounter over the coming weeks?
What do you think will be the greatest thing I'll learn or gain from this experience?

Surfing Through The Recession

2010-03-02T17:33:00.002Z

My name is Adrian and I am a twenty-three year old male affected by the recession in Ireland. I graduated with a Software Engineering degree from Dublin City University in November 2007 and nine months later I left my last job in Ireland to take a year out teaching English in South Korea. Having returned to my native country three months ago, I find it impossible to get work now due to the lack of jobs, a minimum requirement of two years experience in any field or simply the vast numbers of people that are applying for positions. Faced with unemployment, I have taken on a part-time course in Dublin Business School. I attend class one night a week and spend the remaining six days doing extra reading and study in preparation for the following week's class. The hope is that when I finish this course, I might have some extra expertees that help me stand out on paper to an employer. It might give me a head above the rest in some areas. But for now, living off the dole is tough, and on top of my constant battle to pay rent, I am unable to put any money aside to buy a new laptop to practice classwork at home.

Forced to move out of my accommodation because I cannot afford rent any longer but determined to remain in Dublin, I have taken on my own little couchsurfing experiment. Over the next six weeks, I will be staying for a period of two to three days at a time in several different friends' houses throughout the Dublin area. I will be sleeping on any couch or random square of floor which I am offered, in order to try and maintain a somewhat regular lifestyle and save a little for the laptop I desperately need. Is this madness? Will I crack at the concept of having nowhere permanent to stay, or not having my own room to chill in?

Soon I will tell you of my first CSinDublin experience.

Do you think you could survive couchsurfing whilst trying to maintain a regular lifestyle?

How long do you think you could last?

Homeless In Dublin!

2010-03-01T14:05:00.001Z

Next week I start my first new adventure in months. I am going to live the true vagabond lifestlye by going homeless in Dublin. Since my return to Ireland, the struggle with finances has been tough. Living week by week off the dole, I am able to live relatively happy but by no way easily. Each week I find myself penniless on a Monday night as I wait to collect Tuesday morning. Now this isn't to say I'm unable to save a little, but every cent put by in savings ultimately goes towards rent. So much so that I can do nothing other than simply try to survive on a weekly basis. Last week I gave all of the five hundred euros I had saved to my landlord as rent due for the last two months. This was two hundred euros short of the agreed price. I was able to bargain him down to three hundred euros a month from now on, but even at that, it's unaffordable. It took me six weeks to save that five hundred euros, and with the landlord demanding a month's rent in advance as well as the money I still owe him, it's impossible for me to reside in the house any longer. I cannot come up with that amount of cash in time. And so my new project begins.

Over the coming month or two, I will be staying in different friends' houses or apartments throughout the Dublin area. I hope to stay for no longer than a period of two or three nights at a time to ensure I don't get on anyone's nerves. When I first got back from traveling, many people told me they had a couch or a spare room if I needed somewhere to crash for a bit. I'm calling in those favours now. Starting Monday, the adventure begins. I will record my thoughts and experience here.

In one sense, it's going to be a nightmare. I will have nowhere permanent to keep all my stuff, I'll have to carefully choose what nights I stay out late in case I won't be able to get in where I'm staying, I'll be sleeping at various times and, on top of that, uncomfortably on a random area of floor or couch furniture, and I will have to only buy food for consumption within three days. On the other hand, I'm kind of excited about it. It might give me a chance to reconnect with people that I haven't had the opportunity to spend much time with since I've been back in the country, it might help me as far as getting up in the mornings and doing more study rather than sleeping until all hours of the afternoon in my extra comfy bed, and it might make for some random sessions I wouldn't normally be a part of.

Only time will tell the true effects or consequences of this motion, but at least it will allow me to save.

So on the plus side, new laptop here I come.