Rural Couchsurfing in the developing world
The CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.
This page is a Request for Enhancement. It is a draft. You are encouraged to find support for it, etc.
After the enhancement has been clearly articulated, and all affected portions of the website have been identified, you may try to persuade a developer to implement it. After implementation it will be deployed somewhere, but not necessarily to the main website.
The following is a draft to hopefully generate discussion about how couchsurfing can work in rural areas in the developing world.
Rural Couchsurfing – Model for the Developing world
Developed vs Developing
What are these terms exactly? Who came up to them? To that – I am not sure exactly.
But basically Developed are countries that are stable and have steady economic growth. Citizens of these countries enjoy all the newest technological advances and have a high standard of living.
Developing countries are those that are still struggling to rise above the survival of day to day living. They are often struggling against a host of problems – ranging from drought to famine to war to extreme poverty to shortage of nearly every resource imaginable. People have a low standard of living can face a daily struggle of survival.
When using these terms – certain countries fall into either one category or the other – while others are somewhere in between.
For clarity of this document please consider the following countries as Developed:
Australia
Canada
United States
New Zealand
Most of EU – with the possible exception of some of the eastern members
Japan
Developing can be considered as most of the rest of the world:
Nearly all of Africa with the possible exception of South Africa.
Nearly all of Central/South America with the possible exception of ??
Nearly all of Asia.
Every Island nation
The Balkan region of Europe
Eastern Europe, South Africa, Parts of China/Russia/India and Brazil (?) fall somewhere in between.
An Overview
Rural in Developed world compared to Rural in Developing world:
Beside the general definition of Rural (link to other wiki defin) – a distinction should be made between the Developed and Developing world. In the developed world most people in a rural setting still enjoy a high standard of living. While those living in rural areas in the developing world generally are poorer and/or have a lower standard of living than their city counterparts. It must also be understood that will be almost no internet access outside of cities in the developing world. How can Couchsurfing – a website, make a difference to people who have never seen a computer in their life before?
Why bother?
Generally most people on Couchsurfing feel that as it is a web-based platform to facilitate real world experiences – how can it possible work where there is no internet? But that is exactly the point! People who are still leading lives completely without electricity are the people who can offer the greatest culture exchange in the world. If Couchsurfing is serious about facilitating culture exchange than it needs to happen where there can be the greatest exchange – in the rural areas of the developing world.
People in developed nations often lead lives that are very disconnected to the natural world. When some children are asked where milk comes from – they respond with ‘from the store’ – rather than from a cow. People living simple lives in rural areas of the developing world are closely connected to the land on which they live. What they lack in material wealth they make up for in wealth of spirit, soul and spirit.
It should therefore be acknowledged that it is not the people in the developing world who are needy - but the people from the developed world! People from the developed world need to be re-connected with the natural way of living far more than people from developing nations need material wealth.
Background
There always will be an imbalance between the material wealth of people in different areas of the world. People’s material wealth will always be tied to the land that they live on. People living in areas rich in natural resources – be that rich in soil, minerals, timber or other resources – will have more than those living in areas that are not. Since the time of colonization – roughly 500 years ago – this gap has only been accelerated by people from materially wealthy lands stealing, raping, pillaging and basically doing everything in their power to gain material wealth at the rest of the worlds expense. Despite many parts of the world having vast material wealth – the power and money associated with it has been deprived to the local people. Wealthy corporations and governments of Developed nations make deals to ensure that they gain a portion of materials that they are in no way entitled to – while local people continue to struggle to survive.
As stated in the section why bother (should it be moved here?) – it is not people from developing nations who stand to gain the most (although obviously they can still gain a lot) but people from the developed world.
Humanity is currently living beyond its means. Our current way of life is unsustainable. It is only in the rural regions of the developing world where any form of long-term sustainability can be found.
People from Developed nations are especially guilty of this. They often are totally disconnected from nature and the natural way of living. If it is possible for them to see how people live more harmoniously with nature – than maybe it is possible for humans to not make the world a place that is impossible for us to inhabit.
( I think there are to approaches here – 1. That the developed world NEEDS this more than the developing and 2. That this is where the greatest culture exchange can occur. )
Difference between Rural Couchsurfing in the Developed world and in the Developing world
-rural cs in the developed world is mostly between people of the same standard of living while in the developing world it is someone from the developing world hosting someone from the developed world
-No internet at all. ZERO.
-Low likelihood of amenities such electricity, refrigerators, running water (no flush toilets or showers :O bucket showers!!)
-Complete reliance on host versus partial reliance (for food info transport etc)
-Lower chance of common language
-Greater chance of culture shock
With these things in mind….the fact that life is different in the developing world compared to the developed world…..hosting their will be different.
It is asked that guests would bring an appropriate gift for the family – be that 1L of cooking oil, big bag of salt, possibly money (given to mediator until enough money has been reached to buy object – say bicycle) İN ADDİTİON to helping out around the village/house.
Purpose
The purpose of trying to bring about Couchsurfing in the rural areas of the developing is twofold.
From the hosts point of view: learn about people from different cultures and lifestyles
From the surfer: learn about a completely different way of life to what they are used to. Step outside their comfort zone.
Mediators / Facilitators
Since there will no internet in the rural areas…someone will have to act as the middle person between the rural areas and the surfer. People in cities nearby to rural areas could be contacted by someone seeking a rural experience and would be checked out for their appropriateness. İf appriate then they could proceed with instructions about how to reach the rural area.
Who would be good middle people?
People who understand the local culture but also understand life in the developed world. This means ex pats and NGO (Peace Corps Included) for the most part.
Local people who have had the opportunity to travel would be ideal…but there are very few who have.
What is possible is university students who study part of the year in the city but return to their rural village. These would be the best mediators.
Here is a guide that has been created for peace corps volunteers
http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/en/Rural_Couchsurfing_in_the_developing_world
Maybe others could be created for other voluntters (VSO EVS etc)...or a general one for overseas volunteers...
Community Couch
As previously mentioned , there is a high probability that rural hosts in the developing world will be poor. For them regional travel is unlikely (to neighbouring countries) let alone to another continent.
Therefore. There has to be a real benefit for them to take strangers into their house. Rather than just have one family host guests….it would be easier if the whole community invested in hosting the surfer. The surfer could then give back to the whole community – doing translation work, teaching at a school, helping out a health clinic…helping with the harvesting/work etc etc.
Would be done through mediators as well
Expectation of Host
Expectation of Surfer
Marketing
Technical requirements
Icon
Administration
Recommendations
Rural couchsurfing – guidelines for hosts
The guidelines in a rural couchsurfing experience remain the same as in a urban couchsurfing experience.
Check the "How to be a good host" page
If you wish to ask your surfers for a little help at home:
1/ Inform
Make sure that you explain well to the surfer what you're expecting before the surfer comes, to avoid any bad surprise. And again, fill up your profile as much as you can so that the people can know what to expect even before contacting you.
2/ Don't ask too much
Don't ask your surfers too much, they might not be professional farmers and might mostly want to visit the area and rest. 2-3 hours of help a day should be enough.
3/ Adapt the task to the person
Remember that if a surfer comes to your place to help you it's also to discover a bit of your life, so please be kind and offer a wide range of activities, weeding for 3 hours a day might not be very exciting for a guest.
4/ Feed your guests
If they help you, then it seems logical that they get the meals in exchange.
5/ Help your surfers
Maybe you live in a remote place, and if you have the possibility, you could give your surfers a lift to your place and to the nearest public transport when they leave.
6/ Be patient
It's possible that your surfers will not know anything about rural areas: be patient, fully explain your way of life and your expectations and everything should be fine.
Rural couchsurfing – guidelines for guests
The guidelines in a rural couchsurfing experience remain the same as in a urban couchsurfing experience.
Check the "How to be a good guest" page
If a host is asking for few hours of help a day and if you wish to help:
1/ Be informed
Make sure that you know what will be expected from you to avoid any bed surprise. Don't be afraid to ask a potential host exactly what type of help is you will be doing. What you will experience will depend on it!
2/ Be ready to help
If you tell your host that you're going to help 3 hours a day, after one hour do not say that you don't want to help anymore and that you're going for a walk... Respect what has been agreed upon.
3/ Respect your limits
Never accept a task that you are not comfortable doing. Be sure to know what you're going to do in advance and that you'll be able to do it. If a host ask you for something that you can't handle, then refuse kindly and propose your help for something else.
4/ Don't believe that your help is paying a hotel service
- Working in the garden for 2 hours doesn't prevent you to help with cooking or washing dishes.
- Helping 3 hours a day for 5 days doesn't make you unable to clean the floor, set the table or give any extra help needed.
- In general, as in any couchsurfing experience, be ready to give a little hand for the daily tasks.
5/ Bring appropriate clothing
Example: If you know that you'll be helping in the garden, don't bring only your brand new skirt or your favourite pants. Adapt yourself to the situation.
6/ Be curious but respectful
Don't expect your hosts to entertain you with rural experience the whole day long. They might have to work and might not have always the time to explain you what they are doing. Be curious and willing to help and learn within the limit of the your hosts hospitality.
