Ganesha will help me power out this writing!

Bija

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A new friend..

I've been looking at various options on how to meet people in India when I remembered that I had heard a friend talk about how she traveled through Europe using couchsurfing.com so I decided to check it out and see if people are using it in India. Since I need to find a place to rest the first days when I fly into Delhi, I decided to see if I could find someone for those days. I browsed the couches offered by various people in Delhi, narrowing my search to women since I'd like to hear what life is like for women in India. Right away I found 32 year old Savita in Delhi. She says that she teaches classes in indian cooking - perfect! I wrote to her and told her why I was coming to India and that I would love to meet her and sleep on her couch for a few nights - and take one of her classes if she's willing! She kindly welcomed me into her home and even signed up for facebook to keep in touch and make friends this way. I am very happy to have a new friend and a safe place to go when I arrive in Delhi.
I've decided that couchsurfing could be the answer I was looking for.  I'd much rather buy someone dinner or fill up their fridge than pay a guesthouse or hotel and be alone. Its a good way to meet people, and relatively safely since they have means of verifying the identity of a person. At first it looks like a dating website but then the people have a list of references and experiences of the people who have stayed with them, or even just met for a cup of coffee. You don't have to offer your couch to join either, just offering other travelers advise or to meet up for coffee or whatever is enough. Its a way of connecting with people outside the tourist circle, to see a wider perspective on life. It could end up being better than facebook. We'll see....
Namaste