Open your hearts and find your wild.

I loved couchsurfing those days when I was traveling around Europe, seeing different kinds of lifestyles and being inspired by what I saw around me.

I had been very interested in Slovakia because one of my good friends in Barcelona, Lenka, was from there. It was a strange thing for me actually that whenever I met new friends and made a connection, I fantasized about visiting their country soon. It didn’t often take long to happen over the past few years and Slovakia was one such case.

When I visit a new country, I often start with their big cities. The reason being that it is usually easier to travel inside the capital where the transportation is much more comprehensive.

I arrived in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, in the evening and went to Berk’s house. Before I arrived, I'd seen photos of Berk’s place and it looked like a very trendy bar. I wondered what awaited me. Berk greeted me at the front door, and his place was in the basement of a modern service apartment, with a really dark passage down. Then I saw a very trendy bar-like space, with some bohemian decorations and some quirky and retro posters. Berk told me he was actually hired two years ago as a receptionist of this interesting hostel, and what I saw was actually the reception of the hostel. The owner decided to transform the building into a service apartment but Berk remained as one of the keepers of the building and has the basement as his living space.

Berk seemed very outgoing. Immediately I met several friends of his and went to a gathering to play some instruments. This was my first introduction to a jam session, where you pick an instrument and just go along with what everyone was playing. People there played the guitar, ukulele, trembline, african drums, and hand pan. I picked up something that I didn't know the name for, just enjoying the music and playing with the beat. It was a really relaxing evening with this self-made concert! Afterwards we went for some vegan food together in a bar and it was really nice to feel like a local there. On the way home, Berk was sharing the stories behind why he had moved to Slovakia from Turkey and how hopeless he felt about the political, social and religious situation back in Turkey. Although it was a bit difficult for me to pitch in anything, it was very interesting for me to know how Berk felt about it. I’m usually quite indifferent towards politics and religion. Maybe it was because of where I was from, where everyone was really free to make their own choices and I felt grateful for that freedom.

Stay tuned...there’s much more to come!

In the next episode I’ll be sharing the story of meeting a new friend and reuniting with my couchsurfer in Bratislava, Slovakia.