Belgium Part 1: Our Hosts

After Amsterdam we weren't quite sure where we were headed next. A very generous man offered a place to stay in Amsterdam but it ended up falling through based on timing. Instead, at about 4 am on the morning we were to leave the Netherlands, I decided to post an "Emergency Couch Request" in both the Brussels and Belgium groups. This had worked the first time we tried it, in London, and had a great time. To explain, the couchsurfing website has several different groups that you can choose to be part of, and anyone can create a group as well. Most cities and towns have a general group with information on what's going on and fun things to do in the area, and some cities that have particularly active couchsurfing scenes have groups devoted to finding last minute hosts for travelers. When I checked our post a few hours later, we had a message from Lieke, Peter, and kids. A Belgian family of 6, living about 30 minutes by train outside of Brussels, would be happy to host us. We were slightly cautious about staying with a family consisting of four children between the ages of four and fifteen, but as we read deeper into their profile, any doubts that we had were washed away. We quickly responded with a "yes, please! Thank you", and worked out the where and when we would meet.

We disembarked the train in Dendermonde, Belgium at about 8:00 in the evening and walked a mile, more or less, to thier house. It is a small town with well kept traditional Belgian houses and gardens and a quaint downtown area. When we knocked on their door, Lieke (pronounced Lee-kuh) answered immediatly and welcomed us with open arms. What a beautiful home they have! Thier whole first floor was an open floor plan with the living area opening up into the dining and kitchen. The walls were covered with family photos as well as some of Peter's original artwork. In the back of the house was an art studio and the children's playroom. Within a few minutes Peter had come downstairs after putting the younger children to bed and together they showed off their Belgian beer collection, pouring a local brew for each of us. We settled in at thier kitchen table to chat.

They have been couchsurfing with their family for years, mostly as hosts, and much of the discussion was centered around that. Before us, they hosted over 300 people from all over the globe. They explained that of course they couldn't afford to take their children on trips all over the world, so what better way to bring the world to them than couchsurfing? They have a few rules regarding their guests, ensuring that a cultural exchange is truly taking place. First, everyone must prepare a meal from their home country for the family. This was something that Andy and I were genuinely concerned about. Traditional American food.... hmmmm.... what were we to make... hot dogs... meatloaf..?? The second rule is that everyone must sign their guestbook. The rest of the "rules" are more or less guidelines- they expect us to chat with them, exchange stories, interact with the children, be courteous, etc. We were immediatly curious as to what the children thought about couchsurfing. It seems they love it. They bond with some guests more than others, of course, and sometimes fall in love with the cultural traditions that they bring with them (like drinking wine at a special Jewish feast that a man from Israel shared with the family). Each time a person requests thier couch, their profile is shown to the children for approval. Lieke also arranges CS meetings for the community, including singalongs in their own backyard afterwhich they sometimes have 40 surfers in their house and garden! She is the Family Ambassador for the entire couchsurfing network (several thousand families), and the ambassador in charge of making sure that every new member gets a welcome message when upon joining.

They have done a bit of traveling as well. Most recently they traveled to the Czech Republic with the whole family, couchsurfing the entire time. It is difficult for them to find couches for six people, which has landed them in some interesting places. For example, they stayed at the Swedish embassy in Prague for a few days because the Swedish Ambassador is a couchsurfer. Of course he is. I should also mention at this point (and perhaps it's already assumed) that although it is called 'couchsurfing' there are often beds available, sometimes rooms, sometimes a mattress on the floor, or even a square of carpet.

They told us of the positive impact that couchsurfing has had on their children and how it has broadened their views of the world (perhaps not compared to how it was but rather compared to how it might be). This was very clearly depicted in a story that Lieke and Peter shared with us. They were hosting a dark-skinned man (I'm sure they told me his nationality, but I forget what it was) and they asked their son Bavo to hold his hand out. They asked thier surfer to do the same and they asked Bavo (who is seven now - my impression was that this was a few years ago) what the difference between his hand and this gentleman's hand was. He replied that the other hand was much larger, and didn't note the color difference at all. The children have been growing up in a home where they meet people of different races, creeds, and colors on a near daily basis. They didn't need to be taught that everyone is equal because they have never been given a reason to believe otherwise.

And so went our time in Dendermonde. One night we were cooked a traditional Belgian meal, and for our meal we cooked macoroni and cheese with sauteed peas and carrots. We went to watch Bavo at gymnastics one night at a huge athletic facility around the corner from their house. There was a viewing room with a fully stocked bar where we were able to try yet another delicious Belgian beer. After we left, I realized that I left my shoes in their front hall. When we returned to pick them up Lieke gave us a ride back to the train station. Their kindness and generosity is not lost on us, it will not soon be forgotten.