Couchsurfers share their experiences

Free editionDecember 2011

It is the iusse everyone has been waiting for. This is like a Christmas card treat just a little bit longer!your CS friends have written to share their experiences, about their great year full of travel, fun and a lot of adven-tures. Here’s our pick of some of the best place to stay or visit this festive season.When you start to feel alive sharing your emotions, your ideas, your travel tips is the only way to make your travel last forever! Therefore, let’s see if we can do a CS magazine every month. We need your suggestion and your travel tips to make life easier for others CS surfers everywhere they decide to go.Hoping to grow together..

Merry Xmas and a traveling happy New Year!

gd

contenents

Wherever you are...

get ready for Christmasudf h

SpainPeople in Spain traditionally celebrate the end of the year by eating 12 grapes in the last 12 seconds of the year for luck!

AustraliaIn this part of the planet Christ-mas is in summer! People there go to the beach or have picnics. It’s a very different Christmas without snow!

IndiaAlthough in India most of the population is not Christian, Christ-mas is a national holiday and

people light “diyas” (small lamps), also in Diwali, there is a large celebration of lord Rama’s victory over evil forces, also involving lamps, which are to help guide him home.

Christmas is celebra-ted in many different ways around the world. Here are some of the more unsual ways!

JapanChristmas is

not a family occasion in

Japan. The occa-sion holds a special

meaning mainly for young people. For them, it is the time to recieve presents from "Hotei-osho", a Buddhist monk who is seen as the Japanese equivalent of Santa Claus. Hotei-osho is believed to leave presents in each house for the children. It is said that this benevolent monk has eyes in the back of his head, so children try to behave like he is nearby.

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ChinaIn China children celebrate Christmas waiting for “Dun Che Lao Ren”, the chinese Santa Claus. But the biggest celebration in China is the chinese new year. People traditionally give red enve-

lopes filled with money. In the big cities there are spec-

tacular fireworks, dragon dances, decorations around the

city and big street parties to start the new year with a bang.

MexicoMexicans celebrate christmas with a ritual called “la posada”. People go house to house along the streets, representing the journey that Joseph and Mary took to find shelter in Bethlehem. The party starts when they arrive at the house where a nativity scene has already been set up. “La piñata” is a star-shape hanging which is broken

with a stick to get the candy inside.

HanukkahAlso known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the

Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It starts in late November until late December. All celebra-tion is around Menorah, a nine branched candelabrum.

New yorkIn Manhattan people celebrate with the Macy’s Thanks-giving Day Parade. It’s a colourful party with massive floats, baloons, music, people in fancy dress and celebrations all over the streets.

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Christmas udf h

From north to south you can choose between a wide range of different des-serts. Panet-tone, Pandoro, Torrone Struf-foli, Roccocò and much more..Perhaps the most famous italian Christmas cakes export, Pandoro and Panettone are easy to find pretty much any-where in Italy. They are a kind of bread loaf and both take their origins from north: Milano and Verona.Pandoro taste very similar to Panettone but it

the kitchen. From the middle regions of italy the most popu-lar dessert is Panforte from Tuscany. This cake con-tain seventeen different ingre-dients: orange, melon and citron candied fruit, nuts,

almonds, honey, ice sugar…is yummy with a hot cap of Italian coffee.Another Xmas-cake is Pizza de Nata that you can enjoy in Marche region. This cake is really simple to make, and is delicious served with a good glass of sweet red wine made with black cherry called Vino di visciole.Anyway, if you want to fall in love with Italian desserts you should go to the south.There is no other place in the word where you can try differ-ent and deli-cious cakes every single day.

doesn’t have candied fruit or raisins. Accord-ing to the legend the Panettone was created by mistake.to make a delicious sweet bread.. During the Christmas eve dinner, a baker’s boy burnt all the cakes so he started to put together what-ever he could find around in

If you are in Campania don’t miss the Tor-rone di Ben-evento, if you are in Sicily enter in the first cake shop and ask for Cucciddattu, a cake made with dried figs, pista-chios, almonds, and chocolate. And I suggest to you to order also one glass of Granita Sicili-ana, it’s made with almonds milk and is really yummy!

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A mix of scent of cinna-mon, fir and a special aroma from the incense smoker rises to our noses – no doubt, it is Christ-mas! What a wonderful time in the year and somehow a time when everything seems to be a bit less hard, people recommit to their values and enjoy time with their friends and family in very first place.I grew up in the East of Germany near the mountain Erzgebirge where handmade christmas decoration has a very old tradition and is ongoing to date. You can see a wooden nutcracker, an incense smoker or a christmas pyramid standing on the table, a candle arch luminiscing from the windowsill or a so called „Herrnhuter Star“ - a lighting star made of paper or plastic hanging from the ceiling. And this hardly is the end – let's have a look on food and beverage that cannot be enough during the christmas period. It always starts on the Sunday four weeks before Christmas Eve - 24th December and with it the christmas markets open their doors. Must haves are mulled wine or beer, candyfloss, roasted almonds and marons. If

Eine Mischung aus Zimt, Tannenduft und Räucherkerzchen steigt in unsere Nasen- ganz klar, es ist Weihnachtszeit! Welch herrliche Zeit des Jahres, in der es so scheint, als ob alles ein bisschen weniger anstrengend ist, sich die Menschen auf ihre Werte zurückbesinnen und vor allem Zeit mit Familie und Freunden verbringen möchten.Ich bin in Sachsen, in der Nähe des Erzgebirges aufgewachsen, wo es bis heute eine langjährige Tradition in Weihnachtskun-sthandwerk gibt. Man sieht Nußknacker, Räuchermänner oder Weihnachtspyramiden auf den Tischen stehen, der Schwibbogen leuchtet vom Fensterbrett nach draußen und der Herren-huter Stern hängt von der Decke. Und das ist noch lange nicht alles - machen wir einmal einen Ausflug zum Essen und Trinken, das während der Weihnachtszeit nie genug sein kann...Sie beginnt immer am Sonntag, vier Wochen vor Heiligabend und damit die Eröffnung der Weihnachtsmärkte. Was man auf jeden Fall nicht verpassen darf sind: Glühwein oder Glühbo (Bier), Zuckerwatte, gebrannte Mandeln und Maronen. Wenn ihr nach

you come to Dresden visit the famous Striezel-markt which is called after the „Striezel“ or stollen - a kind of cake made of flour, loads of butter, raisins and some special ingredients that can't be uncovered here – you just have to taste it! Spending your time at home isn't less exciting – lit the candles, brew your own mulled wine and bake some fresh ginger bread or christmas cookies with your beloved – a perfect chillout day is guaran-teed. And before you knew it, you ate your last piece of chocolate from the advent calendar - it's Christmas Eve! All members of the family come together under the christmas tree just like in a fairy tale - the children are excited and can't wait for the handing out of presents, parents and grandparents enjoy their egg punch and maybe sing some songs, but only maybe.

Usually there's only some wiener with potatoe salad for dinner 'cause the huge meals will follow in the next two holidays - 25th and 26th. So there are different meals in common but normally whether duck or goose with dumplings and red cabbage or for those who like fish carp is served. For me as an absolute christmas and advent lover I always do my best to spread the spirit of christmas! So come over to Germany and enjoy this bright time with us!

Dresden kommt, müsst ihr unbedingt den berühmten Striezelmarkt besuchen, der nach dem "Striezel" oder Stollen benannt ist, den es so original nur hier gibt mit Rosinen, einer Menge Butter und ein paar Geheimzutaten, die an dieser Stelle natürlich nicht verraten werden - den müsst ihr einfach probiert haben! Die Adventstage daheim zu verbringen ist nicht weniger spannend- zündet eine Kerze an, macht euch euren eigenen Glühwein und selbstgebackene Kekse oder Pfefferkuchen - der perfekte Adventstag zum Entspannen. Und bevor du dich versiehst, hast du auch schon die letzte Schokolade aus dem Adventskalender geplündert - es ist Heiligabend! Die ganze Familie kommt zusam-men, die Kinder sind aufgeregt, können die Bescherung kaum erwarten, Eltern und Großeltern lassen sich einen Eierpunsch schmecken und singen ein

paar Lieder- vielleicht.Zum Abendessen gibt es üblicherweise nicht all zuviel, meist Wiener mit Kartoffelsalat, denn das große Essen folgt ja noch an den kommenden. Weihnachtsfeiertagen, 25.und 26. Dort herrschen verschiedene Traditionen: Entweder gibt es Went oder Gans mit Klößen und Rotkraut oder Karpfen.Ich, als absolute Weihnachtsliebhaberin, gebe jedes Jahr mein Bestes, den Geist von Weihnachten weiterzutra-gen und aufrechtzuerh-alten. Also kommt doch

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HOMOHABILIS

HOMOERECTUS

HOMOSAPIENS

HOMOCOUCHSURFING

Couchsurfing (ex)change your life

Get ready to surf couch...Have you ever dreamed of living in a new country?

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Perhaps you’ve thought about it but the reality of actually moving abroad is just too intimidating? Or maybe you’re in the process of relocating and the whole ordeal isn’t doing your stress levels any good?! Well fear not! In the past there hasn’t been a whole lot of help for wannabe expats… but don’t worry that’s all changing. This September I was lucky enough to move from the UK to France for the third year of my course at University. I’ve been using couchsurfing for a couple of years to host and surf but only recently did I realise the true potential of this online community to help set up a new life abroad and really ease the transition between countries. I thought my experience could help those of you embarking on similar adventures so I’ve compiled a quick list of tips.Quite simply, you have to gain the help of fellow couchsurfers by tapping into the online discussion groups (or “city groups” as I like to call them).If you’re not familiar with them try searching for your own city group:

Go to your Profile -> click on the Community Tab -> under the “My Groups” category click on the option to “Find Groups” ->then you can search for your city under Keyword and refine the search to your Country There is an online discussion group for most cities and each one can provide you with a range of information and access to priceless local knowledge. So here are a few examples of how you can use the city groups to help you before and after your big move.

Before the move:

In preparation for your trip you’ll probably have a lot of questions on your mind and you’ll want someone who knows the area well to answer them and settle your anxieties. That’s one of the greatest

uses of the forum as you can start your own message thread and get the advice of local people to help you out with pretty much any question at all; which will prove very handy when making tough decisions in advance.In your search for accommodation you’ll soon realise other people are looking for similar things, I’ve seen people post messages when they’re looking for a housemate or when they know of nice places for rent. It’s a perfect way to find a place to stay, find out more about the area it’s located in and even find someone cool to live with.

Once you’ve arrived:

When you first arrive in a new city it can be quite lonely. You’re away from

your close friends and family and you might not know many people yet. When you look at a city group there are events every month where couchsurfers meet up and hang out. There will be an official monthly meeting organised by the city ambassador and probably several unoffi-cial ones hosted by friendly locals. When I first arrived in Nantes I didn’t know many people so I went to a random bbq event in a new part of town. It was great meeting interesting people and finding out more about the city and the best things to see.Some of the events people organise may be visits to local monu-ments or even walking tours. These are an awesome way to really explore your new city and discover some of its hidden gems whilst at the same time getting to know more of your couchsurfer neighbours. Perhaps you could even take it a step further and organise your own event (like a house warming party for your nice new home).If you’re looking for work make sure you keep an eye on the group. It’s not uncommon to see helpful couchsurfers post messages when they’ve

noticed job adverts for different bars and restaurants. Also, if your native tongue is different from your new host country you could even offer your time to tutor people as there are keen language students in every corner of the world.Is your new house/flat looking a bit bare? Well if you’re lucky someone might be trying to get rid of their unwanted furniture or maybe their old couch. Some people use freecycle.com but I’ve also seen people giving all sorts of things away for free in their city group so long as it goes to a good home.So there you have it! Once you realise there’s a lot of help out there, all you need to do is ask. I hope this short simple advice will help you to feel a little more confi-dent about taking the plunge into a whole new life abroad. Experiencing a different culture through the eyes of a local will undoubtedly be one of your most reward-ing life experiences. But remember, next time you see someone post a message in your city group asking for advice… make sure you pass on the favour and offer your own helpful thoughts and ideas.

Miracles happenMy life has been touched by my Couch Surfing experiences. Profoundly touched and altered. Never in a negative way, it has only ever been positive. Do miracles happen? Do they happen through the conduit of this thing we call Couch Surfing? Lives change, view-points, horizons and universes are expanded. Certainly Couch Surfing helps to take you places in the world, but it is equally safe to say that it takes us places in our lives. Sometimes, like Hanna, Couch Surfing helps to take us to new frontiers and boundaries within ourselves. Sometimes,

when she surfed my couch in Miami. She touched my life, and I touched hers. She told me that the last few years had not been easy. I didn’t ask for details and Hanna didn’t give any. But I could sense that it wasn’t a minor event. When people don’t speak of their troubles and choose to simply acknowledge them and move forward, you know they have dealt with a mountain in their lives– much like soldiers who return from war and can’t relate to those of us who stayed behind.I have met some brave and wonderful people through couch surfing.

like Lucana and Eva, it brings us strange coincidences that could be called minor miracles. Sometimes we are all altered, forever.Hanna was 20 years old, is 20 years old. A small build and a sometimes-timid demeanor that gives an overall impres-sion she could well be younger than her actual years. She is a pretty and delicate flower with long blonde wavy hair and perfect, light golden skin. Hanna somehow manages to give off an air of vulnerability and strength at the same time. But Hanna is strong, and Hanna is brave. No doubt.

It’s brave for a pretty young lady from Helsinki to take her first trip to a foreign land alone. It’s brave for that young lady to travel for three months around the USA, especially on a Grey-hound Bus with all of it’s unpleasant smells and interesting characters. Who knows whom you could run into, who knows who could run into you? It’s brave for a pretty young lady from Helsinki to spend nearly all of those three months on the road staying in complete strangers’ houses. Thank goodness for the Couch Surfing reference system.I was honored to spend two weeks with Hanna

Lucana and I shared a love of photography. I was fascinated with her travel stories and the photographs she had taken on her journeys. In 2010 Lucana drove her 1961 silver antique Mercedes Benz from Colombia and traversed the whole of South America, and then North America, and then Alaska, and finally back to Colombia. It’s a story of broken windshields, flat tires, nights spent under the stars sleeping in the car, of high deserts and cold mountains, and of new friends made through couch surfing.Every couch surfing experience it seems is laden with small coinci-

dences. As I write this article I am planning a trip to Patagonia. Lucana’s visit was uncannily timely. Impeccable, just when I needed it and I was beginning my research. Lucana arrived with first-hand stories, tips, and indispensible advice. Lucana put me in touch with people she had met in Patagonia, told me the places I should visit, and advised me to rent a car instead of relying on the buses and boats. I know that Lucana’s timely stay will prove to have completely altered my journey to Patagonia, for the better.

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story. Hanna’s was a story of a life changing miraculously for the better before the eyes of every person, every couch surfing host with which she stayed. Hanna left me a letter, in which she wrote, “I used to be a person who did not go and meet other people, who could hardly even be around other people. …I have learnt more about myself and changed. And that is something that I wanted for this adventure. …Great memories will remain, the change that has happened in me will remain.” Sometimes Couch Surfing takes us to the

When I return from Patagonia it will be the beginning of 2012. I intend to make the best of the year, saving as much money as I can, building funds for a round-the-world motor-cycle trip with my son in 2013 and beyond. So, I recently posted an ad for a roommate on a local classifieds web site, to help with my housing costs and savings for the trip. I had posted the ad before and had not received a single response. This time I lowered the rent. This time I received one response. Only one, about half an hour after I’d posted the ad. The inquiry I received was short and to the

were, well, pleasantly surprising. Within an hour of posting the ad I had a new roommate (who I have yet to meet) and we had exchanged several excited emails and become Facebook friends. Shortly thereaf-ter Eva changed her Facebook status: “My life is full of miracles... especially on COUCH-SURFING.” And I posted the same.Hanna used to sit at home in Helsinki and not go out very much. Hanna almost lost her life. I know that much. The world, all of our lives, would have been an emptier place had that happened. Instead Hanna surprised her family by doing some-thing completely out of character. She bravely came to the United States alone, to travel by Greyhound Bus, to Couch Surf with stran-gers who became friends, and to fulfill her dream of seeing the USA. She pushed the bounda-ries and explored the frontiers– external and internal. She changed. A butterfly-metamorphosis.By the time Hanna departed my house I had realized that Hanna’s story wasn’t only a great Couch Surfing travel

most important places of all– the mysteries of our own, personal new frontiers and into the wild blue yonder. Couch Surfing is all about the joys of new exploration and discovery, of the places we go and of what we find within ourselves. It is often an intense pleasure. Sometimes, like with Hanna, Eva and myself, we are altered forever, for the better, and miracles do happen.

point, from a 22 year-old university student in Nanjing, China, who is coming to the US to study. Naturally I replied with a lot of questions, including, “Do you have any references you can supply?” Eva responded by forwarding her Couch Surfing profile. I laughed at the coincidence as I read her references– a couch surfer! I laughed harder when the first thing that caught my attention was her profile photo– a black & white photograph of a mostly hidden face behind a Minolta film camera. Eva was the only response to the ad, a couch surfer, and shared my passion for photography and music. The coincidences

“My life is full of miracles... especially

on COUCHSURFING.”

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I have always had a passion for England so I went on a five week CouchSurfing Tour this summer which was the best decision I ever made – not to stay in a hostel but to live with local people to soak in the atmosphere and vibration. All together I stayed in ten cities with ten different, absolutely lovely hosts, housemates and other couchsurfers from all over the world. My journey started in Brighton where I had the best start I could have had and got to know some funny guys I definitely want to meet again. I immediately fell in love with this cool, cute city at the seaside!After that I went to Cheltenham and Birmingham, where I had

Ich hatte schon immer eine Leidenschaft für England und deshalb habe ich mich im Sommer diesen Jahres auf eine fünfwochige CouchSurfing-Tour begeben. Das war die beste Entscheidung, die ich überhaupt treffen konnte – nicht im Hostel zu übernachten, sondern bei ortsansässigen Leuten zu bleiben, um die Atmosphäre und Lebens-art aufzusaugen. Insge-samt bereiste ich zehn Städte mit zehn wunder-baren Gastgebern, Mitbewohnern und anderen Couchsurfern aus der ganzen Welt. Meine Reise begann in Brighton, wo ich keinen besseren Start hätte erwischen können – ich hab’ viele, witzige Leute kennenge-lernt, die ich auf jeden Fall wiedersehen muss und mich sofort in diese coole, niedliche Stadt Brighton am Meer verliebt. Danach ging es nach Cheltenham und Birmingham, wo ich mit meinem Host die ganze Nacht damit verbrachte, White Russian

a great night out with my host drinking white russian all night long and listening to our favourite musicians :D Next stop Liverpool: an crazy week with unforgettable people – chilling in the park, going to museums, pubs or having a drink-ing night at home with more than 15 different couchsurfers in the apartment all over the week. Half-time in Manchester where I spent four incredible days that should change my life. For sure the Mancunian couchsurfing community is one of the best in England I experi-enced firsthand when being at an unbelievable great party with about 50 people - each of them with some kind of couchsurfing back-ground. In Sheffield I was the first CS ever of my fun, crazy host – thank her, I almost know every pub now in Sheffield ;) Nottingham, Norwich and London followed – and with the end of my trip a lot of wanderlust! I’m moving to Manches-ter now...see you there!

zu trinken und Lieblings-musik auszutauschen :D Nächste Station Liverpool: eine verrücte Woche mit unvergesslichen Menschen – im Park chillen, zusammen ins Museum gehen, die Pubs unsicher machen oder Umtrunk daheim mit über 15 verschiedenen CS, die in dieser Woche aus- und eingegangen sind. Halbzeit in Manchester, wo ich vier Tage verbracht habe, die mein Leben ändern sollten. Und auf jeden Fall ist die „Mancu-nian“ CouchSurfing-Community eine der besten in England, was ich am eigenen Leib bei einer Party mit über 50 Leuten, jede und jeder von ihnen mit CS-Hintergrund, erfahren durfte. In Sheffield war ich die erste Couchsurferin meiner verrückt, witzigen Gastgeberin, dank der ich nun fast alle Pubs in Sheffield kenne ;) Notting-ham, Norwich, London folgten dann noch und mit dem Ende meiner Reise, eine Menge Fernweh. Nun zieh ich nach Manchester, wir sehen uns da!

My Couchsurfing experience

Let yourself into this project and experience the freedom of being a host or couchsurfer – it changes your world!

Lasst euch auf dieses Projekt ein und erlebt die Freiheit, Gastgeber oder Couchsurfer zu sein – es verändert deine Welt!

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by Doreen Mews

The animation m

ovie is shot i

n 3D with

the innovative

technique of

motion

capturing.

“The animation p

rocess for Tintin re

lied

heavily on pe

rformance capture

for the

characters’ f

inal render. H

aving actors i

n

the mix just gives u

s a quality of

life

that ==is har

d to achieve

any other way”

explains Joe Letteri

the senior visu

al

effects superviso

r of the Adventu

re of

Tintin. To conv

ert Jamie Bell, the main

actor of Billy Elliot int

o cartoon, w

ith a

round face, big roun

d eyes and of

course Tintin’s

quiff was obviously really

difficult. However t

he Weta team has

obtained a great

result in ter

ms of

creating realis

m. The team neede

d 18

months for ref

ining all chara

cters but

the result is

amazing! Every ac

tors

performance, every sh

iver and nuan

ce of

emotion were morphed

into digital

creations faithful to t

he ink water

colour of Hergè co

mics

 

George Remi, better know as Hergé, began to emerge at the age of 22 years, when he published the adventures of Tintin in the weekly supplement of the newspaper ‘Le Le Petit Vingtième Vingtième siècle’ in BelgiumHergé’s main character is Tintin.

This brilliant, young investigator Tintinstill continues to impress in 2011.His style is retro and vintage, always wearing a blue sweater and trench coat he carries off the look of a real detective: half Indiana Johns half 007. In few words he is full of appeal, and people of any generation canrelate to him.

street market a small scale boat model catches his eye, and he decides to buy it. The model boat was one of the three, of a boat that disappeared, called the Unicorn. From this moment on Tintin and his insepara-ble dog Milou embarked on a dangerous and compli-cated adventure full of mystery. Throughout the movie he has to escape from the clutches of the evil Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig), and travel around the world in search of the treasure of the Unicorn. During this adventure he meets the humorous and boisterous Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis).The Captain's coarse humanity and sarcasm acts as a counterpoint to Tintin's often implausible heroism; throughout the movie he is always quick on the draw , with a dry comment or a funny joke!Even though Tintin was created in 1929, the character is still very popular among graphic novel readers. In the sixties he reached the European youth population with cartoons, and today he is ready to capture the attention of all world, conquering the big screen and becoming a million-dollar blockbuster.

Walking through the market on Place Du Jeu de Balle, drinking a beer at Fleur Ppier Dorè on 55 Rue Henry des Alexiens is the best way to enjoy Hergè’s cityGet on the train heading towards Louvain la Neuve to be enchanted by the new Hergé Museum.Hergé Museum is the place in which all characters are revealed! You can see the real drawings of the plain-clothed twins, Dupont and Dupont, of Professor Tournesol, of the great Captain Haddock with cap and pipe, and of course of Tintin. The museum consists of eight rooms, each room has a different theme. In this

The Adventures of Tintin is inspired by three different volumes of the famous comic strip books of Hergé. The plot is full of humorous escapadesTintin is an upcoming journalist that works with two clumsy detectives, that are also twins, Thomson & Thomp-son (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost). Whilst visiting a

museum you can see the original plates, covers, advertising jobs, various personal items, photos and postcards sent to friends from the most famous Belgian comic’s writer George Remi.In short, a museum not to be missed if you are nearby.

Instead if you are in France you can enjoy an amazing day inside the Château de Cheverny. This castle is located on the edge of the Sologne forest.In the movie, this is the home of Captain Moulinsart, the architecture is a true representation of the French 17th century classical style.Inside the château there is an Arms Room containing weapons from the 15th to 17th centuries and a great exhibition centre and shop devoted to Herge’s characters..

Living "the Adventure of Tintinin" A journey that begins with a comic, continous with a movie and crosses into many real places.

Do some investigation on Brussells at Xmas yourself!

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Hey! My name is Chris Blakey, I’m 24 and I’ve been living in Brighton, UK, for one year now. I think it’s such a great town for many reasons, the cultural diversity, the concern in alternative environmental and political concepts and the large amount of musicians and interests for more DIY/underground styles of music.

It’s the perfect town to meet creative, engaging people, and I’ve spent a year trying to do just that, and I think it has gone pretty well! A few months after I moved here I started to promote gigs at a venue called the Cowley Club, it’s a perfect place for me to put on gigs. It is an anarchists cafe, with strong interest

in preserving and protecting people’s human rights. There are various clubs that meet regularly, to discuss various environmental/political issues, organising demonstrations and protests, constantly trying to �nd ways of having more modest and sustainable lifestyles,

trying to cast away the grandiose and excessive elements that have become so ingrained in societies obsessed with convenience and instant grati�cation. It’s the ideal place to put on music that is outside of the mainstream or pushing musical boundaries! Over the past year I’ve put on some of my

favourite bands from the UK and Europe including Shield Your Eyes, Depa-kine Chrono, Sweet Williams, Pneu, Illness and many more.

If you are in Brighton..let me know.. I’ll be happy to meet you, with the promise of yummy vegan meal, a place to sleep and a fun gig!

LIVING IN BRIGHTON

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