照片中右邊的是Ashley,她們一起在日韓旅行。(May, 2019)
前天與曾在釜山用沙發衝浪約出來見面的台灣人一起吃飯。
剛剛好是一年前的五月我們在釜山相遇、剛剛好我們在台灣都住在同個地方。儘管才在釜山見過一次面卻很有話聊,因為我們從CS上認識,我們喜歡旅行有著共同話題,這也是我喜歡使用CS去旅行的原因,上次拿手機看時間是七點多,突然回頭卻已經九點多了,聊到差點忘記去拿作品集。
Ashley也是之後想出國工作的人,還說原本畢業時想打算先去加拿大找我玩一下之後再去工作,誰也沒想到時間永遠趕不上變化,她說我真的很勇敢,我則回她說經過這次疫情的衝擊我真的很受挫。
受挫的原因是好不容易鼓起勇氣去未知的國家闖盪,但突然爆發的疫情,我必須要鼓起第二次的勇氣回來台灣,之後的日子我不曉得我又有多少的勇氣能夠再次離開。
從加拿大回來後幾乎都沒使用沙發衝浪的App,昨天一點開看到令人惋惜的消息,沙發衝浪已經不知不覺陪伴許多人14年,卻抵擋不住疫情的損失,只好募集大家捐款。
Dear Couchsurfing Community,
All of us who are members of Couchsurfing believe in something greater than money, possessions, and status. It took over 14 years for the Couchsurfing community to come together. Without your immediate help, this community will be lost forever.
Given the challenging realities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Couchsurfing will soon be unable to meet our financial obligations. We have reduced the size of our team, taken pay cuts, eliminated or renegotiated all contracts, eliminated our physical office space (we are now a 100% remote workforce), and applied for COVID-19 relief funds provided by the United States Government through the CARES Act. Unfortunately, this will not be enough.
As of May 14, 2020, we are asking for member contributions of $2.39 per month, or $14.29 per year if paid upfront, to keep Couchsurfing alive. This member contribution is required to access the Couchsurfing website and mobile applications. Your member contributions will be used to support Couchsurfing through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, and to continue keeping this community safe. This is a decision of last resort, and not one easily made. To make your contribution, simply login to the website or mobile application.
There is good news: All Couchsurfing members can now send unlimited messages and Couch requests. As third-party advertising is no longer supporting Couchsurfing, all third-party advertising will soon be removed from the website and mobile applications. Member contributions will allow us to significantly reduce the cost of Verification in the near future. The Couchsurfing website and mobile applications will continue to evolve and we are in the process of developing many of the exciting features requested by the community.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Couchsurfing Support at support@couchsurfing.com.
Thank you,
The Couchsurfing Team
點進去粉絲專頁,看見這則貼文下面的留言十分溫暖,有許多人分享使用沙發衝浪的經驗與使用的國家次數,許多人紛紛留下感謝還想額外去捐款幫助,沙發衝浪的陪伴與經驗是用金錢衡量不來的,那些熱愛旅遊的人聚集在這裡,從每個人身上發覺到不同的面貌與值得學習的對象,尤其是每次不管是借住或是hang up都會給對方留下評價,每個人給我的評價我都十分感激著,原來我有那麼多的優點是我不曾發現的。
沙發衝浪像是一個攤販,攤販並沒有老闆,裡面有著各式各樣的物品,有些物品很耀眼、有些看起來有著歷史擁久的痕跡、有些物品必須翻找幾遍才能挖到、有些則是很坦誠的裸露在那,而這攤販在旁邊擺放了紙條、筆、與小鐵盒,上面說這些物品不需要付錢,但你必須寫下一段文字,代表你拿走它了,有能力的話可以給些錢放在小盒子裡。
每個人使用沙發衝浪的原因並不相同,會挑選到的人也不同,而它有著很棒的地方就是不用花錢,也能從每個人的自我介紹中去認識對方,要使用CS必須是能夠信任陌生人的人,也是熱愛旅行與認識不同文化的聚集地,儘管不同年齡、性別、種族,但我信任在網站上遇到的人,我想這些經驗很難從其他軟體上能找到或根本就是不可能。
很多人受疫情損失慘重,但我真的完全沒想過沙發衝浪被影響這麼嚴重,我真的很難過,如果CS真的不存在了,那我的旅行就不再是旅行。
【關於作者】
喜歡旅行攝影寫作,不願一生活在世俗的眼光下,我要用盡生命活出自己的樣貌。「用僅剩的回憶寫成過往」只要有一個人繼續看我的文章,我就會繼續寫下去。