Hallway Encounters at Gipuzcoa 3

Gipuzcoa 3 is open for business. The summer is kicking off and our rooms have been full for weeks. I meet new people everyday, getting acquainted with different cultures, personality types and habits that may or may not be socially acceptable anywhere other than a youth hostel. The Urban House guests never disappoint when it comes to making a lasting impression. Here is a selection of my personal favourites.

Man with the smokin' body who owns no clothing - It's as if he isn't comfortable wearing anything other than a towel. Every time I ran into him, that's all he was wearing. Walking from his room to the bathroom... in a towel. Pacing the halls... in a towel. Surfing the internet... in a towel. I'd probably do the same thing if I were as flawlessly chiseled as he was, but that's besides the point. I did a few loads of his laundry the other day, and had to hold on to one load for an extra day while the last few items dried. Teasingly, he asked me if I was trying to steal his clothing. I laughed, but later realized that every item I was holding were pairs of tighty-whitey underpants. I can't tell what's weirder - being the guy who peruses the halls in a neon-green towel, or being the girl accused of stealing his undies.

First-time traveler with no concern for personal hygiene, balanced nutrition or others' opinions - I have to admit, at first I was a bit put off by his smell/diet/lack of mental filter. His room smelled, he ate McDonalds 3 times a day, and every thought that came to mind he said right away. He stayed with us for weeks because that was the soonest he could get a tattoo appointment (which he impulsively decided he wanted only a few weeks ago.) But his carefree attitude grew on me and I was sad to see him leave.

Finnish boys that I yelled at on their first night - it was an awkward three days that followed the evening I yelled at these two. I've recently been a bit over-reactive when people interrupt my sleep. In the last year, I've had my sleep disturbed by drunk Frenchmen, rowdy backpackers, roosters, my alarm clock, marching bands, clock chimes, Kenyan village funerals, thunderstorms and protests. So when someone wakes me up, I get vicious. When these guys woke me up and refused to leave the common room right outside my door, I lost it. The air was thick with tension when we crossed paths for the rest of their visit.

The girl who complains about everything - lack of ice cube trays in hostels, corn trading agreements between the US and Mexico, types of sugar in Mexican cereals, grains found in digestive cookies (???). I can't believe the range of topics this girl had issues with.

But encounters in the halls aren't always weird. There are some perfectly normal people that stay here, and every now and then I have a normal conversation. But I have to admit, there is an ulterior motive to my friendliness. Since I've started a bar in the hostel, most of conversations start or end in "have you had a beer recently?" More often then not, this encourages people to buy one. With all of the profits going to Friends of Rusinga, the feeding program I worked with in Kenya, I will have a house full of beer-gutted charitable donors in no time!