Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Interview with US Servas: SERVAS FOSTERS PEACE THROUGH INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE

Wednesday, June 1, 2005

Interview with US Servas: SERVAS FOSTERS PEACE THROUGH INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE
How to become a concerned traveler, not just a tourist..

Servas travelers are warmly welcomed in more than 15,000 homes throughout the world.

You know by now that one of my underlying goals for this web site is to encourage intercultural exchanges, to make connections between people of different cultures which helps us all break down barriers between people and create more tolerance and understanding. Personally, I am a big advocate of traveling for the purpose of connecting with local residents to get an idea of their lifestyles and their philosophies.

SERVAS is an interesting organization that facilitates intercultural exchange by bringing together travelers who are interested in intercultural exchange as well as local hosts are willing to host these travelers (free of charge) or spend some time with them. Servas members are now represented in over 130 countries and it's a great organization if you:

- would you like to visit foreign countries and take part in everyday life
- would you like people from other countries to join in your daily life for a short time

- want to try to overcome your prejudices to communicate with others

- believe that peace is possible if everyone truly wants.

Through an Internet search I was able to locate the US head office of Servas and I approached Carole Wagner, Office Manager, and Patrice Samara, Executive Director, at the New York head office of US Servas to shed more light on this interesting organization.

[Editor's comment: please note that some of the information in this article is specific to Servas USA, while the general historical and philosophical underpinnings of this organization are applicable to all member country organizations. More specific membership information for each country can be obtained from the local country branch of Servas International.]

1. Please tell us about Servas, what kind of organization is it? What benefits does it offer to travelers?

US Servas is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote peace throughintercultural exchange. People can join as a traveler, as a host, or as botha traveler and as a host. but you don't have to be both. One can also becomea contributor to Servas.Travelers can benefit by meeting and living with people in the country theyare traveling to. If you enjoy sharing good conversation with new peopleand being part of a host family's life, you will enjoy Servas.

Since no money goes to the host family, many people think, "Oh this a greatcheap way to travel ". That is not what we are. Our goal is peace, notinexpensive travel. We are different than a lot of other similar groups inthat we interview all prospective travelers and do not approve those whoseattitudes and goals do not agree with Servas.
Our mission statement is: " US Servas fosters a more just and peaceful worldby promoting appreciation of cultural differences through homestays andexperiences in the hosts communities.
We have hosts in over 130 countries and there are close to 15,000 hostsworldwide. In the US we have 1,500 hosts.

2. When was it started and who created it? What is the philosophy behind Servas?

Servas was started in 1948 by Bob Luitweiler, a conscientious objector.It was right after WWll and it originally had the name Peace Builders.Bob established local groups in different countries to promote peace and tomake a change in society.
He built a hospitality system in Finland by going to Settlement Houses. InGermany, he got people who were in labor movements to join. In Denmark, heapproached Folk High Schools, and in Britain he approached a Pacifistservice group that had community housing and worked with social outcasts tobring them back into society. In the US he knew a woman Esther Harlan who was a Quaker, she had a large list of Quakers who became the first US Servas hosts.

3. How does Servas work, what countries can I visit and how many members are there?
Each country prepares its own host list. The list includes in additionto the name and address of the host, their age and what languages theyspeak. It lists their interests, what countries they have traveled to andlived in and organizations they belong to. This helps the traveler to pick ahost who they have something in common with.
The traveler must contact the host, either by phone, letter or email if they have email, tell them when they are coming and ask if it is convenient for them to visit. Sometimes hosts will say no, either because they have family visiting, or just had aServas guest and need some time in between guests. They may also be goingon vacation themselves. Travelers should be aware that in July andAugust Europeans go on vacation and you may have more difficulty finding ahost at that time.

4. Please tell us about some of the events that are organized by Servas.
Servas has an international conference every 3 years. US Servas has anannual conference. This year it will be in Vancouver Canada, combined with Servas Canada.
Many large cities have a monthly get-together of hosts, travelers andfriends, either in a restaurant or some member's home; often everyonecontributes a favorite dish. This month in NYC, we will have a garden partyin a Brooklyn host's garden.

5. What does being a "Servas Host" or being a "Day Host" entail?

A day host is someone who does not have room to accommodate a guest overnight, but is happy to spend time with a traveler during the day,sightseeing or having a meal. A regular host will put up the traveler for 3 days and 2 nights. Occasionally the host will invite the guest to stay longer.
We discourage just a 1-night visit, as this does not enable the host and traveler to really get to know each other. Host are not obligated to give the guests meals but most do. If you were going to India or Africa,or other poorer countries, it would be nice for the guest to contribute toward the meals.
As a host in NYC, I usually spend time in the morning over breakfast, talking to my guest and helping them to navigate the subway system if necessary and making suggestions on things to do, if they don't already have a list of what they want to do. I often invite them to visit the Fulton Fish Market early in the morning, since I live close by. This is not a usual tourist sight. I cook one dinner usually and suggest dinner in Chinatown for another meal. Sometimes they offer to cook for me. I havesome wonderful recopies given to me that were cooked for us in our home.

6. What suggestions do you have for someone trying the Servas concept for the first time?

If you were thinking of becoming a Servas traveler, I would say that youshould not plan on staying every night of your vacation with a Host. If youcan set up visits with hosts, you can certainly do that, but I feel that Iam listening and talking much of the time during a visit, so that I needsome down/quiet time after each visit. If you are a very quiet person anduncomfortable in new social situations, Servas may not be for you.
A traveler must be open to new people and willing to join in with the host orhost family. Servas does not want travelers who plan just to use the hosthome as a hotel. You will spend some time with your host, and how much timedepends upon your host's schedule.
When planning your trip, contact more hosts than you will plan to be stayingwith in case some are not available.

7. You personally have traveled through the Servas network. Please tell us about the countries, places and people you visited.
My husband and I have traveled with Servas to Germany, Switzerland, Iceland,Vancouver / Canada and Bonaire in the Caribbean. We've also stayed with hostsin the US. In Germany, we stayed with a couple that had a large house, sowe had our own bedroom and bathroom, which was nice. (You might sleep on amattress in a living room, as we did with another host.) She was awonderful cook and they took us around in their car to see some sights, andwe also went to visit another Servas host who was a wine merchant. Weenjoyed the visit very much.
In Iceland, we stayed with the main contact for Servas. I had called her for advice as to where to stay. Even though she was only a day host, she invited us to stay overnight when she heard I worked at the Servas office. She also took us around one entire day showing us all of Reykjavik. We had a wonderful dinner of boiled salmon; I never knew boiled salmon could taste so good.
When she came to NYC the following year, she and her husband stayed with us.Her husband, who is a carpenter, fixed my dining room chair for me. Weremain good friends and keep in contact.

When my husband and I travel to the Caribbean, we always stay at an inn.But since there are 7 hosts in Bonaire, I planned to visit them all as a dayhost.

One lovely older couple invited us over the evening they had a party fortheir 2-year-old grandson. We met their entire family. Not everyone spokeEnglish, but they were so hospitable. Julio asked me if I ever had eateniguana. I said no. He said he would catch one and then invite us over fordinner. It was delicious, tasted like chicken.
Another host in Bonaire was planning a birthday party for an eighty-year-oldfriend. He played in a Mariachi band. She invited us to the party. It wasdifficult to find the place, so we picked up a local who drove with us tothe party. There were over 100 people there and the music and food weregreat. I think we met half the people who lived on the island. If I hadnot known Servas hosts I would never have had these experiences.

8. Please share with us your 3 favourite travel memories related to Servas.

On our trip to Switzerland we stayed with a host near Lake Lucerne. Sherented an old farmhouse on the side of a mountain overlooking Lake Lucerne.It had the most beautiful view. I took lots of photos, especially sunsets.We slept upstairs in the loft and had millet pillows, very comfortable. Wetook a hike with her through the country side, and she walked barefoot all the way.
I remember her cat, Shacti, who was often left alone for a week at the farmhouse, and she subsisted on mice. But she would not eat the gall bladder. We were told by the host that she could count the tiny gall bladders and know how many she had eaten. One day I observed the cat as she caught a mouse and watched her carefully remove the tiny gall bladder. She knew her mouse anatomy.

In Vancouver we stayed on the mainland with a great couple, our age, and after our stay, we were planning to go to Victoria. They suggested we stay with a Servas host, friends of theirs, who owned a B&B. But the host booksaid that in May they did not take Servas guests, as it was the busy season for their B&B. But we called them anyway and they said sure we can take you but you have to make the bed for yourself and again when you leave for their next "paying" guest. They had a wonderful dog, very friendly. I tend tolook for hosts with pets, as I love animals. It was a great visit, great hosts.

My next memory comes from my hosting experience. I've been a host for over15 years and have had many more hosting experiences than travel experiences. I received a letter from 2 young men from Togo Africa. I had never even heard of Togo before this. They planned to come to NYC and wanted to staywith me. It was their first Servas experience. I was expecting them on aSunday evening and had a lamb dinner prepared. But they did not come. Iwas disappointed. Monday evening we got a call from them, they were at theTogo embassy in NYC and asked if we could pick them up. AL and I went to pick them up and found out that Jean could not speak any English and Leononly a little. I speak very little French, which was their native language.
This was my only visit where language was a problem. But we managed. I did not get to learn very much about them and their country due to the language problem. But in our attempts to communicate we had many misunderstandings. For example, I have a cat, whose kitty litter is in the bathroom. So Itried to tell them they should not close the door to the bathroom when they were finished so the cat could get in to use the kitty litter. Well, the next day, my husband said to me, they did not understand. Leon is in the bathroom peeing with the door open. He must have thought we were very strange.

But, Leon and Jean never went back to Togo. Due to many unforeseen circumstances, they stayed in the US. Jean won the green card lottery and Leon got Political asylum. I am still in close contact with Leon, and infact we were witnesses at his marriage to his fiancé from Togo. Now his English is much better and we can communicate. We laugh over the bathroom incident.

9. How do I become a member of US Servas? How much does it cost?

In order to join Servas USA, you need to fill out a Letter of Introduction,which you can download from our web site. The letter has a space for you to answer some questions in an essay form. This is where you get to tell your host about yourself.

Spend some time filling this out as your essay will make youstand out to your host and they will be excited to host you. Then you need 2letters of recommendation from friends or coworkers. Then you will call an interviewer (we have over 200 in the US) and meet for an interview. We charge $85.00 annual fee plus a $25.00 deposit that allows you to get up to5 countries host lists. The deposit is refunded when you return the books after your trip.

{Editor's note: membership prices and guidelines vary from country to country. For specific information please direct yourself to your national Servas branch, which can be located through Servas International.]

Thank you, Carole and Patrice, for your time, your information and for sharing your wonderful experiences.
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For more travel articles, advice, photos, interesting interviews &
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