This site has now been retired. I've moved to my new site Silverknife, where you'll find new blog posts and all my latest projects and photos. These pages will remain for at least a while, as I know some of you are still looking through the archives, but I'm reposting my travel journals and many other articles on the new site. Come and check it out.
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Back in March I posted briefly about Servas, the worldwide network of travellers and hosts I was hoping to join. Well, I had my introductory interview booked around the time of the great course collapse, and what with all the upheaval at the time I cancelled it, and only got round to revisiting the idea recently. So tonight I finally got my introductory interview, and I'm now (bar some paperwork and fees) a confirmed traveller member.
Servas is an extraordinary organisation. Set up after the Second World War by an international group of friends, it has grown to include over 13,000 hosts in more than 100 countries. The premise is simple: promote world peace by enouraging people to learn about other people and other cultures, through travel. Servas hosts take in Servas travellers, generally for two nights. No money changes hands (that's a fundamental principle of the network) - only knowledge about each other and better understanding of the world.
It's a beautiful, simple premise, and a truly independent positive force - there's no political or religious agenda, just the intention to make the world better through better understanding. The Servas system is maintained by a set of protocols, kept simple but carefully chosen to ensure that no-one feels uncomfortable or put-upon at any point. Travellers are expected to be respectful and helpful to their hosts, and to really be there with them (not treat the house as a hotel). Hosts have a simple set of commitments too.
All in all I'm really excited about getting involved with this network. The local coordinator who interviewed me (a teacher who, with his wife and family, has been a traveller previously and is now a host) was very helpful and clear, asked all the questions I would want to have asked, and it was clear that his concerns were very much like my own. And it was clear that the things which excited me about the network - the chance of finding new experiences and becoming a bigger person - would make me very much at home with Servas.
Other news: Not much really. I've dropped the HerbMed link from the left rail, because it turns out it's a pay site with a crippled (45 herb) "free trial version". Shame. Haven't enquired about the full subscription cost, but since their one day access rate is $5.99, I don't think it's a charge I'm going to be willing to pay. It's frustrating, because it's the kind of information (allowing people to make informed judgement based on scientific evidence about medical issues) that I really feel should be freely available. But it's certainly not that different from any other journal database, where you can frequently pay $30+ to access a single paper. Sick eh? That's modern academia for you.
Still working on my own herb database, which has grown significantly today. I'm incorporating into it a bunch of wild food items and techniques as well, because it all seems to overlap (some items are a medicinal herb and a wild tea, for example) and I think I'm likely to be looking for the different things at the same time. Not sure about making it available for download - I think it'll be useful for some people, but I'm very concerned about the referencing issue.
I've researched each item in the database to the point where I'm happy that it's supported by research and practice, but I don't want to do the same as so many others, ie posting lists of herbs (even with a disclaimer) and saying "you can trust me, I've checked it out and they work" without references. That's exactly the kind of approach I hate. I'll think about it. If I get the time maybe I will actually try and put together full references for it, especially since HerbMed isn't filling the void I thought it was.
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