If you’ve spotted a young man with curly hair and a floral suitcase strolling along the streets of Honolulu, you’ve likely encountered Marcel Marco Brylka, a 21-year-old student from Germany.
Ever since the 21-year-old came to Hawai’i, Brylka haven’t stayed in the same place for longer than a couple of nights in a row. “This wasn’t really my plan,” he admits. “But I fell in love with the idea of couch surfing and experiencing different places. I love taking risks.”
When Brylka first arrived, he had planned for staying a couple of nights in a hostel before finding a more permanent apartment. Instead, he struck up a conversation with two Swedish travelers on the bus asking if they had a place he could stay for two. And they did.
“I’m very spontaneous and I love to meet all the new people. I had a really good time staying at the Swedish guys, so I was like, hey, this is my story.”
“The Homeless Guy”
Though he acknowledges the craziness of living like this, Brylka wouldn’t trade the experiences he’s gained for anything.
Brylka tells about all the friendships he has gotten out of the project. People even reach out to the German because they heard of him. “I was in the bar and then someone was like, hey, you’re the homeless guy,” he laughed.
Although being “the homeless guy” has been fun most of the time, Brylka admits that it also has its downsides. When asked what’s the worst part about the project, he answered that it would be walking around with all his luggage. Because he didn’t bring a practical backpack.
“Oh no, I have a whole suitcase full of flowers, that I got from my mother. And I walk around with this in the university, with everybody watching me and laughing.”
Most parents would probably worry sick thinking about their son being homeless on the other side of the world. Even though most parents would worry knowing their son living like a homeless on the other side of the world, Brylka’s family does not seem to be surprised. His father who traveled alone to Africa at just 17 and then all over the world, inspired his adventurous spirit.
The Financial Side
Back home in Germany, Brylka’s taking a bachelor’s degree in “Business and Psychology”. In addition, he hopes to grow his social media following. Through his travels, he’s been sharing his “homeless in Hawai’i” journey online.
Financially, Brylka estimates that living from couch to couch has saved him around $4,000. But he insists it was never about the money.
Wants to Settle Down
This weekend, Brylka will go to Kauai with some friends sleeping in hammocks. After that, he’s planning to find a more permanent place to stay until the end of the semester. Partly, because of exams and finals, but primarily because he’s worried about getting on everyone else’s nerves.
“It might be safer, but honestly, I don’t really care about safety. I just don’t want to piss somebody off.”
