By Patricia Thibaut
A friend of
mine has decided to fix up a little area to receive guests from all around the
world. She wanted to turn the ground floor of her duplex apartment into a cozy
and welcoming entrance. She made up her mind a few weeks ago because she wanted
to meet new people. She is quite easy going and the empty room downstairs was
useless.
She has a
spacious apartment with two very comfortable terraces in a peaceful and secure
area out of sight. This sunny private space is the perfect place for sunbathing
and enjoying a quiet summer day in Limoges. Before moving forwards with the
renovation work, she asked me to give her some advice because she knew that I
was already an Airbnb host and therefore, also fond of meeting people.
I was
looking forward to visiting the newly furnished room with en-suite facilities.
She invited me up for a cup of tea at her apartment to show me the brand new
pleasantly equipped guestroom.
She had
done a very good job! The bedroom, with its own private shower-room and toilet,
was nicely decorated with a big king size bed in the middle. Just in front of
the bed there was a flat-screen TV on a wooden shelf. It was a quiet and lovely
place to spend a few days visiting Limoges and its surrounding areas.
We went
upstairs to have a cup of tea, as she wanted to ask me a few questions about my
experience as a host. I told her that Airbnb was a great experience; I really
love having guests! I noted that most of the time, people are nice but
discreet. It’s not always easy to build relationships with people who are just
passing through. Nevertheless, I explained that I had particularly fond
memories of three interesting sets of guests. I notice further interest in her
eyes as I provoke her curiosity: she wanted to know more.
“Please,
could you tell me more?”
“Of course.
If you like meeting people and sharing knowledge about other ways of life,
being a host is a thrilling experience. It helps you to broaden your mind and
discover the world without moving outside of your home; you let the world and the
people of the world visit you. This, at least, is how I feel about my host
experience.”
“That
sounds so exciting! What kind of positive experiences have you had?”
“I’ll tell
you about my three best meetings:
The first
one was when I welcomed a young Brazilian neurosurgeon. When he arrived, he
didn’t speak much French and I didn’t speak Portuguese well either. We could
communicate only in English. He stayed in Limoges for 2 months to develop his
studies. We got along well and I even gave him some French lessons. We also had
long conversations when we had dinner together on the terrace, during the warm
summer evenings. I learnt a lot about Brazilian cuisine and customs, and about
their big cities like Sao Paulo, and Rio. In a nutshell, the time spent together
was very rewarding.
Another
valuable experience was with a young girl who rented my room for 5 months. She
stayed for the longest time of all of my guests. She had a fixed-term contract
in a bank in the centre of Limoges. She was from Toulouse and was looking for a
place to rent in the short-term. My home was the perfect spot for her because
she had no car. She was very shy and discreet but little by little, she started
to be more self-confident and feel more at ease with us. Sometimes she had dinner
with my daughter and I. They used to watch American series together and I could
hear them laughing. We shared long conversations and some great times together.
Bit by bit, we became good friends. Last year, we flew to Malta together for a
week-long holiday in August. Time flew by too quickly.
The last
great memorable encounter was with a young Chinese couple who were spending
their honeymoon in Europe. They were only in Limoges for one night. I invited
them for a nice cup of tea together in my living room before bed. We fell into
a lively and emotive chat until late. They left the following day. We shared
big hugs and promised to keep in touch.”
“Wow! You really
have had some fantastic experiences with your guests. I really want to be an
Airbnb host so that I can share the same experiences. Let’s see what happens!”
