A home exchange? What a great idea! Right?
Well, that
depends on who you talk to. It's not for everyone, I suppose.
Most of my
friends said they could never do it, could never trust strangers in their own
home.
My response
was simply that everything that I value is coming with me. And I wasn’t
referring to what was in my suitcase.
The
preparations were intense. On top of the regular packing and planning for our
trip, there was the additional burden of preparing the house for the other
family. I wrote a four-page summary of information complete with instructions
on the proper operation of the dishwasher, TV, washing machine, computer,
navigation system, coffee maker, etc. Plus, recycling instructions, baby sitter
telephone and emergency numbers. Of course the house had to be in tip-top
shape, with fresh bedding and towels, as well as waste and laundry baskets
emptied.
By the time
we left, I was exhausted.
We swapped
cars too. Why not? A rental would have cost nearly a thousand for the duration.
So, we left
the keys in an envelope addressed to our guests at the information desk at the
airport. We checked in, passed through security and then waited in the boarding
area for the passengers from Ireland to embark from the plane that we would
subsequently board and then retrace their route.
The waiting
area was glass all around and adjacent to the receiving area for arrivals. The
aircraft was parked on the tarmac about 50 meters away so the passengers had to
descend the stairs and walk towards the terminal. So we watched intently at
everyone disembarking, to catch a glimpse of the strangers that would spend the
next eleven days driving our car, lounging on our couch and sleeping in our
beds.
And then we
saw them. A family with several small children. I looked for the mother. I had
spoken with her on the phone and passed dozens of emails, but actually hadn't
seen any photos of her. What if she were, um, well, unkempt, repulsive even? How
could I let someone like that in my very own safe haven?
But she
wasn't! She looked, well, like me! An Irish me! OK, but with dark hair and
totally different, though very much the same. Ahhhh. Sigh of relief.