Sunday 28 June 2015

Be My Guest

Being a host is something I enjoy very much, even though I love living on my own and loneliness was never a problem for me since my husband died 5 1/2 years ago.
One room in my flat is what I call the Third Room. Actually, it is the second bedroom; while my husband was still alive, it was his. He had his amateur radio station in there; it is where he slept and kept his clothes as well as part of his do-it-yourself stuff, all very neatly organized, his pride and joy.
Nowadays, the bed is there for any of my friends who want to spend the night, for instance when one from our original Girls' Night group who now lives near Hamburg comes visiting.

Earlier this year, I saw a leaflet at the baker's about visitors to the Kirchentag looking for private quarters for a few nights, without any further duties (such as providing meals etc.) for the host. You probably don't know what the Kirchentag is, therefore I have found this description for you in English. In an excerpt, it says:
“A mixture of an Open University summer school, a Bible convention, TaizĂ©, a synod meeting,the Edinburgh Festival, a brass band festival for 500 bands, an ideal homes exhibition and a cup final – all rolled into one and all going on at the same time ...” That’s how one participant from Great Britain has described the “Kirchentag”, a phenomenon that, like the word itself, is hard to define or compare to anything else. It is a unique event and a tremendous experience."
I was never interested in going to the Kirchentag (literally, "Church Day") myself. But I thought, why not play host to someone for a few nights; the room and the bed are there anyway, and I don't need to do anything beyond providing clean sheets and let whoever gets assigned to me use the bathroom in the morning and at night, as they will be away all day anyway.
So I signed up as a host via the form on the internet. There, I could state the number of guests I was prepared to accomodate (1), and any special requirements, for instance whether my flat was suitable for someone in a wheelchair (no), whether I spoke any language other than German (yes), if I requested specifically that my guest be male or female (no preference), or anything else. The only requirement I put in the form was that I did not want anyone to smoke in my flat.
Some weeks later, closer to the big event, a letter arrived with contact details for the person assigned to me, a man from further down south.

We exchanged emails and a phone call, and very late on the evening of the first day of the Kirchentag (at the beginning of June) my guest arrived.
Thomas is a man in his mid-thirties, married with two small daughters, one of them was only a few months old (which is why his wife wasn't with him for the trip). He is a school teacher, and a drummer in a band in his free time. It was due to the band that he attended the Kirchentag at all; they played three concerts on one day and four on the next.

I had prepared the bed for him with fresh sheets and showed him where everything was; we sat in the living room for a little chat and then said good-night.
The next day, he left for the train station after a mug of tea and a slice of bread, and I went to work. This same pattern was repeated for two days and nights, and on the third evening, he travelled back home.

It was not much work for me at all, but gave me the opportunity to meet someone I'd never have otherwise met, and have some interesting conversations. For my guest, it was a chance to attend the Kirchentag and play the concerts without having to spend much money, and also to meet someone he would have never otherwise met.


My guest was tidy enough in the bathroom and kitchen, but not very much so in his own room. Never mind - it was his room entirely for the time he stayed here, and I only entered it when the phone rang (because that happens to be in there). 

The day after he left, it didn't take me long to restore the room to its former order. 


It has of course been slept in a few more times since, and will continue being used as my guest room. If any of you should ever happen to be in the area, you are very welcome to spend a few nights here. And I am not just saying this, I mean it.

18 comments:

  1. I would lend a room out for a local event like that also. It is always nice to meet someone new. I live in a rather dull rural area of the USA but you would be welcome to stay here anytime as well!

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    1. Thank you, Softie! A "dull rural area" to you would be new to someone who is not familiar with it, maybe with more to discover than you think :-)

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    2. A nice way of thinking of it. Thank you! You are welcome anytime. :)

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  2. Perhaps I am more cautious and would not offer to host an adult I do not know....But that's just me. I can see that it worked out very well for you and I think it was a generous thing to do!

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    1. The people who attend the Kirchentag is generally not the kind to be afraid of... besides, there are people on the top and the ground floor of this house, and next door (wall to wall) as well... I wasn't in the least bit worried. What could my guest have done? Nick my landline phone? Peep into the drawers where I keep my winter coats and duvet covers? Come over to my room at night and murder me? Highly unlikely :-)

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  3. Nice idea. But still a brave thing to do, irrespective of the logic of your comments above.

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    1. I am not a particularly brave person, and offering hospitality for a few days to someone I didn't know did not feel particularly brave, either - people who run a B&B do it all the time :-)

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  4. About 5 years ago, i was invited to go visit some people i'd never met save online. We've become real life friends, and get together every year. If you are cautious, most people who would travel so far to attend an event are good people in general.

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    1. So far, everyone I've first known in the onlne world and later met offline turned out to be as nice as they had come across online. In fact, my late husband and I first met online - in a Star Trek themed chatroom... :-)

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  5. I've done that sort of thing in the past (and enjoyed it) but then it was people visiting the church in which I was active myself at the time; or friends of friends. With the layout of my present flat it would not be practical... A friend is ok, but I would not sign up to house a stranger.

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    1. I wouldn't have offered the room if it wasn't so convenient, Monica. Also, hosting more than one person is possible for me, but it would have meant giving up my bedroom to them, and I do not sleep well in that narrow bed in the third room; I would have had to move to the settee, and my living room does not have a door.

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  6. Oh, Meike. If you think that room is untidy, you've never seen a teenager's bedroom. I gave up on mine (teenagers' bedrooms) in the end.

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    1. Believe me, Frances, I was a teenager myself... and my Mum will tell you that I definitely wasn't Miss Tidy back then!

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  7. If I am ever in your area, I will take you up on it! (Doubtful, since I have never set foot upon the continent of Europe. but maybe one day!!)
    I love that you had your guest and that everything went well for both of you,. Of course, you were the perfect host and that always makes such a difference!

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    1. It was a good experience - for both hostess and guest, I hope! - and I'll gladly repeat it when the occasion arises.
      Of course you know that for you and Richard, I'd gladly give up my bedroom for a few nights if you ever felt like visiting Ludwigsburg!

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    2. So sweet of you, but I promise I wouldn't let you do that! :-)
      I am thinking (dreaming) of the time of year I would like to visit there...would it be in the winter and I could visit the markets at Christmas time, in the summer and we could go to your parents' allotment, in the autumn and see all those pumpkins at the Castle, or in the Spring and go on long walks with you? See, I DO pay attention! Might not make it there, but I can dream!

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  8. Well it all seemed to work out fine for you Meike but as you know not all men are as respectful and as trustworthy as the schoolteacher drummer. I think it was brave of you to allow an unknown man to sleep in your apartment but what would life be without an element of risk?

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    1. The type of man who travels for hours in the car to play concerts at Church Day is probably not the same who goes round murdering single women. That can be had closer to home if one is so inclined, I suppose...
      It absolutely did not feel risky at all. There are some risky situations, of course, such as going home with a stranger you've only just met at the pub and you both have had a lot to drink, but then that's something I would never do.

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