“Don’t talk to strangers,” my mother’s voice still echoes in my ears that obviously is open to all sorts of noises!
But I have always been a rebel and I wanted to find out why she would advise me against opening up to strangers. I still haven’t figured out why she was always apprehensive.
Up until I was 17, I was a sheltered being. I am now 34, and those words just seem gibberish, particularly because I have bloomed into an amazing human only because I didn’t pay heed to her advice.
Times have changed, drastically. You can only survive if you do meet and interact with strangers. A sheltered Mariam would have never made something of her existence. I bagged my first paid internship during the first semester of uni only because I garnered courage and went ahead and spoke to the facilitator of a workshop hosted by the Georgia College Press Association (GCPA). Mr. Mark Smith was impressed with me, enough to offer me a paid internship at his newspapers- The Eatonton Messenger and Lake Oconee News. I later on to become the President of the GCPA. That is only one instance where I proved my mother wrong. Sometimes parents have to be challenged. But defiance is not the point I am making here.
You are all smart and know what I mean.
My first car, the awards I won at uni, and my travel diaries are all the result of my flamboyant nature. Fast forward to the year 2015, and I took my love for strangers to a whole new level when I started inviting strangers to share my home! Airbnb has fundamentally changed my positioning on strangers. I have met some of the coolest individuals, showed them around Cairo and also shared some of my life’s deepest secrets with them. It has been beautiful.
And I am not alone. The Airbnb community is growing and rightly so. A lot of people do it for the money. I do it for the companionship. Hosting someone in your house can be a scary thought. What if they loot me? What if they hurt me? I can understand your reservations. And I am not here to convince you that you should blindly trust strangers. What I intend to do, however, is to convince you to put down your guard enough where you can make the most of any conversation with a stranger. Take baby steps. I did too. And now I am a seasoned Airbnb host and traveler.
So many memorable experiences that it is hard to pin down my favorite. I have hosted people from all over the world and of such diverse backgrounds. Some have stayed a couple of nights and some for weeks! Many have become friends, and some just last as long as their visit. Either way, each guest has left an impact.
Michelle from Switzerland, Anna from Austria, Beau from the US, Ankit from Mumbai, Sam and …. from the US, Nivedita from Bangalore, Venkat from Hyderabad, Alsu from Russia, Michael from Germany, Indranil from Kolkatta, Anna from Mexico, Ankit from Chandigarh, and I can just go on and on.
I carefully choose the strangers I want to host, and then make the most of our time together. From reflections over hookah, a dinner, politically incorrect jokes over breakfast, attending music concerts together, and coffee shop conversations, time with Airbnb guests is beyond compare.
Somethings are best experienced with someone you don’t know, and when strangers become a familiar presence, consider you have lived life in the truest sense.
There can be good and bad moments. Whether you choose to dwell on the bad, is up to you. I have chosen to look beyond the negative experiences and not give in to my mom’s voice.
The Airbnb model is beyond one of business. The idea of connecting is simply surreal, and yet deeply fulfilling.
Airbnb can be what you want to make of it. A stopover, or an enriching experience. I always hope for the latter for me and my guests.
Watch my YouTube video here.
