Toronto: the city, Nepal in Toronto and Nepalese perspectives on Southeast Europe

If I don't know someone and only need temporary accommodation, I use Airbnb. Yes, it has become ultra-commercialized and in many places Airbnb completely disrupts housing prices and rents, destroying cities. The original idea was to stay at someone's home when the person was not there or had a spare room, which I found great about 10 years ago. It was a luxury version of Couchsurfing - you didn't have to pay, you could stay on someone's couch for free.

A bit more "space" for little money, that's what Airbnb used to be. Emphasis on "used to be". However, in recent years, I hardly had that anymore. In some cities, the city centers consist almost entirely of Airbnb apartments. Someone, usually wealthy, bought the apartment or house and now rents it out at an even higher price - making even more money and withdrawing the apartment from the regular rental market.

Since I, after many years of hostel experience and many, many nights in dormitory rooms, now want to have my own room and a couch is no longer enough - yes, demands increase with age ;) - Airbnb is often one of the few alternatives, especially when you don't know the place well. So: a dilemma, albeit a luxury problem, because I am aware that traveling is an absolute privilege.

So much in advance to avoid giving the impression that Airbnb is only great. One way for me to use Airbnb according to the original idea is to check if the person renting the place lives there - or exclusion: the person has several apartments to rent in one city. That would be more like an "Airbnb broker".

In Toronto, without really knowing it, I had a stroke of luck. It was a bit further out, but still a good price and very nice people I stayed with. A couple from Nepal. Tanka, in his mid-60s, had worked for the UN in Serbia and Kosovo for a long time, and they have been living in Canada for several years now.

I didn't know much about Nepal before: somewhere near China, Central Asia. Oh dear, what was the capital called again...? Or the other way around: do I actually know anything about this country?

No, not really.

Tanka told me that 30 million people live there, Kathmandu is the capital, and many people still maintain the caste system, although it plays only a minor role in the cities. Tanka received a very good education: he comes from the highest caste and therefore had the opportunity to go abroad.

Shibanee is a bit younger and knows exactly what she wants, she is direct and warm at the same time. Both grew up with arranged marriages and that's how they met as well. That's no secret, and during one of the many kitchen conversations, Shibanee told me about it. She didn't want to marry someone who is 10 years older - like Tanka. So she went to Kathmandu back then, met Tanka, and found that he didn't look 10 years older at all - and was actually quite nice. And so they got married. Some relatives already knew each other, so the contact was established.

Even more exciting were Shibanees stories about her years in Southeast Europe. She quickly learned Serbian, and her children grew up there. The UN mission that Tanka was part of at that time was without families, i.e. there was no support for them. They decided on their own to join Tanka and live in Serbia. Not easy, because if the UN personnel had been evacuated in an emergency, Shibanee and the children would not have received any international support; they would have been on their own.

Shibanee also told me about incidents, loud insults directed at her and her children. They have a darker skin color and also the Nepalese clothing style as well as Shibanees knowledge of Serbian led people there to assume that they were a Roma family. Shibanee had the strength to defend herself, and even more importantly, she found some Serbian friends, she calls them "Serbian family members", who always supported her. That helped.

Especially the last story is still in my mind. And it touches me in multiple ways. And I can't help but wonder if the friends would have intervened if it had been Serbian Roma.

I also had the opportunity to enjoy very good Nepalese food during my days in Toronto. It's not actually included in Airbnb, but Shibanee and Tanka gave me the full Nepalese experience even though they are currently very busy: their son is getting married.

In a year's time.

And the preparations for a Hindu wedding in Canada are in full swing. Since his fiancée is Christian, there will be two wedding celebrations next year: a Christian one and one according to Hindu customs. I hope I get photos of it, at least we stay connected via WhatsApp. Truly a great encounter!