O ABC DA TROCA DE CASAS

Capítulo 5
VOLTA AO MUNDO GRAÇAS À TROCA DE CASAS!

Chine Lanzmann é jornalista e pioneira do Canal +, autora de vários romances de sucesso, é actualmente instrutora de comunicação, uma especialidade que ensina na Escola Central de Paris. Laurent Edel, empresário, vendeu aos 31 anos a sua primeira empresa, Republic Alley. Monta uma nova empresa, Good Futur, e parte à descoberta de novas ideias de negócios em França e na Europa. Parte de Paris com o seu bebé, Edmond, e durante um ano dão a volta ao mundo. Têm um apartamento em Paris. Tiveram êxito ao concluir uma troca de casas numa das cinco etapas, da volta ao mundo. Utilizaram o HomeExchange durante a preparação da viagem e prestaram homenagem ao nosso web site no seu livro.

 Para eles, só há dois web sites eficientes no mundo para a troca de casas. Sentimo-nos orgulhosos pelo facto do TrocaCasa/HomeExchange ser um deles. Eis como descrevem o nosso site:

O site mais fácil para começar. Ponto forte, a "pesquisa invertida" para saber "quem são as pessoas do país que queremos ir e que querem vir para nossa casa". Custa 75/35 euros para pôr um anúncio durante um ano e, o ano seguinte é gratuito em caso de insucesso no primeiro ano: www.homeexchange.com

Veja alguns extractos do seu livro:

O sonho da fundação

Sonhámos com esta volta ao mundo, pela primeira vez, no Verão de 2002, durante um jantar romântico num restaurante perto de Saint-Émilion, na região de Bordéus. Porque não ir a outros lugares ver o que se passa de interessante? Temos tempo à nossa frente e nada que nos retenha realmente em França. Isto poderia ser a ocasião para os dois encontrarem ideias para montar uma nova sociedade. Mas podemos viajar com a nossa criança de um ano? Certamente, bastará organizarmo-nos consequentemente. Mãos à obra! Laurent saca do bloco de notas que o acompanha todos os dias. Estipulamos um prazo de três meses para preparar a viagem. Os nossos olhos brilham sob a luz das velas... 

Mais tarde, quando ambos voltámos a falar sobre o assunto, hesitámos uma série de vezes! Ficar? Partir? Onde? Quanto tempo? Para facilitar a decisão, resolvemos criar uma lista onde apontávamos os pontos positivos e negativos. Os pontos positivos, da lista, cresciam mais que os pontos negativos. Descobrir o mundo, visitar países desconhecidos, criar contactos internacionais. Finalmente, construímos este projecto de viagem, tal e qual, como o tínhamos imaginado da primeira vez. É preciso dizer que foi necessário criar as condições...

Uma primeira experiência das viagens                                                     

A ideia de dar a volta ao mundo não nos assusta: já temos uma certa experiência da vida no estrangeiro e cada uma das nossas viagens foi uma experiência formidável. Laurent já se expatriou por duas vezes. Após os estudos, passou dois anos no Vietnam no âmbito de um VSN (serviço militar em empresa). Mais tarde, descobre o Vale de Silicon, na América do Norte, onde fez vigilância tecnológica, durante um ano, para o banco Paribas. Por seu lado, Chine, após ter publicado três romances e começado uma carreira informática, exilou-se em Los Angeles para retomar um ano de estudo sobre cinema. De regresso, é contratada pelo Canal + onde permanece durante nove anos.
Uma paixão compartilhada... nomeadamente para a criação de empresas. Demitimo-nos das nossas grandes empresas para cada um criar a nossa própria sociedade Internet. E foi nesse momento que nos conhecemos. Entre 1999 e 2001, trabalhámos como loucos. Seguidamente Laurent vendeu a sua sociedade e Chine publicou a sua aventura romanesca: "O ano dos milhões". Edmond, o nosso filho, nasceu ao mesmo tempo que a nova empresa de Laurent, "Good Futur". Uma estrutura com um nome decididamente optimista, que propõe conferências e seminários. Compartilhamos um mesmo gosto pela criatividade e pelo empreendedorismo... Queríamos afirmá-lo bem alto e forte!

Partimos para mudar de ares

O clima económico e político de França não corresponde realmente ao nosso optimismo! A economia está muito lenta, após a "explosão da bolha Internet" e com Le Pen na segunda volta das eleições presidenciais em Abril de 2002, já não nos sentimos muito bem em França. Pela primeira vez na nossa vida, pensamos que talvez o nosso futuro já não passa pelo nosso país! Como ambos gostamos de  procurar  tendências novas e conhecer aquelas que nos movem, e como de alguma forma temos de ganhar um novo impulso para continuar... vamos passar alguns meses ao estrangeiro. No regresso, sentimo-nos felizes por voltar a França!

É o momento ideal para nós

O momento vem em boa altura. Temos dinheiro graças à venda da empresa do Laurent. Temos também tempo e vontade de desfrutar! Não se perfila nenhum projecto interessante no horizonte... Uma vez mais, vamos ter que criar o nosso próprio emprego. Até porque, Edmond tem agora um ano, uma idade muito boa: já não é um bebé. E como dorme as suas doze horas por noite, nós começamos a recuperar da fadiga dos primeiros meses... Ele ainda não vai à escola, e não há um segundo bebé a caminho, de momento!

A organização da viagem: uma viagem possível graças à troca de casas

A fim de poder poupar na viagem, decidimos trocar o nosso apartamento sempre que possível. É mais barato que o hotel, e há muito mais espaço e Edmond terá brinquedos em cada país. Pensámos permanecer, em média, um mês em cada cidade, excepto nos Estados Unidos onde queremos passar três meses, o tempo máximo para um visto de turista! Assim teremos tempo para nos instalarmos, conhecer as pessoas e fazer descobertas, e logo preparar o resto da viagem... Durante três meses, Chine consagra-se por conseguinte à organização das nossas cinco trocas. Tudo através da Internet.

Temos a sorte de viver em França: todas as pessoas desejam passar as suas férias aqui! Os nossos contactos são todos diferentes. Na China, são franceses repatriados que querem vir por um mês, mas não viver com a sua família. Na Austrália, uma mulher solteira que quer conhecer a cultura europeia. No Canadá, são os reformados que resolvem levar os netos a Paris, no período das férias. Nos Estados Unidos, uma jovem família francófona sonha igualmente em mostrar a nossa bonita capital às suas crianças: entusiastas! Falarão francês entre si durante um mês e comerão "baguette" com Nutela! 

Pergunta de confiança

Alguns dos nossos amigos pensam que nos tornámos loucos: "Eles vão dormir nos vossos lençóis?" Sim, e então? Para nós é como ir ao hotel. "E se partem tudo, se vos roubam coisas?" Temos confiança. E seguidamente, também, estaremos na casa deles! Todos temos interesse para que as coisas corram bem. Partilhar o manual de instruções da máquina de lavar, isso cria relações. Desenvolvemos um pequeno contrato para marcar as datas, determinar quem paga o quê e para saber o que acontece em caso de rotura ou problema. Não quer dizer que não possa surgir um caso de força maior no último minuto, no entanto, só pelo facto de se porem as coisas no papel já tranquiliza.

O orçamento

Dar a volta ao mundo é possível. Depende da forma de vida de cada um. Hoje, o preço dos voos "volta ao mundo" são acessíveis. Com a troca de casas, economiza-se o hotel e o aluguer de carro. O resultado é que gastamos o mesmo que em Paris. 

100 Kg de bagagem

Um recorde de ligeireza! Pensa Chine. É demasiado! Pensa Laurent. Normal, é ele que leva os 100 Kg de bagagem, repartidos em três sacos vermelhos com rodas. Vamos passar desde o Inverno até ao Verão. Os únicos acessórios de bebé que transportámos são um carrito e uma cama de viagem para que o pequeno universo de Edmond seja sempre o mesmo durante a noite.

Viver como se habitasse lá

Um dos nossos sonhos nesta viagem era viver como se habitássemos lá. Estivemos perto do objectivo, muitas vezes, através do desporto, da alimentação, dos encontros e das actividades do Edmond, mas sempre levámos umas semanas para nos adaptar. Partir à aventura, é realmente o que gostámos de fazer, mas uma vez aí chegados, por vezes é fatigante e stressante estar a viver coisas novas a cada momento. Ao mesmo tempo, é o que nos faz avançar! 

Um bilhete de avião "volta ao mundo"

"Aproveitem todo o tempo possível. O mais difícil é organizarem-se para ter êxito à partida. Tudo correrá sobre rodas." Assegurou-nos uma amiga de viagem. Quando Laurent começa a analisar os voos, rapidamente encontra o rasto dos "bilhetes volta ao mundo", mais económicos e práticos que uma sucessão de idas e voltas ou simplesmente de idas. 

Onde fazer escala? O mundo é tão grande!

O objectivo é complexo: queremos, às vezes, trocar o nosso apartamento, viver no centro da cidade com o nosso bebé, ao mesmo tempo encontrar possibilidades de negócio, tudo isto em países onde seja fácil viver e estejamos cobertos pelo nosso bilhete volta ao mundo a preço reduzido... Somos obrigados a fazer uma escolha! Desejávamos ir ao Peru mas o nosso bilhete não o permite. Também queríamos ir à Suécia, à Lituânia bem como à Islândia mas é impossível planificar trocas com tanto tempo de antecedência nestes três países.

Finalmente, o nosso programa de viagem está pronto um mês antes da data de partida: Janeiro na China, em Pequim e Xangai; Fevereiro no Japão, em Tóquio; Março na Austrália, em Sidnei; de Abril a Junho na Califórnia, em Berkeley e Palo Alto; e Julho no Canadá, em Vancouver.

Pequim, Janeiro de 2003

No aeroporto, esperavam-nos um amigo e o motorista chinês da família com a qual trocámos o nosso apartamento. Como todos os chineses que trabalham com os ocidentais, ele (o amigo) escolheu um nome fácil de pronunciar: Adonis! Sentada no banco de trás do carro, luto para me manter acordada, enquanto que o Edmond dormita nos meus braços. Sinto-me comovida. Tento descobrir alguns símbolos do Império do Meio, mas esta auto-estrada que nos leva até à cidade assemelha-se a todas as outras. Ah! Uma casa com um tecto estilo pagode e um painel de publicidade em chinês. Sim! Estou na China! Pela primeira vez na minha vida! Laurent segue-nos num táxi com a bagagem. Logo que entrámos em Pequim, o carro ficou preso num engarrafamento. Tinham-me prevenido: Pequim é imenso. O nosso apartamento está perto do... quarto periférico! Temo estar na periferia mas os nossos amigos dizem que estamos no centro. Impressionante a entrada do edifício, à mesma dimensão deste país em construção! O solo de mármore é ofuscado por uma jovem senhora. Os porteiros estão vestidos como mordomos e formados para sorrir e dizer "Olá". Não esperava tanto luxo na China! O nosso apartamento de 200 metros quadrados fica no vigésimo andar. Piscina, canalizador, porteiro, restaurantes, o edifício está dotado de todos os serviços (ver N.I.B. página 61). Já não lamento de não ter tido êxito a trocar com uma casa na parte antiga do centro de Pequim. Uns dias depois, uns amigos convidaram-nos a visitar a sua casa: fria, húmida e cheia de correntes de ar. Pela manhã, têm que bombear o gasóleo no pátio gelado. Ao contrário, na nossa casa, faz calor e está-se muito bem.

O casal com o qual trocámos o nosso apartamento, francês na casa dos trinta anos, vive na China desde que concluíram os estudos. Conheceram-se à três anos e têm uma menina de seis meses. Falam correctamente a língua chinesa e são dirigentes de topo em  filiais de empresas internacionais, o que lhes permitiu comprar este enorme apartamento. Em França não poderiam gozar desta situação. A "ahi", que significa a irmã mais velha em chinês, é o nome que se dá às amas e às mulheres da limpeza. A sua ahi vem todas as tardes. Utiliza o mesmo pano para limpar toda a casa. Quando nos vê com o rolo de papel de cozinha, dá-nos a entender que não é correcto. Imaginem os caixotes de lixo de mais de um bilião de chineses cheios de papel de cozinha! Ganha duzentos euros por mês pelos meios-dias de  trabalho que faz. Oito vezes mais que algumas ahi exploradas pelos novos burgueses chineses. O seu trabalho serve para financiar os estudos do seu filho. É uma selecção sem piedade: em cada duzentos alunos com bacharel, só um entrará para a universidade. No final da nossa estadia, quis dar-lhe algum dinheiro extra mas recusou. Insisti e acabou por aceitá-lo. É como nos táxis ou nos restaurantes, as gorjetas ainda não são um costume aqui. 

Bem-vindos à Austrália

Para vir à Austrália, basta ter um "visto electrónico" que se pode comprar na Internet. Como sempre, esquecemo-nos de pedir o do Edmond! A polícia fê-lo gratuitamente em cinco minutos. No aeroporto, subimos para um "maxi táxi" que dispõe de uma plataforma automática para as cadeiras de rodas e bagagens volumosas. Após as modernidades do Japão, as nossas primeiras impressões acerca da cidade de Sidnei estão divididas: os edifícios parecem que estão a desabar, os carros em bom estado vão para a sucata, e os produtos parecem estagnar nas prateleiras das lojas desde há 30 anos! O nosso apartamento tem três assoalhadas. As janelas dão para uma rua muito movimentada, no centro do bairro gay, um dos mais movimentados do mundo. A senhora com quem trocámos não nos preveniu de que era necessário dormir com as janelas fechadas e com tampões nos ouvidos! Chegamos no dia seguinte ao "desfile gay", as ruas ainda estão repletas de turistas masculinos. O quarto da Stéphanie não tem porta. Apenas uma janela sem vidro que dá para a sala! Da próxima vez, já saberei que é preciso trocar com uma casa à beira-mar! 

Num mês de permanência, demoramos três semanas para encontrar as nossas referências: pessoas simpáticas, uma amiga, a piscina para o Laurent, o meu curso de ginástica aquática, áreas para crianças onde o Edmond pudesse brincar e locais tranquilos para escrever. Quando as condições estão reunidas... não nos resta mais do que uma semana! Estar no centro desta cidade imensa tem as suas vantagens: chegamos a pé a todas as partes, há um supermercado em frente ao nosso edifício e vários restaurantes perto de casa. Uma noite, Laurent levou-me a um Parque Natural para espairecer. Stéphanie ficou a tomar conta do Edmond. Deixámo-la sozinha no fim-de-semana seguinte, para passar com o Edmond uma noite em Palm Beach, a praia dos "bungalows" de fim-de-semana, a uma hora de caminho. O charme desta pequena baía tão selvagem como a Córsega funciona de verdade...
Os australianos cuidam muito da sua saúde. Muitos são vegetarianos. E as explorações agrícolas ficam para trás em questão de agricultura. Os produtos com soja, alternativa aos produtos lácteos, invadem as prateleiras das lojas. No nosso supermercado, todos os produtos estão disponíveis em versão "bio". Não foi fácil manter a linha na China mas, aqui, na Austrália, é um prazer comer frutas, legumes e peixe! Sobretudo os "sprouts", germens de sementes, um alimento vivo e cheio de vitaminas. A "nova cozinha australiana" é uma mistura das cozinhas mediterrânicas e asiáticas. Cada vaga de emigrantes trouxe a sua influência e o seu tempero. Uma "world food asian fusion"! Delicioso! 

Califórnia... aqui estamos!

Pude ver as fotos da casa de Berkeley na Internet: parece fantástica! Uma casa de madeira de faia nas colinas, um lugar protegido, em plena natureza e próxima da Universidade. O número da casa está inscrito numa placa  de cerâmica da Provença! Por detrás da paliçada, um jardim com um carrilhão, um Buda e uma deusa índia. Encontramos a chave escondida debaixo de uma janela. O interior da casa fica sobre a baía de São Francisco. A sala está a abarrotar de artesanato indonésio, como num posto de turismo. Dentro do frigorífico, uma garrafa de vinho branco, queijo de cabra, pão, uvas e azeitonas... A casa é confortável, com três quartos e duas casas de banho. Nas paredes, fotos de família. Vemos pela primeira vez o casal de troca, Joanna e Robert, rodeado de adolescentes e crianças. Ela é activista política. Ele é informático, apaixonado pela filosofia. Há estantes cheias de livros de filósofos franceses: Descartes, Sartre e Malraux, trio vencedor! Também há livros científicos e "new age" sobre nutrição, saúde e energias. O único ponto que falha é a limpeza! O nosso quarto e casa de banho não estão limpos. Não importa! Mesmo assim sentimo-nos em casa!   

Histórias de água

Habituar-se a um lugar novo requer tempo. Por vezes, são os detalhes mais pequenos que nos irritam, por pouca coisa... Os electrodomésticos norte-americanos são muito diferentes dos europeus! Foi necessário chamar o filho de Joanna para que nos explicasse como pôr a funcionar a máquina de lavar roupa: é necessário puxar o botão dos programas, em vez de o pressionar como fazíamos sem sucesso!
Outro "choque cultural": o ralo do lava-loiças que se entupiu nos primeiros dias da nossa estadia. Os lava-loiças norte-americanos levam todos um triturador incorporado que se utiliza para desfazer restos de comida, cascas de frutas e verduras. Deste modo criam-se menos resíduos. O canalizador explica-nos como funciona: triturar pequenas quantidades, de cada vez, e a seguir deixar correr a água durante um minuto aproximadamente. "Mas o melhor é não os utilizar, só dão problemas".

Conselho de entendido...

A nossa nova casa para um mês foi construída nos anos 30. É um R/Chão com três quartos, e no jardim, há uma planta coberta de flores que vale uns milhares de euros! Aqui, as rendas dispararam com a era Internet e nunca mais voltaram a baixar. Os móveis são uma mistura de estilos, com imitações à Louis-Philippe maciços como os dos hotéis. Nas estantes, livros com títulos do tipo "Como educar uma criança super dotada", "Como tornar-se num consultor milionário", "Como preparar a sua casa", etc. Edmond está com sorte: as duas crianças da casa deixaram-lhe todos os seus brinquedos! 

O casal com o qual trocamos procura trabalho desde à dois anos. Ela trabalhava em Marketing, na High Tec e não encontra nada desde a crise de 2000. Agora dedica-se a tocar violoncelo, a sua paixão. Quando um vizinho lhe bate à porta a pedir-lhe que lhe dê aulas de música, ela recusa e responde-lhe que "não é a minha profissão", ainda que o seu filho de oito anos insista e lhe diga: "mas mamã, recebes dinheiro em troca"! O pai é Chefe de Projectos em Segurança Informática e trabalha por conta própria enquanto procura emprego numa empresa. Inicialmente hesitaram em vir a Paris. Podiam dar-se ao luxo a gozar um mês de férias? No final decidiram que sim: gostam muito de França! Convidaram-nos para um lanche num Domingo quando ainda estávamos em Berkeley. É interessante o encontro na "vida real" depois de termos trocado e-mails. Já tinha imaginado os nossos "duplos" no Vale Silicon. Parecíamo-nos com eles se tivéssemos vindo viver para aqui à dez anos... Após uma visita à casa, foi a vez do bairro: o parque, as pistas para bicicletas, a escola... Um serviço de limpeza vem todas as semanas, com uma equipa de duas ou três pessoas, durante um hora. Para o jardim vem outra equipa. A história eterna do trabalho dos novos emigrantes...

Fascina-me viver no paraíso da informática!

Para ir ao meu curso de Pilates, passo em frente à sede do Google, o motor de pesquisa mais famoso do mundo, utilizado por um terço dos norte-americanos. A palavra Google entrou no vocabulário corrente: "Fiquei googleizada antes de o conhecer por saber, previamente, o que faz" ou "Encontrarás no Google" a propósito de tudo e de nada. Os nossos vizinhos trabalham todos em "Alta Tecnologia" na Apple, Intel, Sisco, Yahoo... "É como Sochaux para a Peugeot e Clermont-Ferrand para a Michelin", disse-me Laurent, deprimido pelo materialismo do Vale. A mim, viver aqui fascina-me. 

Com o Ford Explorer que os nossos parceiros nos emprestaram, conduzo muitos quilómetros todos os dias por "El Camino", a estrada mais antiga da Califórnia que desce até ao México. Quando confesso a uma amiga de São Francisco que poderia viver aqui toda a vida, ela responde-me com algum desagrado: "No Vale? Mas não há cultura, nem arte, nem museus!" Sim, há um museu: o da informática...

O guia da troca de casas de Chine Lanzmann

Trocas mais ou menos fáceis de acordo com os países.

Este sistema de viagens começou a desenvolver-se nos países anglo-saxónicos. Trocar com eles é muito fácil e habitual.

Na Austrália, as estações do ano são invertidas. Vale a pena ir lá no Inverno! No Canadá, é fácil encontrar trocas porque há muito interesse por França. Com os Estados Unidos também é fácil, incluindo trocas mais prolongadas. Por exemplo, os professores universitários prevêem com frequência passarem seis meses ou um ano. Na China, os expatriados franceses ficam contentes por voltar a França e de não habitarem em casa da sua família: é bom sabê-lo! No Japão, em contrapartida, é impossível encontrar trocas, porque é proibido ceder o alojamento na ausência dos proprietários ou dos arrendatários.

Vantagens evidentes

A troca é, antes de mais nada, dispor de espaço vital: cada um tem o seu quarto, contrariamente ao hotel. Encontramos de tudo dentro de casa: brinquedos, bicicletas, livros, DVD's, Internet... mergulhamos na cultura da família de troca. E certamente, é económico: sem gastos de alojamento nem aluguer de carro. Não temos automóvel em Paris, mas utilizámos o dos nossos hóspedes quando era necessário. Quanto ao seguro, não pressupõe nenhum suplemento.  

   



Seguem-se mais Histórias de Sucesso em inglês!

"Exchanging Lives Down Under"
by David Hochman; Los Angeles, California

It all started with a list on a ketchup-stained napkin: "Portugal, Spain, Greece, Australia, Buenos Aires, Tuscany, Provence…" They were the dream trips. The fantasies. The sunny, happy, far-off places where we wanted to be more than just tourists. Of course, we had jobs at the time, but we also a sense that the time was right to do something truly dramatic with our lives. And so we did: we registered at HomeExchange.com.

Almost as soon as we listed our Los Angeles apartment, we started getting offers - and our hearts started pounding: A weekend apartment in the center of New Orleans' French Quarter. A four-bedroom villa on an island in Greece. A 27-acre ranch in Oregon! "Ever thought about South Africa?," one potential exchanger asked. Another began, "Interested in a house on a thermal pool in Iceland?" Iceland!
We held out, though, and I'm glad we did. A few weeks later, we got a note from a couple from Sydney, Australia. They emailed to see if we'd like to exchange our place for their art deco apartment down under. We felt an immediate connection. Malcolm is a journalist; I'm journalist. Wenona loves to cook; my wife, Ruth, is a born foodie. As the emails skipped back and forth across the planet, we found out we're the same ages, have similar backgrounds and like the same books, the same music, the same movies. If Malcolm and Wenona lived in L.A., we'd have a new pair of best friends. Naturally, we wanted to do the exchange.

But we still had those jobs of ours. After lots of talk (and more than a few therapy sessions), Ruth and I decided to take the plunge. As a writer, I could leave my magazine job and focus on my burgeoning travel-writing career. Ruth was only too happy to get back-to-back summers, courtesy of the southern hemisphere; and she also wanted to try her hand at travel photography. Once we made the decision, there was no turning back. We handed in our resignations, rolled over our 401Ks, set up some online bill-paying accounts and booked the flight to Australia.

Originally we thought we'd go for three months. Longer than a vacation, but not so long that we'd feel like Rip Van Winkle when we got back. There was only one little problem. As soon as we got settled in Sydney, we felt like we could stay forever. Yes, it was tough at first. We didn't know anyone, it was hot, we felt far from our friends and family and we saw an enormous spider in our bedroom I was sure was deadly (it wasn't). But Malcolm and Wenona were kind enough to share some of their secrets, and even some of their friends. We did the same for them, emailing lists of our favorite restaurants, hikes and weekend getaways. We weren't just exchanging homes, we were exchanging lives.

Being in another country for a limited time was also doing something wonderful for our social life. It was making us more outgoing. "We're only here for a few months," we kept telling ourselves, "we better make the most of it." So we reached out to people, cold-called strangers, knocked on our neighbors' doors and took any invitation we got for dinner or drinks. We ended up meeting some amazing characters. Our upstairs neighbor, Kambiz, turned out to be the great-grandson of the King of Iran, and though he called himself a recluse, he would astound us with his collection of friends at his Saturday night singalongs.

Our downstairs neighbors, Sue and Paul, were as different as could be, both from Kambiz and from each other. Paul was an artist, an introvert with the calm manner of a zen master. Sue was a lawyer and talked a mile a minute about every subject imaginable - religion, food, Aboriginal culture and, more than anything, fitness. She introduced us to her trainer, a 77-year-old Australian legend named Les Grownow, who allowed us into his invitation-only workout class. Three days a week, we would drive Malcolm and Wenona's little Toyota Corolla to the neighborhood of Woolloomooloo (a name we never got tired of saying) to an old police gym, where Les would teach us his old-fashioned fitness routines, exercises he worked out while living amongst the animals of the Australian bush. They don't make guys like Les in America.

We were really digging in. Even the most mundane excursions were turning into adventures. We'd spend a day looking for some exotic ingredient - kafir lime leaf or laksa paste -- for one of Ruth's new recipes. Or we'd drive around looking for the best view of the Opera House. Or we'd find a picnic spot in one of the nearby beaches or gardens. Sydney was everything we wanted it to be.
Three months came and went and we all decided to keep the magic rolling. Malcolm's career was doing well in the States and I was getting all sorts of assignments in Sydney. We started travelling around the country on assignment and Ruth was taking pictures to accompany my stories. Back in Sydney, she started baking madelaine cookies to bring to parties. Everyone told her they were so good, she eventually began selling them to one of the local cafes. In many ways, we were operating at full capacity and loving every minute of it.

After six months, we'd built ourselves a nice little community of friends. Walking around town, we'd run into people we knew on the streets. We were cooking more, and, thanks to Les, we were in the best shape we'd been in in years. But we knew, sadly, that our time in Australia was coming to an end. The days were getting shorter as the Australian fall turned to Australian winter. Our families started getting a bit impatient with us gallivanting around the world. And there was the little matter of our visas running out shortly. One morning, we got a note from Malcolm saying his newspaper wanted him to come back home. We could see the light at the end of our life exchange.
We're back in Los Angeles now. Our apartment was exactly as we left it and the city looks pretty much the same. Yes, there've been changes over the seven months. A few of our friends are pregnant now and some others bought homes or got promoted, but we feel richer and wiser in many ways for having taken the big leap. Malcolm and Wenona still keep in touch via email, and now we send them suggestions on what to do in their neighborhood. We've even agreed that if we can coordinate our schedules again, we'd happily trade places for a few weeks; as Ruth keeps telling me, "We'll always have Sydney."

And while she's right, and while that sounds perfectly wonderful, I keep reminding her we have a list somewhere, on a diner napkin dabbed with ketchup, of other places we really want to go - "Portugal, Spain, Greece…," remember? - and now, thanks to HomeExchange.com, I know exactly how we can get there. In fact, I wonder what Iceland's like this time of year?

"Long weekend trips close to home."
by Kathryn Hack; Seattle, Washington

I have been a HomeExchange.Com member for almost a year now, and am especially interested in long weekend trips close to my home in Seattle, because the Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful places on earth! A short ride by car or train can transport you into rainforests, mountains, charming small towns and beautiful wineries. Ferries will take you in comfort all the way to Alaska, with jaunts to hundreds of islands along the way. Many people take their bikes and kayaks along, for more close-to-nature experiences.
Because I live in Seattle, sometimes it's hard to leave and go anywhere! There is so much to do here, in all seasons of the year.

Downtown Seattle is so very easy to navigate, if you don t mind a few hills. You can walk or hop a free bus or trolley to anyplace you want to go, like the Waterfront and it s wonderful cafes and shopping. Here you can take a dinner cruise around the Harbor or just sit and watch the boats come and go. Pike Place Market is famous for it s flying fish (the fish market guys make a big production out of tossing salmon over everyone s head!) And if you enjoy great coffee, great local wine and beer, this is paradise!

From Seattle, Washington, you re only two hours from the Canadian border, where the many beautiful areas of Vancouver Island make you feel like you're in Europe. Through my listing, I've met other people who share the same idea about short trips -- and who live in precisely the places I want to visit, like Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.

Vancouver is a very cosmopolitan city, with the most spectacular views of the Northern Cascade Mountains and water, water everywhere! It is also a very international city, with fabulous restaurants of great ethnic variety. Stanley Park is a green belt that winds through the forest and around the water's edge, a favorite place for me and my trusty bicycle!
Victoria, on the other hand, is very old-world, an authentic piece of Victorian England. Gracing its harbor is the magnificent Empress Hotel, built at the height of our extravagant lumber barons. High tea is a favorite here, in oak paneled drawing rooms overlooking formal gardens. The city itself is picture-postcard beautiful, and very accessible on foot or bicycle.

Recently I had a request for an exchange with a couple in Vancouver, BC. Their home overlooks Granville Island, one of the most interesting parts of the city, famous for its open markets and outdoor cafes. Unfortunately their dates did not coincide with mine for a swap, so I put them in touch with a friend who is also a HomeExchanger.

Coincidentally she was taking family to Vancouver for a reunion the weekend in question, and could not find a hotel to house the entire group. It worked out perfectly, for a home exchange was arranged!
The folks from BC brought their bicycles and enjoyed a long weekend exploring Seattle. They biked along the lovely Burke Gillman trail, a well-constructed biking highway that extends hundreds of miles through and around the city. They enjoyed the zoo, several great restaurants and some spectacular sunsets.

My Seattle friends were able to put family members in the peace and quiet of a private home in Vancouver, overlooking all of Granville Island! They also took their bicycles, to explore more intimately the many hidden treasures of Vancouver. There is also the option for leaving bikes at home for guests to rent, and ditto for cars!

The lesson of my story is this: when HomeExchangers link together, even more things are possible! Having a network of like-minded folks who like spur of the moment adventures, simply expands the possibilities!

First Home Exchange NZ and OZ. I'm so glad we did it!
by Jill Bartlett; Kiama, Australia

First Home Exchange NZ and OZ. I'm so glad we did it! It was a huge success in every way. Friends told us we were mad to have people we didn't know live in our home and drive our two-year old car for a month. Our home in Australia is new; our retirement dream home, built only four years ago. It has mostly new modern furniture and a big garden, which is my husband Ted's pride and joy. We wondered if everything would be well looked after if we exchanged. However, we decided to take the plunge and wrote to a couple in Whangarei in the North Island of New Zealand seeking a month's exchange in November 2000. They are a newly retired couple like us and they promptly accepted after a little negotiating concerning dates.
We got to know Berris and Alan very well over the next four months as we regularly emailed each other. We told each other about our grown-up families; our daughter's recent engagement, their son's studies at Melbourne University and the sudden death of Alan's mother. We learnt a little of each other's past jobs and present pastimes. They asked us what we liked to do on holiday and we asked them the same so that we were able to collect brochures about gardening shows on in the spring, and interesting places to go hiking or bike-riding. Berris sent us some brochures about different parts of NZ and we sent them photos and information too with lots of advice about "must see" places of interest. We each decided to compile a dossier of instructions for use of equipment. (Alan was so impressed with our vacuum and leaf "blower" that he bought one himself after returning home.) I have a rather temperamental dishwasher which needed implicit instructions and I grow African violets as house plants so I needed to leave instructions for "feeding" them.

We each compiled a list of friends and family with phone numbers and addresses as well as local doctors, dentists, tradespersons and how to contact them if necessary. One of the most important areas of organization proved to be the exchanging of keys to each other's cars and homes. We decided to leave our respective cars at Sydney and Auckland airports so it was necessary to describe the cars and give the registration numbers and some idea where each vehicle would be parked. We left a set of house and car keys in the glove compartment of each car along with a set of directions on how to get from the airport to each other's home. The owner kept the spare set of keys in order to open the car on the return journey. We also informed our insurance companies that someone else would be driving our car during that period and made sure that our policy covered accident or theft. (The same was done concerning house insurance.) A short guide to a few unusual road rules and speed limits in each country helped both parties too.

A few days before our departures we were still excitedly sending quick emails with titles such as "only three more sleeps" and "from your soon- to- be new home" confirming last minute instructions.
We arranged our flights so that we could meet for coffee at Sydney airport after Berris and Alan had arrived and before we took off. Although this was our first and only meeting "in person" we greeted each other with hugs like long-lost friends and even took photos of each other. We knew then that everything would be fine--they were normal people just like us!

For both of us the picking up of the cars and the following of the instructions to each other's homes went "like clockwork". As we were arriving at their home in NZ in the dark, Berris had arranged for their neighbour to turn on lights and feed their cat in advance. She had also left us a delicious casserole in the fridge ready to be heated up. We had left them sandwiches and fruit for lunch. These neighbours proved to be very friendly and were very willing to feed the cat and collect the mail when we travelled and stayed away for a few nights. Our neighbours too invited them in for a "cuppa" and made them feel very welcome in our area.

Berris and our daughter talked a few times by phone (she lives over an hour away) and their friends Liz and Mike invited us for coffee and then again for dinner one night. We found we had lots in common with them and will keep in touch by email and perhaps see them again if they ever come over to Australia. They were very helpful about places to visit and identified an animal in one of our photos for us. They had a beautiful garden which they showed us and told us all about the New Zealand plants some of which are very different to ours.

We travelled away from their home and stayed overnight in "tourist flats" for a few nights so that we could see Rotorua with its steaming geysers and boiling mud and Berris and Alan stayed a few nights in Sydney and also in Canberra, our national capital. Berris said some of the highlights for she and Alan were "eating ripe mangoes" and seeing kangaroos on Pebbly beach and watching the pelicans near Kiama harbour catch the fish heads as the fisherman cleaned their fish. We enjoyed watching the dolphins as we cruised on the beautiful Bay of Islands, tobogganing down huge sand dunes and driving along the white sand of ninety-mile beach in a bus.

We kept in touch by email weekly and reported things like a broken lawnmower, rain entering the garage ceiling during a storm, where certain things were stored and approximately how much mileage we'd done that week. (We tried to keep this similar.) Another advantage of a home exchange proved to be not having to pack items like hair-dryers, umbrellas and picnic gear, as these were available in the exchange home. It was an inexpensive and thoroughly enjoyable way to see another country and experience different weather and a somewhat different culture. The "icing on the cake" for me was returning to a perfectly clean and well cared for home, garden and car and to know that we had made new friends. We will certainly do it again!

"It's a matter of trust," says my exchange partner, Lyn Glanz, of Rotterdam, Holland. And trust each other we did.
By Linda Jo Scott; Bellevue, Michigan

"How can you possibly let a family with school-aged kids move into your house for three weeks?"

"Aren't you afraid they will break things?"

"How will you figure out who pays which bills?"

I suppose I did ponder these questions briefly, but the chance to live in a house and drive a borrowed car in Europe for three weeks far outweighed any fears I might have had concerning my home in Bellevue. "It's a matter of trust," says my exchange partner, Lyn Glanz, of Rotterdam, Holland. And trust each other we did.

Not unexpectedly in the 90s, it was the Internet that brought us together. In October of 1998 I joined an organization called "HomeExchange.com" and paid $30 to advertise my house for one year on their web site. They published a photograph of the house, along with my description of the size and amenities, as well as a brief description of the neighborhood and section of the state and country.

With access to many such files, I started shooting out emails to potential exchange partners all over Europe to arrange a summer swap. Alas, no one seemed to be interested in small-town Michigan. Europeans seem to want to see four major spots: Manhattan, Orlando, New Orleans, and San Francisco, none of which is readily accessible from Bellevue.

By January, I had almost given up hope when an email arrived from Lyn Glanz, a British social worker who, together with her family, was a kind of "permanent expatriate" in Holland. The Glanz family had already seen Florida and New York City and had decided that they wanted to experience a small town in the midwest. They also liked the idea of seeing Chicago and perhaps taking in a Cubs or White Sox game. My coterie of travel friends and I were wildly enthusiastic at being discovered, and by early February we had a match.

Email made all of the preparatory work easy. We would each pay our own utility bills, and our car insurance companies agreed to let us drive each other's cars without extra insurance. We both agreed that we would not spend half the summer getting our houses ready. Use of drawers and closets was simply not necessary; we would just live out of suitcases on top of each others' belongings. In fact, I emailed Lyn requesting that she rough up all closets, even ask the neighbors to bring in their junk, to make me feel less guilty about my own closets.

And it all worked marvelously. We had a two-day "home stay" with the Glanz family before they left, so that we could get acquainted and arrange the nitty-gritty stuff like garbage, fuse boxes, keys, and the like.

A friend of mine picked up the family at the train station in Battle Creek and took them to dinner at Clara's on the River before delivering them to Bellevue. Other friends invited them for a meal or outing. But mostly, as they put it, "We played Americans for three weeks.

"We took in two amateur world series baseball games in Battle Creek--dreadfully dull sport, your American baseball. We went to the Ionia Free Fair and an international festival in East Lansing. We also did a Spartan Speedway race in Mason and actually swam in Lake Michigan at St. Joseph."

As observers of American life, they were amazed to read "Prison Area: Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers," near Jackson Prison, and shocked at the availability of guns. Noting a sign advertising, "New and Used Guns," they found themselves wondering, "*Used on whom?"

"You have so many non-jobs in America," commented economist and Unilever executive Jeff Glanz. "We were amazed to see two conductors in the train car when one would have been sufficient, and it seemed as if every Burger King and McDonalds had "help wanted" ads in the windows and yet were swarming with employees."

"We liked the garden," says 11-year-old Ben Glanz. "It's at least 30 times bigger than ours."

"His sister, 13-year-old Jessica comments, "There were lots of interesting things that we haven't come across before, like fat-free lettuce and the live bait machine at the supermarket."

Our stay in the Glanz house in Hillegersberg, just outside Rotterdam, was at least as successful as their Michigan stay. A four-story house on a canal, their home provided us with a garden on still another canal, which, they assured us, forms a direct route to the Maas, the Rhine, and eventually, the Danube. We could watch BBC and CNN on the television, and had sleeping places for 10.

While there we toured Amsterdam, the Hague, Delft, Gouda, and Friesland, and even ventured into Belgium to see the historically beautiful town of Bruges--all in the Glanz family car, a Czech-made Skoda.

Best of all, we held an almost continuous house party, entertaining friends from Texas, Florida, and Michigan, as well as European friends from Köln, Germany and Kent and East Sussex, England.

"Because we lived with each other's belongings, met each other's neighbors and friends, cooked in each other's kitchens, read each other's books, and tended each other's gardens, we came to feel like old friends, even though we barely knew each other," says Juli Csiszar, a member of the American delegation to Hillegersberg.

Would the Glanz family do it again? "Yes, without question," they reply. "The only problem is that we may be moving to Switzerland in the next year or so and might not have a house to trade by next summer." But by the summer of 2001, Lyn will no doubt again be combing the various possibilities on the HomeExchange.Com web site.

Meanwhile, I've already talked with her about the possibility that her family or friends back in Wales might enjoy a holiday in small-town Michigan.

"Occasionally you have to take a tiny risk"
by Sue Smith; Worcester, UK

Our first experience of a home exchange was a teaching exchange. It came about by accident really - friends invited us to their house for dinner one evening, and also invited another couple who we didn't know so well. The latter couple were off to Australia on exchange with their three children. We hadn't realized a teaching exchange was really an option with children involved too. It got us thinking though - all through that night in fact. Could we afford it? Would it upset the education of our older children? On the Monday morning we were on the phone for application forms and six months later it was all organized.

We spent 1998 living in Ballarat, Australia, in a 3 bedroomed bungalow. It was a strange experience to exchange home, car ... and life, with a lady we had never met. We know all about her taste in home furnishings, books, music, we cared for her cats for a year and all her friends are now our friends too, but we have still never met her. It was a wonderful year, despite the exchange of a 5 bedroomed cottage for a 3 bedroomed bungalow. However, we never expected everything to be perfect, but all part of the experience, and the year was a fantastic experience.

It didn't upset the education of any of our children - how can a year like that be anything but a very positive experience all round? What they lost in some ways they gained several times over in other directions.

The one disadvantage to the whole year, and all the travelling we did, is that we now feel very unsettled by life - six weeks in France in our caravan drinking the wine and eating the cheese year after year used to be a perfectly satisfactory way to spend our summer holiday. However, we've "been there, done that" now, lots of other places in the world to explore.

Last year we did go back to France. We'd only been back in the UK for six months and there was insufficient time (and money) to start book anything too exotic. We spent three very relaxing weeks in a delightful property in France -drinking the wine and eating the cheese - and it was good; a property exchange arranged through HomeExchange.com. We cared for their tiny kitten (and nicknamed it Cheesy because when we arrived it had runny cheese all over its ears). Last October their son came over to stay with us for a week and got on very well with our own three sons. We are still in e-mail contact with them and hope to meet up again in the future.

This year we were lucky enough to arrange a home exchange to Costa Rica. That is somewhere we probably wouldn't have considered had they not seen our property on the HomeExchange.com web site and contacted us. After lengthy e-mail correspondence commencing in August, the decision was made by Christmas. They subsequently added their own home to the HomeExchange.com web site (and in fact went straight on to another home exchange in France when they left our house). We spent six weeks in Costa Rica in July/August of this year. We experienced earthquakes, monkeys on the beaches, watched turtles laying eggs at midnight (our 5 year old had to help cover the eggs with sand when the mother had finished laying, and he then fell asleep on the long walk back along the beach), and stayed in a magnificent property in the rainforest. What a fantastic holiday we had, and all it really cost us was the price of 5 flights. Max talks at school about the tarantula waiting for us on top of the microwave when we got back from a few days away, the koalas and kangaroos, dolphins, stick insects, red-eyed tree frogs, etc, etc, etc. he has seen in the wild during the course of the last three years, the monkeys swinging in the trees, the volcanoes he has watched erupting and the earthquakes he has (1) slept through and (2) played computer games through, the friends around the world he keeps in touch with by e-mail (dictating to mum who does the typing!). We are putting together a scrap book (when all the most recent batch of photos have come back) which he can take in to school and talk about, but more importantly to jog his own memory in years to come. He still has vivid memories of Australia '98 despite being only 3 at the time, and we do our best to keep it all alive in his young mind - we are helped here by the constant stream of Aussie visitors we have been getting since we returned to the UK. He will certainly remember our adopted dog, Rosie, in Costa Rica who was so loyal to us that she kept climbing on the bus with us; we had to enlist the help of the locals to get her off again. He will also remember the day his brother took his shorts off in the sea to get the sand out (don't ask me why he was wearing his shorts in the sea!) and then got distracted talking to a girl - the shorts were washed out of his hands and were last seen heading for Australia! Only 15 minutes earlier Alastair had shown me how big they were on him and I'd remarked that they'd still fit him when he was dad's age. We'd love them back if you find them - beige with adjustable straps at either side. Not cheap either.

I hope Max will also remember watching the bananas come in to the packaging plant and be prepared for shipping, the coffee beans growing on trees, the sloth climbing v - e - r - y s - l - o - w - l - y out of the tree to have a look at us. He won't remember the thunderstorm on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica that hit the hotel next to ours and burnt out its laundry - he was fast asleep with his hands over his ears throughout. Mum remembers that night very well though!

Laurie was the one who found a live mouse secured to a sticky pad underneath the Costa Rican kitchen cupboard and very heroically prised it off before returning it to freedom in the rainforest. He was also the one who learnt how to make pancakes - and lived on them for most of the 6 weeks we were away. We never quite worked out which were the best lemons to go on them - limon mandarin or limon verde, or the grapefruit-sized ones the local lads picked off the trees on the Caribbean coast and handed to us.

Alastair and Laurie probably remember most vividly the day I found the keys to a brand new BMW in a National Park. At the end of the day we finally located the owner (no one has ever seemed so pleased to see me - or was it the keys he was pleased to see?) before joining a queue in the pouring rain to catch the battered local bus back to our hotel. What a missed opportunity!

I do wonder what effect our travels will have upon our three sons in the coming years; I suspect they will think nothing of throwing on a backpack and heading off. That's good, there's nothing like travel to broaden the mind (so long as they exercise caution where necessary, don't go for too long, and keep in touch frequently).

Property exchange is certainly the way to have a wonderful holiday at a very reasonable cost. I realize it's a bit of a gamble handing your house and car keys over to someone you have never met. However, when you are in each other's properties you do take great care of their possessions, and hope that they are doing the same with yours. We have not experienced any problems at all, and are now hoping to arrange something good for next year too. One thing I have discovered is that the kids want to keep coming on holiday with us when we go to such great places as Costa Rica, so it's not getting any cheaper yet. Also, we really need to book flights before Christmas to get the dates we want the following summer.

If you have any qualms about exchanging, then you shouldn't. Occasionally you have to take a tiny risk in life and friends can always keep an eye on your home and guests for you whilst you're away. The biggest drawback is the tidying up you have to do before you depart! A long list is also useful - one you can use year after year - best places to shop, park, eat out, local places worth a visit, where the fuse box is, what day the dust man comes, who to ring in case of an emergency. A visit to your own local tourist office before you leave is a good idea too - stock up on local maps and info to help your visitors along.

Where shall we go next? Nothing fixed yet - all offers considered!