New to the Community Center? Introduce yourself here ‌👇

[Bhumika]

Hello everyone! 😊

Welcome to the Community Center! 👋  I'm @Bhumika , one of the Community Managers for our English Community Center along with my lovely team members @Quincy @Paula @Rebecca  and @Elisa  and we are thrilled to have you join us.

Let's kickstart this thread with a little about us Community Managers:

@Quincy : I'm from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 I have been on the Community Center for 6+ years, and have been an Airbnb Host myself. I love cycling🚲, playing football⚽, and travelling🌏 . I love how dynamic and diverse the Community Center is as we meet Hosts from all around the globe. 

@Bhumika :  🌍 I was born in Gujarat, India 🇮🇳 , and shifted to Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 last year! 📷 I recently realized my love for photography and aesthetics. I love to capture mundane life and candid pictures. 🌆 When I'm not working, you'll find me binge-watching thriller movies or exploring history.

@Paula : I am from Colombia 🇨🇴 and currently living in British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦. I have a passion for Latin American culture (I love to dance 💃) . I've had the opportunity to visit around 20 countries 🌎 and plan to visit many more. In my free time, I enjoy outdoor activities, especially mountain biking 🚲 and hiking 🏔.

@Rebecca : I'm from Cardiff in Wales originally but being a military child and a veterans spouse, I've travelled and lived in a lot of different places in the UK and Europe. I'm an environmentalist 🌿 and like to minimise my impact on the planet 🌎 as well as volunteering in my local community.  I love sea swimming 🌊 yoga on the beach 🧘‍ and I'm a children's yoga instructor too! 🙌 

@Elisa : I was born in Italy 🇮🇹 and as a lover of unique experiences—from exploring the streets of Rome🇮🇹 , Paris 🇫🇷, and Toronto 🇨🇦 to appreciating timeless art and cuisine—I'm here to blend the old with the new. 

Now it's your turn! Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? And is there something special about the location of your accommodation that you'd like to share?

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Warm regards,

Bhumika

[Karen4423]

Hi, I'm Karen. Last year, after 17 year working in Geneva and living in France, we retired to a farm in Central Michigan. Climate change was the primary factor for a move here. In addition to buying a farm, we began a 501c3 private operating foundation called the Climate Change Permaculture Project. We purchased a 4-bedroom house with a pole barn and 2 acres across the street. A residency program will provide 4 young women farmers with housing and 1/2 acre each to practice regenerative agriculture to learn what will grow best during extreme weather conditions. We had hoped to begin programming in 2024 but only had one applicant (needed 4). We are Airbnbing the house until programming begins, hopefully in 2025.

I guess we're atypical Airbnb hosts. Our property is called Quixote's Dream and is located on a lake near Clare, MI. The name comes from both the wind turbines located nearby as well as our dream for this endeavor.

[Paula]

Hello @Karen4423, thank you so much for sharing your introduction with us!😊

The Climate Change Permaculture Project sounds fascinating. Would you like to tell us a bit more about it? I understand the goal is to address climate change, but could you elaborate on how it connects with your hosting business?

Looking forward to hearing from you! 🌻

[Karen4423]

Thanks for asking. 😊

When we purchased and renovated the house in 2022-23, our intention was for it to be residential housing for participants of CCPP's Permaculture Incubator Program. Until that is able to get off the ground, we are renting the house through Airbnb to help cover our costs.

If you'd like to know more about the nonprofit, here's a link to the website:

https://www.climatechangepermacultureproject.org/