Among the numerous copy paste requests there was one American guy, Nico Ackermann, who immediately caught my attention. His profile was full of guests and friends who talked about him as a warmhearted person whose couch was always there for you to crash on when you feel emotionally down. At that time I had my finger on the "Delete" button straight away and was not aware that it reflected back on the percentage of how many requests I had replied too. One of the Sydney hosts has taught me to prepare an automated response for those who don't bother to read my profile. Niko's request showed a few personal comments which were closely related to the information in my profile. He wrote that he could speak a bit of German to prepare me for going back to Germany. Of course he didn't know that I originally grew up in Sydney.
Niko arrived on the same day as I invited my friends Brendon and Paul to watch Queen Victoria cruise ship to enter Sydney Harbour. He was as nice as his request but I simply felt weird to let a stranger, no matter how nice he was sleep in my flat. Brendon and Paul were very surprised that Niko was not a friend but just a stranger I "picked up" from the internet. I didn't tell them about Couchsurfing and they wondered what was in there for me that I wanted to host a total stranger.
Niko was a good guest and wonderful character but at that time I thought I would prefer to meet people first, invite them for dinner or coffee at my wonderful apartment with Sydney Harbour view but don't let them stay overnight. The idea that strangers save money for their travels at my expense didn't make me feel good.
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