Giving the Shirt off Your Back

It was pretty obvious from the start that my host family here in Montreal are very nice people but I've just been struck by Odette's increadible kindness.

They're always excellent hosts, offering me more food and engaging me in conversation. (Odette particularly likes to talk about the other students she's hosted.) I felt reassured when she told me how stingy some of the other families were; I figured that meant she wasn't like that and I was certainly right.

It was particularly convenient when I was telling them about my plans for Quebec city that Odette offered to let Edwina stay here in Montreal a night to shorten her travelling time. Alan mentioned something about an air mattress and I thought that sounded pretty good. So it all fell into place when Ed said that she wanted to see a show that was playing in Montreal on Sunday night.

When we got back from Quebec Alan picked us up from the Metro station and Odette dropped us off again so we'd make the show on time. We were already quite grateful for them being so accommodating but when we got back to the house and everyone was asleep, we found not an air matress but their master bedroom all made up for the guest! I felt a little guilty that they'd put themselves out for someone who was my guest, whom they didn't know from a bar of soap.