It’s a strange concept, having someone babysit your house. But in the days before security systems, some people turned to housesitters. There was a time in Port Vila when we were the housesitters.
Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, is a small town. The downtown area is one main street, two side streets, and no stoplights. It’s a beautiful place with some lovely homes. But when we arrived, there were few available for rent, and we didn’t like any of them. Not until we saw the house in Tassiriki.
It had only one problem. It was still under construction. And yet, we decided it was worth waiting for.
And that’s how we ended up spending months in a small apartment and then a hotel room. To make matters worse, Christmas was fast approaching, and our daughters were planning to visit us from college on their break.
What to do? Rent another couple of rooms for them? Then a friend came to the rescue. A French couple they knew who were flying to Paris for the holidays were looking for housesitters.
Have you ever been a housesitter? I mean a housesitter for strangers. It’s a weird experience. At least it was for me. Suddenly you’re sleeping in their bed, showering in their bathroom, and sitting at their desk looking at a framed photo of their children. It’s not the same thing as staying at your parents’ house or in your daughter’s guest room.
Every so often while we were housesitting, I had the feeling that I was invading someone’s privacy. I could see how the woman of the house arranged her dishes, what spices she used, and what books they read. If I’d chosen to, I could have checked out her jewelry or looked through their photo albums. I could have opened their file cabinet and looked inside. I could even have taken that maroon-colored book with “Journal” stamped in gold on the spine off the bedroom shelf and thumbed through it.
Fortunately, those occasional feelings of unease didn’t ruin our Christmas or our month-and-a-half time as housesitters. One family member, though, hated the whole thing. Horace, our cat.
The house came with a little cat named Sweetie and a big German shepherd named Roxanne. And they were right there waiting for us. The moment Eugene opened the door, Horace freaked out, scrambling out of my arms and jumping up to the highest, most hidden spot he could find. The shelf that was above the bar was in a recessed area at ceiling height. It was the perfect hiding place. Poor Horace spent most of the next week or two out of sight on that shelf.
Horace was a big cat, a beautiful classic tabby. But he had reason to be skittish. He was a newcomer to our family. Until the previous week, he’d belonged to a Filipino couple who weren’t able to bring him back to Manila when they moved. So, we adopted him. Later, in our new house, Horace became the most relaxed cat you’ve ever seen.
An unexpected treat about housesitting for the French family was the standing order they had with the local French bakery to deliver freshly baked baguettes every morning before breakfast.
Years later, I wrote a short story called Housesitters. It was inspired by a comment I’d heard about a couple in Port Vila who were “professional” housesitters. Although the story wasn’t about my experience, and the main character was nothing like me, life experience always helps with writing.
I feel the same way as you do about housesitting. It’s like you get to see how others live, the most private parts of their lives. It’s a lovely look back at photos of Port Vila. The world sounded like a simpler place back then.
I’ve never house sat a stranger’s house. Like someone else said, it just feels weird to sleep in someone’s bed and in their personal room. These days there are AirBnBs which many aren’t personal homes but give you a flavour of living in a different place or area.
I’ve enjoyed staying in a few AirBnBs. They do give a flavor of living in a different place, even a different time. Some of them are more than a hundred years old, and while the place is comfortable, they keep some of the old furniture, so it’s like going back in time.
I’ve never housesat for anyone other than family, but always had housesitters for my cats when I went away on holiday. I was so grateful to them as they took such great care of my cat (and our home) and it meant I could relax and enjoy my trip away.
I can imagine that staying for longer than a couple of weeks must’ve felt strange though, as you’ve moved past the “holiday” feeling and properly into living in someone else’s territory.
For me, housesitting felt like an intrusion right from the beginning. This reminds me of something from my childhood. My younger sister told me later that when we visited someone’s house, she would sneak off and snoop around. I can’t imagine doing that. I suppose I have a strong belief in allowing people their privacy. It’s not a particularly good characteristic for a novelist. I avoid gossip and hence miss out on lots of good stories. My late husband always knew what was going on, though. So I learned a few things from him.
I was surprised to learn that your daughters were in college when you lived in Vanuatu, I thought they were much younger than that then. Where did you live when they were “wee ones”?
We moved to Manila when they truly were wee ones–3, 1, and a newborn–and stayed there for most of their pre-college schooling, although the girls and I spent a few years back in the states during their high school years during the People Power Revolution. Despite some moving around, they had a great education and were well prepared for college.
That’s awesome that they had a chance to experience so many different cultures! Thanks!
Fascinating reflections on the experience
Thanks, Derrick.
That worked out well except for Horace.
Poor Horace. He was just being cautious. He was actually a pretty laid back cat.
The main reason we had Housesitters was always the cats! They don’t usually do well in kennels or traveling. I’m glad Horace survived.
Cats may not show their love and loyalty as outwardly as dogs, but they get attached to their people.
I’ve never really housesat. I have watched pets while friends were on vacation. So I did feel slightly weird sleeping in their beds and eating the food in their refrigerator, though I was told to do so.
But how wonderful that you had a place to go for Christmas!
Pet sitting isn’t always as easy as one would think. They have their habits and preferences. As I remember it, our instructions were more sparse than we would have liked.