I stayed with a Couchsurfing host who asked me to do some calligraphy for him.

He accepted me as his guest just a 2 hours before I arrived. He’s also an artist, into photography.

The moment I stepped into his house, I was struck by his amazing sense of style. He pointed to some black furniture on the wall and said, “I’ve always wanted Japanese calligraphy here, and now I’ve finally got the right person for the job. Can you write something?”

I was excited and said, “Are you sure? Of course!”

He wanted the words: “This is my home. Love and Freedom, that’s all.”

I worked on the Japanese translation and layout, totally buzzing with excitement and nerves. He noticed and kindly said, "Don’t overthink it,” even made me a meal.

I went for it, and he loved the result.

Then he told me, “This is it, your work. You looked so happy the whole time.”

It hit me, and he even paid me for it, saying, "This is your job."