Emilie, 13, grew up in her mother’s hostel in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil – Photo by Jennifer Schlueter

On our recent trip to Brazil, my friends and I stayed at the Villa Française hostel in Salvador da Bahia, which is run by two French ex-pats, Stephanie and Nathalie. Seeing Stephanie’s 13-year-old daughter Emilie assist with daily hostel chores made me wonder about what it is like to grow up in a hostel; so I decided to interview her.
After repeated vacations in Brazil before 2007 at the Villa Française, and after her divorce, Stephanie fell in love with the country. When the French guest house was up for sale, she bought it together with her friend Nathalie, because she thought it was the right time to make her dream of a hospitality business come true. Stephanie’s children, Emilie and her brother Alexis, followed her mother.
In September 2007, still in…