Ode to My House

Now that I've moved out of my house in Sehithwa, I thought I'd make a little tribute to it. It took me awhile to get used to the house and it didn't happen overnight, but instead in phases.

Some people parallel Peace Corps service to camping for 2 years and that's alot of what it was like - brushing my teeth outside, going out at night through the bush to squat or doing it in a bucket in the living room.

Some of these things take time to overcome - it's really all a mental game. One morning I just woke up and did things without thinking twice.

Making home seem more like home also took time, just like moving into any new house. Over time, my house had made a complete transformation, with furniture and decorations.

When I first moved in, I had concrete floors where the ants had dug mounds through the concrete to come into the house. Eventually, I started doing yoga on this same floor.

My house also had a bathroom - literally a room meant for bathing. It was completely empty (except for the spiders). Nothing in it except for a small window.

I also had trouble opening my door, which had huge gaps in the slats. My pink 20L bucket held the water that I would bring in from the tap outside.
I also had a tiny twin bed where I doubled up the cotton pads and had 3 comforters to fight the brutal cold, -6 degrees celsius. The mosquito net was hung from the curtain bars where I had also clothes pinned a blanket to act as a curtain.

Little by little, I got used to some of the most basic things like not having a toilet or running water in the house and going out in the middle of the night to the pit latrine:

The house was a work in progress.

Eventually, I learned how to sew curtains and acquired a desk to use as a table.

Then I got tiles put in my living room which I even worked on a bit myself.

I acquired a closet to put my clothes in and a double bed and hung the mosquito net with actual rope and had burglar bars put on the windows for security.




















Work started on my house to get water piped in and bathroom elements installed - shower tub, toilet and sink though it'll still probably take at least another 6 months to a year to get the bathroom finished and functional.




















I also put up pictures of my family and travels, a painting of a giraffe, some prints of bushman paintingsand got a fan for the super hot 115 degree days.

The house became cute and much happier looking though it still lacks basic amenities. My time spent there was worthwhile and I miss my landlady who was sad to see me go because she stays home by herself and her disabled child. I promised I'd go back to visit.

I'll try to put pictures of my new flat in Maun soon and post some info about Maun.