Our House

Here are some pictures of our house and the view around us. There is a second story on the right side of the house and a flat rooftop above that with a rather spectacular view of the Uluguru Mountains. We are planning to eat up there sometimes. When the sky is clear there is also a wonderful view of the night sky from the rooftop, including the Southern Cross, my favorite constellation after the Big Dipper.

Someone asked me what a typical day was like. I wish there were typical days! Every day is unexpected and different and, for someone like me who thrives on routine and familiar pathways, it can seem daunting sometimes. This will change ere the mango rains arrive, I expect. Things have to settle down sometime – that’s the hope that I steadfastly cling to.

But then, I did make bread so the house is officially christened and found enough major ingredients to make granola that was not half bad. The wakulima (cultivators) who bring their vegetables and fruit to our front door are pleasantly persuasive in selling their produce so we have more than enough food. Since our house isn’t finished, we have fundi (workmen) around most days, painting, putting in screens, lights and windows.

And, it turns out that the young woman who helps in the house has a sewing machine so she’s going to sew curtains and anything else we need. The sewing machines here are treadle types that don’t use electricity so that job can actually get done since there is an energy crisis here. There had been an on-line schedule of the “load shedding” when various regions have their electricity cut off but in the past days the schedule has pretty much been tossed and electricity goes out randomly. Dave is getting us set up with a battery backup system for lights and laptops so we’ll be able to keep humming along but it’s a real hardship for shops and businesses all over the country.

And what about the mango rains? The short rains that fall in October and November are sometimes called mango rains because they bring sweet mangoes in abundance in December (just in time for the Christmas stockings!) Right now, we are in the coolest and driest season of the year which runs from June until September. “It’s so cold,” people say, shivering in sweaters and coats. “It’s our winter, you know,” they’ll add by way of explanation. Sure, it’s just freezing out there in the morning when the temperature is down to a frigid 65 degrees! By noon it’s up in the 70s and the sun is shining brightly so I’m still a skeptic on this alleged “winter” in East Africa!