My Crib

I realize it's nice to have a mental image of what I'm talking about when I share stories, so this is a viritual tour of my house. (I promise I format this better before I press the "Publish" button...after that, cyberspace takes over and jacks it all up. Sorry). This Sunday, I took a mental health day - some Jenn time - after working 6 straight days with a crazy amount of people that can drive this introvert insane. My house mama and the kids went to the family compound where she grew up and her brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and parents all live, so I took a few pictures while they were gone. This is the front room (I'm standing where the enterence is). Understand that everything is very simple, but more than sufficient - I'm extremely comfortable, more so than I expected actually. Behnid that glass and the door are the clothes my mama sells out of the house - many special-occassion dresses and accessories that supplement their income.
This is the hallway to the kitchen on the left, the pantry after that, the toilet, and wash room, then on the right, the clothes room, my room, and the family's sleeping room. How's this for uncomfortable: I have a room to myself with 3 beds in it (2 are bunked, you'll see) and everyone else shares. That's part of FSD's policy - interns must have a room to themselves in the home stays, which makes sense and most days, I demand that kind of privacy and power as an escape, but it's uncomfortable to know they're accomodating me this much.

This is the kitchen. The fridge works well but Kenyan's don't keep leftovers for long - chances are, if there is more food after a meal, the remains will be breakfast in the morning or dinner the next night, which I never mind. The food is unbelievable because it's all made fresh from 'scratch' as we would call it. On the table in the left, there's a stove top with 2 burners, a microwave, and toaster oven. The larger compound with my house mama's family has a larger oven where she can cook breads and such, and she constantly talks about how she wishes she had access to one more often - she likes to cook :)

This is my humble abode. The larger bed is usually where the oldest sleeps and the bunk beds are for the two boys. The youngest, Fatma, generally sleeps with her parents in a small bed, so knowing all this is very uncomfortable - I know they wished they could sleep in their ordinary beds. Don't ask why the bunk beds aren't moved into the parent's bedroom - I dont know because it would make so much more sense. They usually sleep on a matress to the side of their parents bed which is so adorable - when I walk past the room to brush my teeth, they're dog piled on the floor in one of the best Kodak moments I've ever seen. There's a door behind the bunk beds that opens up to a balcony that I frequently sit on, making my house mama extremely nervous. We're on the third floor of an apartment complex so sitting this high up is just crazy to her - some things never change :)

This is the toilet. Seperating the toilet and shower never made so much sense - you do completely different things in them! At the bed and breakfast we stayed at, they were literally the same room - there wasn't a stall for the shower, just a showerhead that let water fall into the tiled room with a toilet and sink, so the toilet was generally drenched after we showered - it was halarious. Muslim culture is very clean, so water is used to clean yourself after going to the bathroom, making the whole place full of standing water and I slipped last week, hitting my tail bone on that darn step. I was coming down with the flu so already in a bad mood, and I think my house mama was ready to call the ER. I was stubborn and just said I was fine, limping to my room holding my back, afraid I wouldn't be able to sit down for a month. I'm fine though - no worries :)

This is the washroom. We take bucket showers that are always an interesting experience. I'm learning the art of water conservation and I dont mean turning off the facuet while you brush your teeth, my friends :) I mean I literally can shower, wash my hair and underclothes (as they're called and always washed by the interns - it'd be taboo for the house help to wash them) with 2 gallons of water. It's amazing how far it can stretch but it has to - most days, everyone else takes two showers or more, which just means pouring the cold water over themselves. Frequently, Adnarn comes walking in my room completely drenched because he just poured water on himself to cool off, I'd expect. He shakes like a dog and I get the backwater. It's becoming a fun routine :)

Hope you enjoyed. Once again, I'm very comfortable and have adjusted nicely to the place, which I'd assume is considered upper-middle class around here (because frankly, I think sleeping on the streets is a class - different from the States).

Keep writing. Love hearing from home(s)!