My Digs

In August I moved from a single room of a family of 7 to my own house.  This is the first time in 27 years that I have lived completely on my own.  One of the more obvious characteristics of living alone, at least in Nicaragua, is that it is REALLY time-consuming!  There is no one else to help with the cooking and the cleaning, and compared to the United States, those activities occupy an extraordinary amount of one’s time.  Clothes and dishes are washed entirely by hand, and there is a constant need to sweep and mop.


One activity that I never expected to be such an integral part of my life is barrel-filling.  “I was filling,” is a perfectly good excuse to be late for something, and everyone knows what you mean.  Where I live, running water is only available on Thursdays and Sundays (God-willing), so it must be stored in barrels or basins if one desires to bathe on any other day of the week.  Barrel-filling usually takes about an hour, and is quite the upper-body workout!


My house is located half a block from the Central Park, which is not as glamorous as it sounds (the sentence would have a whole different meaning in New York), but it is definitely a great location.  The design of my house is quite peculiar and does not allow for roommates.  It is a series of rooms connected in a row (like a hallway) so that one has to pass through ALL rooms to get to either the front or the back door.


Below is my living room.  None of the furniture is mine, but all of the books are!  When shown the space, I was especially entertained when the owner showed me the painting on the wall (not shown) saying “and this is ours, because you have to have SOME decorations, right?”  In any other occasion I would whole-heartedly agree with such a statement, but the painting is of two peasants on a farm praying over a small basket of potatoes.  It is kind of depressing, but definitely a conversation-starter, and I hope to liven it up one day with some Christmas lights. 

This is where I do my work.  I like to call it my “study” when I’m feeling fancy.  It is also my Map Room!

This is my multi-purpose room.  As you can see I have two wooden cots propped up against the wall and some clothes hanging.  That is because the room serves as a "guest room", a place to dry clothes when it is raining, and an exercise space.

Here is my kitchen.  I have a fridge, a gas-burning stove-top (which Kyle Kelly likes to call a hot-plate), and a blender.  Everything I need for gormet rice and beans!

My room is cozy and has a great view of the cemetary!

My patio is the most social space in my house.  Volunteers like to sit out here and drink coffee, look at the view and the rain, and chat.  It is also where I wash and dry all of my clothes.

I do have a bathroom and "shower", but because of the running water situation I am far more accustomed to bucket baths.  Before the last volunteer moved out, he sold me nearly everything he owned for $150.  This was a steal becaus it included the bed, the fridge, the gas tank, books, maps, etc.  Not to say that I didn't need to buy a few things to make the space my own.

Things I purchased for my house:

desk

plastic chair

plastic stools

throw pillows

lamp

blanket

a light-up framed picture of Virgin Mary (a must-see!)