This will be my abode for the next two years, and I’m pretty pleased with it! Tiny, it’s completely manageable in terms of cleaning. It’s also quite secure; my front door opens onto a locked compound shared with another volunteer. We have a security guard at night. I have power nearly all of the time, and running water occasionally. When the water being on lines up with me being at home (mostly, it’s turned on when I’m at work), I can have hot showers! Hot being the optimum word: there is no intermediate temperature so I alternate between scalding and freezing, mimicking moderation. I was provided with most dishes I need, curtains, blankets, and cute little doormats made of cloth scraps. Since there is still no running water at all in the kitchen, they set me up with large buckets under the sink, which I fill in the bathroom and use for washing hands and dishes. My cooker (stove and oven) tries to electrocute me, but at least it heats things. Laundry takes forever to dry, similar to home when it won’t stop raining. The difference? No dryer.

Compared to some of my fellow volunteers, I am living in the lap of luxury. They have various problems, like no running water, no electricity, nasty toilets, or no house at all! Last but not least: my internet connection is reasonably good – we’re on top of a plateau resulting in excellent network coverage!