I thought you would all be interested to see how I have transformed my living accommodation into a dwelling place fit for an article in “House and Garden”. Pieces of material purchased from the market have now become curtains and chair covers ( this now allows me to sit without sticking to the plastic covers ) with a couple of raffia mats to cover over the cement cracked floors, not to mention the special designer label “Welcome Mat”.
Plastic water bottles have become cutlery holders and pencil holders not to mention a vase for my sweet peas. Although Margaret went one step further by spray painting a bottle and decorating it and giving it to me for a present ( she modelled it on a Clariss Cliff design so I am planning to take it back with me for a future Cash in the Attic).
I have shifted my bedroom into a slightly larger room and have enhanced it with a bedside mat, (the bag which my pillows came in ) and a few items to brighten the walls ( and cover the holes).
The stones from outside have made ideal door stops and for a while I was attempting to use one as a hammer to try and put up some additional hooks on the wall, eventually I had to give in and buy a real hammer and some really long nails which take a proper grip into my mud brick walls. Of course the down side is that they eventually disintegrate and I am left with piles of mud and dust crumbling over the skirting board onto the floor.
I decided to purchase another kitchen table from the joiners yard along the way as I was getting tired of bending over and cooking on the small table and also to accommodate my additional electrical items of a coffee maker and toaster ( on loan only). I gave the measurements on the Sunday after some serious negotiating of prices and the next day it arrived on the back of a bicycle, newly varnished and rustic in nature and appearance (and the shelf underneath that I had requested was clearly a step too far ) but it serves the purpose nicely and gives me more room for my cordon bleu cooking!
I am now on my third hot plate which I use for cooking, the first having burnt out when my one of two electric sockets in the whole house went on fire, the second just decided to stop working one day, again possibly something to do with the dodgy electrical wiring noticeable by the lights in the house which keep flashing stronger andweaker. I have to say I am very careful to use only one appliance at a time and not overload the system so it remains to be seen how long the third hot plate lasts?
I have 3 waste disposal bins in the corner of the kitchen area, one for compost, one for burning and one for non recyclable items which I take with me to Kigali and put in a litter bin, although I have to say there is very little I cannot recycle – any tins or jars I pass on to the joiners yard to use for their varnish and paint, water bottles go back to the market to get filled with oil, yogurt cartons and bottle tops get kept to make resources as do the brown paper bags and any other packaging and the compost goes over the fence to fertilize the field.
I have included a picture of my walk in wet room with matching bidet and vanity unit but I have to inform you that my outside toilet has now been vandalized to accommodate a greater disposal of waste!!
I have managed to grow 2 lots of rocket outside and was starting to pick my sweet peas, coriander and basil but in spite of watering them with all my surplus washing up water they have now succumbed to the heat and drought.
Just to round off this blog a few more anecdotal tales:
On one occasion in Kigali I accompanied Margaret to find the main branch of her bank, aptly named Banque Populaire, as she was in need of some additional funds. We eventually located it at the market end of the town and although busy we were pleased to see that there was a ticket queuing system. We took a ticket numbered 284 and looked around for a seat, it was then we realized that the number currently being served was 127. Two hours later she eventually got served – a bank that truly lives up to its name!
Waking up in Rwamagana at a parent/ teacher’s conference I was aware that I was not alone in my room, the room was full of grasshoppers which had come in under the bottom of the door, they were everywhere, about 10 cms in length. By the time I got outside, I was told that November is the month they all appear, several of the adults attending the conference where combing the bushes for the grasshoppers and then stuffing them in a bottle. I’m told they make a delicious meal when deep fried, the children outside were all busy catching them to try and sell them at the market. Another reason for my new Rwandan vegetarian beliefs!
I eventually decided after 4 months that it was time for a hair cut so having some time to kill while waiting for fellow volunteers I walked in off the street and asked if I could get my hair cut – “ntakibazo” – no problem, it would cost me 6,000Rf (about £6). I first got my hair washed which took about half an hour as I was shampooed and massaged, already a good £6 worth, however I was slightly more concerned when a young man stepped up to cut my hair and could not find a pair of scissors anywhere. A pair were eventually located at the back of a drawer, he then took a chunk of my hair from my fringe and snipped the tiniest fraction off and asked if that was OK, his hands were shaking so much, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, I just asked if I could wait for the other hairdresser who was busy with a client and looked as if he knew what to do with a pair of scissors. I eventually emerged with a short back and sides, which another volunteer then trimmed for me with a pair of clippers – at least my hair grows quickly!
And finally not for the faint hearted and definitely not for Sue
As I was busy getting ready for work one morning I heard a commotion outside and some loud banging noises. On investigation I found my night guard throwing some stones at a snake, which was on the ground just outside my bedroom window. It wasn’t huge in size but sufficiently snake like to make me feel quite squeamish, especially thinking about all the times I had been walking in the grass. It was duly dispatched to the field next door, never to bother me or anybody else again!
No comments:
Post a Comment