Life As We Know It

Our apologies for the dry spell in our blogs.  Things became very busy around here, but we are finally settling in and there are pictures of our new home at the end of this (somewhat long) post.

Have you ever received a wonderful gift, but had a hard time opening it because there was so much tape or the box was difficult to open?  That’s how our apartment feels.  We have been living in it for the last four weeks.  The blessings of some independence, privacy, and newness have been very uplifting.  The house was just built this summer and has four two-bedroom apartments, a one-bedroom “boy’s quarters” separate from the house, and a pool house next to a plot of grass that was intended for a small swimming pool.  It is nicer than we expected with brand new appliances and plenty of space.  We residents (all the new teachers) nicknamed it “Accrib” because we felt so posh.  Then the trouble started.

The first time we took showers, we discovered water flooding the inside of the new walls and leaking into the living room.  Leaks appeared everywhere: some small, some very large.  Once the hot water heater in the kitchen began spewing water all over Daesha as she washed dishes.  There was even a leak on the roof at one point.  Our house has a new nickname: “Noah’s Ark”.  Thankfully, the school employs a highly qualified plumber who has been to our house almost every day.  He knocks out walls, make repairs, and patches the holes.  There have been a few days when we had no running water and took our first “bottle baths” using our reserves of bottled water.  Later this year when water shortages begin, that will happen more often.

In addition to the leaks, we have struggled to learn about life here.  For instance, you have to turn the hot water heater on 20-30 minutes before you want to bathe or wash dishes, then turn it off.  You buy your electricity in units on a card then run the card through a device at the house in order to have electricity.  You have to use voltage regulators on almost everything that plugs in because the electricity flow fluctuates.  You have to pay the guards.  We have a cheap gas stove that is very finicky with no set temperature gauges.  You have to buy the gas for that.  At first, shopping was an adventure.  I can see how it may become a real chore.  It takes more energy and time than we are accustomed to to buy and prepare food, especially because we try to avoid eating out.  Everything tastes different (not bad, just different).  We have also struggled to learn all the procedures and expectations at the school.  

Things are making more sense now, but at first our ignorance in all areas was overwhelming.

We don’t want to sound whiney; we have so many good things here and we thank God for them.  And our perspective always shifts when we see the third-culture life we are surrounded by.  However, being busy was probably only one reason we haven’t blogged in a while.  The other reason was a deep sense of discouragement and frustration and we didn’t want to dump on you.  Our beloved Lisamarie pointed out, though, that these little hardships are real, and our friends and family want to know about what’s really happening in our lives.  And His mercy endures forever.

Entrance to the compound.
John is waiting for the guard to unlock the door.

We are on the top left.
This is Sammy the plumber's car.

View from our front porch.

Akwaaba! (Welcome!)

Water purifier on the counter.
You can just see the pipes for the water heater on the top left.

Back patio.

Pre-curtains.  Bathroom is on the left.

Our first meal.  Tanya is the high school social studies teacher
and lives next door.