Moved house

Moved House

Weeks of living out of a suitcase, I finally moved to my house in area three. I moved from area fifteen to area three.  A quite serene neighbourhood, a radio station, and Lilongwe Golf Club are my neighbours. A walking distance into town, a thirty minutes walk to the town centre and church

My house is the Malawian crème de la crème, a spacious two-bedroom house, with hosts of features a chest freezer, a fridge-freezer, toaster, electric kettle, satellite TV, microwave and a proper cooker and oven instead of the standard two-ring hot plates  provided to volunteers. 

The compound has eleven apartments, six two-bedrooms and five one-bedroom apartments.  The grounds lined with palm trees and the garden well maintained.  My neigbours are internationals, working with international non-government organizations (INGOs) from Africa, Europe, South America and Asia.

It is a safe compound, a day guard, and night guard. The gardener/car washer also acts as the day guard until the night guard takes over from him. Apart from the night guard, electric fencing surrounds the entire compound to keep us extra safe. We have house girls and a houseboy to clean our apartments and wash our clothes.  I have a houseman, a quiet gentle soul in his forties; however, the hardship of life has aged him considerably. Once a week he washes and irons my clothes and cleans my apartment three times in the week.  For his service, I pay him 3,000.00 Malawian Kwacha a month, whenever I can I give him and the night guard extra food provisions.

At the back of my apartment I have a small garden; and with the help of my ex housemate’s houseboy and gardener, (new house) have planted essential vegetables such as lattice, onions, tomatoes, coriander. Next to be planted; carrots, spinach, butternut squash, pumpkin (Pumpkin for the staff they eat both leaves and the pumpkin), courgettes and potatoes.

Other features includes two mango trees small in comparison to previous temporary  house of 12 mango trees, avocado tree, pawpaw, guava tree and a tangerine tree.

I love my house it offers the peace and tranquility I love, though I at times I feel lonely, it is my safe haven. Some evenings when I am not too tired I go for a run around the neighbourhood, this allows me to reflect on the day’s activities and keeps me fit.

My weekends, I have been busy so far, shopping and mixing with the local people. Saturday, is the day I spend in the market, purchasing local fabrics for dresses, hand woven baskets, fruit and vegetables. I have made a number of friends in the market, market traders I barter with them and get a good discount on my purchase. In Africa, it is the expected practice and the norm to barter.

I have started baking my own bread and plan to make mango jam when mango is in season, which is not far off, August/September. Apart from mango jams, I plan to dry, freeze them so I can enjoy mangos all year round when out of season, I just love mangos, sugar cane is currently in season and once a week I indulge myself.

Saturday afternoons/ evenings, if I am not too tired from roaming the market and baking I work on my patchwork quilt (hand stitching), embroider, may read a book, or simply listen to my numerous collection of music on my ipad or watch satellite TV. I have decided not to renew subscription for satellite TV for August, save my money and spend it on other things.  Sunday, worship day go to church, after church lunch with other VSO volunteers, a time to catch up share lunch together and relax.

See photos