Our family and friends are curious how we are surviving in Zambia, so I thought I would let you peek in to our living conditions. We feel very fortunate to be off on our own and feel very secure with good neighbors. The little patch to the right of the driveway has been lately claimed by Kristi to improve.
This is our living space. The photo was taken from the left of the front door. Notice the stairs and banister looks a little uneven and squ-omp-y, they are.
All the walls were white and bare when we arrived. We hung up a few things but still white walls.
This painting was the first thing we found. It is a very typical scene of Zambians going to church in a village. I really liked it and worked for about an hour to get the price down to a local price. I doubt if we take it home with us but I have really enjoyed looking at all the different figures.
For our big white wall around the TV/VCR we decided to have some wooden frames made and stretch African print material on them. This is the fellow who made them. I had to give exact measurements and diagrams how to brace them. We had ten of them made. After picking them up I had to get diesel in the jerry cans and rearranged the frames and all of them flew out the back of the truck.
I was pretty bummed. I threw the pile of sticks back in the truck after a car drove over them.
Life would be much easier with your own set of tools.
I got some white glue and used masking tape and renailed and finally got them almost square.
This was the plan we were working from.
I told you that being on a mission with your wife is sort of like early marriage all over again.
.jpg)
Here is Kristi in the largest fabric store in Lusaka down next to the Kamwala Market.
This is me attaching the last two frames with material.
This was the end result. Since we only get one and one-half channels on TV, I have spent a lot of time counting different items on the wall.
We found a pot and painted it a primer grey, the outside pots became blue to brighten things up a bit.
One pot for flowers....
And one for tomatoes or vegetables.
More local art for the wall.
Extra kitchen space. That is a downstairs bathroom and washing machine to the left. On the right is the door to the backyard.
This is the kitchen tucked under the stairs. The above doors are on the right side of this photo.
Here is our backyard. The only one in the complex without a pool.
You can see all the plumbing is on the outside. The white boxes are air conditioners and the silver tank is the water heater or "geezer".
Under the stairs is our luggage, extra water bottles and a two foot Christmas tree I can hardly wait to help decorate.
Each missionary flat is "authorized" a bookshelf.
We are fortunate to have a full size fridge. It is decorated much like our fridge was in Clayton.
This is my little corner. If the internet worked as advertised I would be happier. I checked with the competition today and I hope to soon have more reliable service.
I really enjoy looking at the painting style of the painting/print on the wall. A very unusual composition and use of darks and lights.
Of course this is our main supply of drinking water. We might be a little too cautious, but it is a good habit for when we are out of Lusaka.
Going up the stairs I put the picture of Christ that was found in the flat when we arrived.
At the top of the stairs is a small room that has the dryer in it. Kristi irons here and hangs some of the clothes to dry.
This is the second bedroom. It is a queen size bed and you are all welcome at any time.
We are not kidding, we need a little variety in our lives and would love to have guests.
This is the view of the neighbors from upstairs.
Looking down the hall to our bedroom. The bathroom is shared and on the left.
Yep, I am even showing you our bathroom.
This beauty looks like a great place to relax. Just try it with a little dribble of cold water and being unable to turn around or pick up anything you drop. I consider it a torture chamber.
Our bedroom and the rug I carried on my head.
Nice closets, and nothing squished since we haven't lived here thirty years not throwing much out.
The stairs here at home and in the mission home are a little disconcerting at first. If you look closely, they are at random heights and random widths. I am a lot more careful walking now than when I first arrived. No footing should be taken for granted.
I suppose there would be less stumbles in my life if I was certain of every place I put my weight for footing. Expectations not being met are really a personal problem, and no one else's.
It would be fun to chat about TRUST and HOPE with someone about now.
As far as our accommodations in Zambia, we are blessed.
