Hey blog readers – Thanks for all the interest in our adventures. I’m really enjoying sharing our experiences with you. Thanks especially to those who’ve left comments on Facebook. Keep ’em coming!
We’re coming off a wonderful weekend. We had 2 great parties, met 20+ new embassy people and Nick even drove successfully on the opposite side of the road! Our chef trials were both good and I’m fretting over who to pick (a good problem, I guess). Our nanny was also supposed to start today, but her son came down with Malaria (Yikes!), So I’m not sure when she’ll actually be starting.
Nia had her first day at wildlife camp today and her highlight was making toys for the monkeys, which they’ll be giving to them tomorrow. She was pretty jazzed about it all. Â :)
We had a little incident with our hot water this weekend. It wasn’t working Friday or Saturday so we asked our sponsors who to call to have it looked at. They taught us about this handy little red button that has to be flipped on in order for there to be hot water. Good to know! Turns out our special red button was out in the hallway. One off us must have turned it off thinking it was a light switch (it looks quite similar).
Today I thought I’d give you a little tour of our property. I know many of you have been asking to see it. If I had to guess, I’d say the property was about an acre. It’s massive. Way more than we need. It’s a little jungle-y too, as it hasn’t been lived in for awhile. The first thing I’ll show you is our water tower. Don’t quote me on this, but I *believe* this is to catch water in during rainy season to use on the lawn. Someone correct me if that’s not right. I love having our own water tower – it feels like we’re our own city or something!
 Here it is up close. A bit rusty, my guess is it’s been here awhile.
So in my past posts I mentioned that not only is Malawi experiencing a famine, but a drought as well. The Embassy ensures we have water by providing these huge water holding tanks. I believe we have 3 of them. Water is one of those things I’ve taken for granted in the past, but I’m so conscious of my usage here, as I know it’s getting quite scarce. The Embassy also provides a distiller for us in our kitchen so that we have access to purified water. Again, clean water just seems like it should be a given, but it’s so not here…
 
This next shot gives you an idea of how spacious the property is. There are many lights around the perimeter for safety reasons. Our entire property is enclosed by high walls and if you look closely, you’ll see that there’s barbed wire atop the wall as well. We are so grateful for all the measures the US government takes to keep us safe!
We’re fortunate to have lots of mature trees, including several fruit-bearing ones, like this papaya tree.
Speaking of safety, here’s a shot of our entry gate and guard station.
Here’s a shot driving up to the house.
And here’s a more detailed look at the front.
And here’s our carport. That’s our little Nissan Tiida that we purchased. It’s been wonderful having a car from the get go.
Here’s a shot of the back of our house.
Here’s the staff quarters. They eat here during the day. We’re still debating if we’re going to let anyone stay with us on the property (as in sleep there overnight).
Here’s our beloved generator. Only 10% of the city has power, so once it gets dark at 6, it’s DARK. Despite so few having power, they still can’t meet demand, so they cycle it on a grid around the city. We seem to lose power about 4-5 times a day (enough that I’ve stopped resetting the stove clock). The generator always kicks in after a few seconds. Again, it keeps us sheltered from the hardships here, but I’m trying to be mindful of that and not take these ‘perks’ for granted.
Here’s a shot of our backyard where the tower used to be on the far right.
Here’s the garden that Davie has started cultivating. It’s HUGE and I’m so jazzed to get everything planted soon.
Finally, here’s a picture of a little porch area we have. I love sitting out here in the morning sun eating my breakfast.
So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed the tour!
