Blogger Challenge Prompt #2: Share your own “home away from home” or in generally what are the homes like in your community.
When I was a teenager, my weekend chore was to do laundry. While Philip got to mow the lawn, and Thomas helped out with whatever, I spent most Saturdays doing laundry for all five Sextons and an occasional exchange student. While this may seem like a mundane task, it did have its perks. One of which was watching tv without having to debate what to watch. One of my favorite shows, Extreme Make-Over Home Edition on ABC, rebuilt houses for families. Returned military personnel, kids with cancer, and others went on a family vacation and when they came back their house was completely redone. Besides the touching family stories and the inevitable tears every family shed, I loved seeing all the different kinds of houses and wondering what I would live in.
I lived in dorms and a college-owned house during Whitworth years, with other people, grandparents’ house during the summers, and then with a friend and her parents after graduating before Peace Corps. This is the first home that I have had all to myself and, although Peace Corps pays the rent, I claim as being my first home on my own.
Like many homes, my room of a home is part of a compound situation. There is main gate leading into a courtyard of sorts. Mine is mostly concrete, while friends have grass or other things inside theirs depending on the lay out of the compound. Some of my friends have rooms behind small shop fronts or lined up one deep down roads. Most tend to be one story, but there are a few two -story buildings with rooms, usually on a hill.
Here’s the general gist of my compound: As you can tell it is in pretty much a square set up with a planter and a suspended water tank in the middle. There are various metal clotheslines hung criss-crossing most of courtyard. My landlord’s small jeep of a car can barely make it through the gate to park at night. My room of a home looks directly into the compound and east which allows lots of light to come into my house throughout the day, but shade in the afternoons. The stairs next to my room allow people to go up into other family rooms that are above the kitchen area and the toilets. There is now only one renter, who is rarely home when I am, but I suppose we both work at different times. The store is run by the handyman and sometimes his wife and two adorable daughters come to help out too.
Now to my grand floor plans of my home: One room is pretty typical. I am lucky that mine is about a foot of so off the ground which helps keep bugs, cats, and dust out of my room. Living in dusty Tigray does mean that I am still sweeping tons of dust at least three times a week out of my house, but areas that I cook and eat on, are easy to sweep up after. I have stored water in many one liter water bottles, which I store together and use piece of cardboard to make a bench for cooking goods to be stored. My vegetables are hung on the wall to the right of the window so that they don’t take up space and are easy to get to. I still live out of a suitcase, which makes it not feel quite as homey as it could be, however, it prevents my clothes from getting dusty. There is only one light switch to the right of the door and only one outlet that goes to the top right corner of the window. I use an extension cord to bring it within reach of my single burner and a table for electronics. All my walls are decorated with pictures and “glow-in-the-dark” stars.
One room homes are pretty typical from what I’ve seen of various friend’s houses in town. Depending on doors and windows will dictate where the bed will be put; however, a couple of my friends don’t have windows in their houses based on how the compound was developed. Typically a couple of rooms are started and then more are built on as needed. Since I’ve been here, there has been an extra room and bathroom built into my compound.
I have been to some ceremonies in the villages that were classified as “traditional home” by teacher buddies. These tend to be circular and have bed, seats, and crannies designed where they could before getting white spackled. The ceilings are beautiful layers of wood that are occasionally painted like a complex quilt square. The roofs are pointy and thatched with light color straw. Most houses are constructed out of rock, mud or a combination of that.
Home. Four simple letters that stand for so much. The roof to protect against rain, sun, wind and the cold. Doors and windows to let in light and air. A place to feel safe and secure in. I didn’t know what to expect of housing arrangements when I joined Peace Corps, but I’m so blessed with where I am.
My Own Complementary Prompt: Thoughts of Future Homes
I used to want a giant house. One that had a two-story library, grand staircases, window seats and a large kitchen. Living in a one room house, I’m now more appreciative space and repulsed over extravagances. I don’t want a large house that I’d have to clean (even with vacuums houses take awhile to clean), or a super fancy kitchen (though a fridge would be nice). I’d be happy with a sink so that I can actually wash my hands and veggies properly and have something I could wash my hair over besides a bucket. I miss having dresser drawers that keep things organized and clean and a bookshelf to organize books and teaching aids with. But these are just wants. I have everything that I need.
When I was a teenager, my weekend chore was to do laundry. While Philip got to mow the lawn, and Thomas helped out with whatever, I spent most Saturdays doing laundry for all five Sextons and an occasional exchange student. While this may seem like a mundane task, it did have its perks. One of which was watching tv without having to debate what to watch. One of my favorite shows, Extreme Make-Over Home Edition on ABC, rebuilt houses for families. Returned military personnel, kids with cancer, and others went on a family vacation and when they came back their house was completely redone. Besides the touching family stories and the inevitable tears every family shed, I loved seeing all the different kinds of houses and wondering what I would live in.
I lived in dorms and a college-owned house during Whitworth years, with other people, grandparents’ house during the summers, and then with a friend and her parents after graduating before Peace Corps. This is the first home that I have had all to myself and, although Peace Corps pays the rent, I claim as being my first home on my own.
Like many homes, my room of a home is part of a compound situation. There is main gate leading into a courtyard of sorts. Mine is mostly concrete, while friends have grass or other things inside theirs depending on the lay out of the compound. Some of my friends have rooms behind small shop fronts or lined up one deep down roads. Most tend to be one story, but there are a few two -story buildings with rooms, usually on a hill.
Here’s the general gist of my compound: As you can tell it is in pretty much a square set up with a planter and a suspended water tank in the middle. There are various metal clotheslines hung criss-crossing most of courtyard. My landlord’s small jeep of a car can barely make it through the gate to park at night. My room of a home looks directly into the compound and east which allows lots of light to come into my house throughout the day, but shade in the afternoons. The stairs next to my room allow people to go up into other family rooms that are above the kitchen area and the toilets. There is now only one renter, who is rarely home when I am, but I suppose we both work at different times. The store is run by the handyman and sometimes his wife and two adorable daughters come to help out too. 
Now to my grand floor plans of my home: One room is pretty typical. I am lucky that mine is about a foot of so off the ground which helps keep bugs, cats, and dust out of my room. Living in dusty Tigray does mean that I am still sweeping tons of dust at least three times a week out of my house, but areas that I cook and eat on, are easy to sweep up after. I have stored water in many one liter water bottles, which I store together and use piece of cardboard to make a bench for cooking goods to be stored. My vegetables are hung on the wall to the right of the window so that they don’t take up space and are easy to get to. I still live out of a suitcase, which makes it not feel quite as homey as it could be, however, it prevents my clothes from getting dusty. There is only one light switch to the right of the door and only one outlet that goes to the top right corner of the window. I use an extension cord to bring it within reach of my single burner and a table for electronics. All my walls are decorated with pictures and “glow-in-the-dark” stars.
One room homes are pretty typical from what I’ve seen of various friend’s houses in town. Depending on doors and windows will dictate where the bed will be put; however, a couple of my friends don’t have windows in their houses based on how the compound was developed. Typically a couple of rooms are started and then more are built on as needed. Since I’ve been here, there has been an extra room and bathroom built into my compound.
I have been to some ceremonies in the villages that were classified as “traditional home” by teacher buddies. These tend to be circular and have bed, seats, and crannies designed where they could before getting white spackled. The ceilings are beautiful layers of wood that are occasionally painted like a complex quilt square. The roofs are pointy and thatched with light color straw. Most houses are constructed out of rock, mud or a combination of that.
Home. Four simple letters that stand for so much. The roof to protect against rain, sun, wind and the cold. Doors and windows to let in light and air. A place to feel safe and secure in. I didn’t know what to expect of housing arrangements when I joined Peace Corps, but I’m so blessed with where I am.
My Own Complementary Prompt: Thoughts of Future Homes
I used to want a giant house. One that had a two-story library, grand staircases, window seats and a large kitchen. Living in a one room house, I’m now more appreciative space and repulsed over extravagances. I don’t want a large house that I’d have to clean (even with vacuums houses take awhile to clean), or a super fancy kitchen (though a fridge would be nice). I’d be happy with a sink so that I can actually wash my hands and veggies properly and have something I could wash my hair over besides a bucket. I miss having dresser drawers that keep things organized and clean and a bookshelf to organize books and teaching aids with. But these are just wants. I have everything that I need.
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