PHASE III
Jazen, Patience, Chikondi and George live in their home that they are building. It really is just a shell right now...with dirt floors, brick walls, a tin roof and bricked up windows. Soon they will save enough money to have electricity. It will take them three years to pay for the floor, windows, doors, bathroom and kitchen cabinents/appliances. They will get these things done as they can pay for them. Their bathroom right now is a small brick structure about 30 feet from the house with an outdoor toilet (squattie pottie) and bathing area. We would bathe each day in this behind a curtain when Patience would heat some water over the fire. The bath was splashing water on us to clean off. This is how they bathe everyday.
Our stay with the family also included 3 hens and 1 rooster. They stayed in the room in the house across from ours. Every morning at 3 a.m., the rooster would start crowing and didn't stop until about 6 a.m. I think if we had stayed any longer...we would have had fried chicken for supper! We all slept on 2 inch mattresses on the dirt floor under a mosquito net. This was called our "Happy Place" because if we kept it all tucked in tight...under the mattress...then bugs, lizards and whatever were kept out!
Patience would cook all the meals over a fire. We ate traditional African foods like Nshema (which is the mealie (corn) meal stirred in hot water until it gets thick like grits). The Nshema is used for the utensils since you pinch off a bit, work it into a ball, flatten out a place in the middle with your thumb, and then use it to scoop up your other food like pumpkin leaves, okra, kapenta (small fish like minnows) and goat meat. Luke played games with the boys. Kim helped Patience wash their clothes in a bucket. I worked in their garden and went to a futball game. This was such a sweet family and they were very generous in everything they had.
Jazen, Patience, Chikondi and George live in their home that they are building. It really is just a shell right now...with dirt floors, brick walls, a tin roof and bricked up windows. Soon they will save enough money to have electricity. It will take them three years to pay for the floor, windows, doors, bathroom and kitchen cabinents/appliances. They will get these things done as they can pay for them. Their bathroom right now is a small brick structure about 30 feet from the house with an outdoor toilet (squattie pottie) and bathing area. We would bathe each day in this behind a curtain when Patience would heat some water over the fire. The bath was splashing water on us to clean off. This is how they bathe everyday.
Our stay with the family also included 3 hens and 1 rooster. They stayed in the room in the house across from ours. Every morning at 3 a.m., the rooster would start crowing and didn't stop until about 6 a.m. I think if we had stayed any longer...we would have had fried chicken for supper! We all slept on 2 inch mattresses on the dirt floor under a mosquito net. This was called our "Happy Place" because if we kept it all tucked in tight...under the mattress...then bugs, lizards and whatever were kept out!
Patience would cook all the meals over a fire. We ate traditional African foods like Nshema (which is the mealie (corn) meal stirred in hot water until it gets thick like grits). The Nshema is used for the utensils since you pinch off a bit, work it into a ball, flatten out a place in the middle with your thumb, and then use it to scoop up your other food like pumpkin leaves, okra, kapenta (small fish like minnows) and goat meat. Luke played games with the boys. Kim helped Patience wash their clothes in a bucket. I worked in their garden and went to a futball game. This was such a sweet family and they were very generous in everything they had.
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