All by myself

Long time no update…sorry. It’s been a busy couple of month s around here. Not solely work related unfortunately, but that as well.
To start off, I officially live by myself now (hence the title…). The volunteer I am replacing has COSed (Close of Service) about 3 weeks ago. It was really nice having her around, especially since we got along pretty well and she helped me a lot with my integration into the community. However, it is still nice to be on my own now. I feel comfortable in my environment and hope to actually start doing some work soon.
So what has been going on? Well, I am continuing my renovations of the house…I finally gave in and had a professional painter come and paint the house!
Prior to that I was away from home for about a week and a half of workshops. The first was about permaculture, which is a way of gardening which is sustainable and close to home, producing nutritious food. That system is truly revolutionary! Even me, a person who NEVER garden before was inspired to embark on a gardening experiment. When I got home I was all excited about all the things that I am going to plant, especially since the soil in my region is known to be very good. Come to find out that the soil is actually not soil, but sand, and half of the things that I want to grow wouldn’t survive in the upcoming heat. But no no, I am not giving up yet…I am just taking it slow and going with what the locals are planting…so maybe I wont have an herb garden like I dreamed of, but I’ll have plenty of mchicha (local spinach) - that’s for sure!
I already managed to hurt both my hands while using a hoe (never thought the skin my hands can get so many sores…) and the neighborhood cows came and ruined the little that I started already. At least the neighbor’s chickens are enjoying the open shady space under the tree I cleaned off from all the dried weeds that pilled there.
Another activity I had taken upon is painting (in the sense of painting pictures that is). I took out all the old paint canes from around the house and started playing with the colors…something came out, not sure what though.
Oh, did I mention I’m almost here for 5 months now? It’s crazy how time goes by sometimes. Those 5 months have been packed with activities and new things, but its all good so far. Until next time,



-May.