10 Reasons to Like our House

Posted by Janine

It took some time but we found a house! After having visited at least twenty places (partly while Mikkel was at work) I surely know everything about different living styles, ranging from bucket showers and hole-in-the-ground toilets to super fancy ‘expat’ mansions. I also found out that the Rwandese have a peculiar taste for furniture, to put it mildly. But our final catch was worth the search:

So, if the picture doesn’t say enough, here’s why we like it:

1. The terrace is big enough to host a hammock, a bbq and lots of people. Some say it’s even big enough to have a swimming pool or tennis court! (fam. Dortmundt?)

2. It’s surrounded by one big green lush garden and the sound of birds overrules everything. Including sounds I had never even known birds were capable of producing.

3. We have our own avocado tree!

4. The house includes furniture, such as a couch set with leopard prints…oh yeah

5. Like many places in Kigali, we’re located on a hill-side, so there is a view!

6. Unlike many places in Kigali, we have hot water, an oven and a brand new fridge.

7. It’s located only 5 minutes by mototaxi or 20 minutes walk from Mikkel’s office. (He's still looking for a bike but they're not that easy to get)

8. The house is surrounded by small shops and bars of about 1 square meter, selling anything from tomatoes and bananas to cold beers. And fanta of course.

9. The house has 4 bedrooms. We are living with two great housemates: Anneke, a dutch girl who is going to work in Kigali for two years and Laetitia, who is Rwandese (although half ‘mzungu’ cause she lived in Europe ten years of her life)

10. And last but not least…oh my god…we have a full time housekeeper!

Yes this last point needs some elaboration. We call him Henk but his name is Eduvardi and he's 23. He lives behind our house. He is great. He cleans, does our washing, tidies our rooms and clothes, goes to the market and yes- he even cooks at times…He got to keep his job so he can share money with his family and even save up maybe. And he learns some English.

So what’s the problem?

My conscious!!! I have a hard time being actually unemployed myself and sitting behind my computer or lying lazily in the hammock…while he is busying around from 7 in the morning till 9 at night. Oh it makes me feel baaaaad.

Well. Let’s say that as a kind of ‘punishment’ we’re going to leave our luxury life this weekend to go camping in the rainy forests of Nyungwe national parc 4 hours down south. Get some tough times; fighting off chimpanzees and things like that.

Homely hug!

janine