Decision Time

Where are we going to live?

The housing market is as mad as the car market – for a town hoaching with short term foreign consultants and aid workers there is a disturbing lack of simple, furnished, accom available (John – want to expand your empire south?). Standard approach seems to be to rent a massive house, buy bits of random furniture off the hawkers in Ndirandi and be happy living in faded grandeur of huge villas with perhaps an upturned box and set of deck chairs as dining furniture.

Nope, not for me. I want the civilising touches of wardrobes, colanders & bedside lamps – it has to be furnished. It also has to be safe and I'm just not comfortable with the standard bamboo fences and trying to hire our own security guards. The hut, for all its wildlife (latest being army of (now ex) ants trooping from under the ceiling down the wall & into a gap in the shower I didn't even know was there), is really well furnished, actually quite roomy & relatively safe (fingers crossed).

But I need to know my options and so we went to see the most beautifully furnished two bed cottage – I am genuinely upset by how nice it was (and note for the future what a difference fresh paint & matching fabrics make to a place). At $1000 a month it is also hugely expensive and we think now is simply not the time for us to commit to that. As a rational person I see the potential of all the other things that A's (very) hard earned money could be spent on (e.g. next week's trip to Zomba Forest Lodge & the lake – yay!). So we won't do it. As an emotional person I really really really want it but reason wins and right now I can't have it. I want it but I can't and that is that.

What is Chichewa for rentakill?
F x

PS – there are lots of great things about the hut too – Davina, our landlady, is fab company & has been wonderful at showing us the ropes, its in a good area and has some of the best views going – we've now had a good chat with her and she is going to arrange for a bunch of improvements to be made. We're also going to arrange for a bit of the garden to be levelled out to make a really lovely outside dining area – where there's a will.....