Area 47, Sector 2, Plot 326

This is the place that I call home for the next 8 months.  I know that my family has been wondering what everything looks like, and the easiest way to share these pictures with them is via this blog, so here goes!

Lilongwe is divided into Areas (always makes me think of the Districts in Hunger Games), which are then subdivided into Sectors, and each house receives a number (not necessarily a street name though).  So, I live in Area 47, Sector 2, Plot 326.  I work in Sector 3, and my housemates Brittany and Alisha work in Sector 4.  Walking to work, although it only involves walking down my street, crossing onto a second, and then taking the second left, takes 25 to 30 minutes, so it is pretty spread out.

By the way - the sun comes up around 5:30 am and it is warm out by 6:00 am, and then the sun sets by 6:00 pm, so days seem to speed by!

Anyhow - welcome to the fenced-in world of Plot 326!

Looking down the road from the house - the super tall tree always marks being close to home!

Up the road (towards the other Sectors and our workplaces) - the unkempt bushes are also a marker for being near our gate.

The entrance to my little world! With some of the little girls, of course (one is from the neighbourhood, the other lives here and is the daughter of the night guard and housekeeper).

The beautiful huge yard and garden with the house and garage at the back of the property.

The front entrance - lovely outdoor living area where we eat breakfast - and the girls.

Living and dining area - all locally made furniture - wicker is really well-done here, but the woodworking is a bit iffy - they don't let the wood dry before using it, so the once-perfect table is now all warped and cracked.

The mid-dinner-prep kitchen.

My bed - definitely enjoying finally having a 'princess curtain' experience, though it is more of necessity than of want now that I'm grown up!

Decorated wall: favourite verses, a chitenge with a map of Malawi on it, my INDEVOURS passport, some family and friends pics (need to get some more printed ASAP!).

Not only does the yard have a huge veggie and herb garden, chickens, mango, papaya, guava, mulberry, and banana trees, it also has beautiful flower gardens!