Sunday, September 7, 2008

my home

It’s so close but it doesn’t even seem real. There is still so much stuff in my little house that I can’t really believe I’m leaving in just 2 short days. I’ve packed a lot of my things but then there are things that I’m giving away. I think it would be sad if my room was too bare. It makes me think of the first night I got to this place – the day we were sworn in as volunteers. I had no idea what to expect because when I had come for a visit a few weeks earlier, I had stayed somewhere different that didn’t end up working out. The night we showed up to Annah’s house, it was chaotic with the greetings and my mom called as I arrived, adding to the craziness and I think Jason called too. When they showed me the room it was so empty it even echoed a bit like a new house does. I had all the essentials like the wardrobe, single bed, table & chair and I was even lucky enough to have a bookcase, comfy chair, stove/oven and a refrigerator but it had that unlived in feeling. But I was so happy to have my own room, outside of the main house, with electricity – I had a huge smile on my face as I went to sleep that night. At that time I only had 2 bags so I didn’t quite fill out the room. It’s amazing how much stuff (crap?) I can accumulate in 2 years! The space has definitely evolved to become my home, my little safe haven away from world; A place that I could tuck into to escape the constant attention and the expectations. Eventually I got a bigger bed and a desk and although the space was limited, I made it work.


I love the bookcase and all the books and movies that I would stare at deciding which was next. And I love the bed too. Carol (my host sister) let me use it for a few months back when my mom first came for a visit. Then I asked if I could just use it for the rest of my time (otherwise it would just in sit in the house unused). We struck a compromise and I paid her R50 a month to essentially rent the bed. The mini comfy chair was also great, most of my time in my room was spent sitting there either reading, watching a movie, eating, or just playing on my computer.


My wardrobe was a pain because it didn’t have space to hang anything, only shelves and for the longest time it had a broken door. But it worked and hid the ridiculous amounts of toiletries that I have.


My kitchen corner/bathroom/storage area was essential to my survival but mostly used to make simple, if not sub par, meals and of course bathe.

But now it’s time to neatly fold all these memories up and move on to the next exciting adventures. I’ve only a few things left to pack and a few more goodbyes to give and then I’m on my way.

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