Friday, November 2, 2007

Pictures of My House















So here is my Tuukel (hut). The outside is made of mud, but the inside is lined with concrete on the walls and floor. The roof, as you can see, is made of grass and bamboo. However, on the inside it is lined with plastic so that the light (yes, light!) shines brighter, like a giant lamp shade and also, it keeps the bats and other gross things from falling on my head. In the pictures, I had not yet added my kitchen counter, but on the side with the Katadyn gravity bag, I now have a table for cooking and doing dishes. As some of you know, I received a Steripen for filtering water. I use the Steripen at school and when I go on road trips. For example, about a month ago we drove out to Lobwaya, a village in the mountains. We did some long hiking and ran out of water, so at a river I was able to just bust out the Steripen and provide fresh water for everyone. But, at home I use the 10 Litre Katadyn Gravity filter bag that hangs from a carabiner hung from a bamboo (my dad had bought the filter, which turned out to be very handy). on both sides of the room, there are twin beds. This is leftover from some guests that came during my time at Agnes' house, but the second bed works out great for keeping my bags termite free. Also, another girl, Lydia, will be staying with us and teaching for 5 months, so she will probably use it then. On the back wall of the room, I keep my desk, which is great to have for marking papers. On the right wall is my bed, all of my skirts/dresses which hang from a clothesline and a shelf for keeping my food and toiletry stuff. As you can see in the pictures, the walls don't go up very high-- probably about 5 feet. On the contrary, the ceiling is very tall for great ventilation. Jordan created a design of mosquito mesh around the edge of the walls, in the gap between the wall and the roof. This design keeps all the creepy crawlers outside, unless they walk through the front door. In the pictures you can see things hanging from clothesline on all sides. So far, this seems to be the best method for keeping things handy, dry, termite free, and off the ground. Even my mirror is a hand mirror which hangs from a zip tie, from th clothesline. I'm thinking about how I can incorporate all that into installation art. "suspended" maybe would be the title. orrr...something, heh.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

It is really enjoyable reading about your exploits. The pictures and text help us relate to your experiences. Take care and be safe.

Unknown said...

Marge & Don read your e-mail and print them and the pics for your Grammy. We are all so very proud of you and pray that your work is well received and you are well. BTW, watch those cracks about "southerners". LOL
Uncle Michael