Better Homes and Gardens

Don’t get me wrong, I like living in the mud hut. I really do. It’s kind of rustic, and it’s very easy to keep clean, seeing as the whole house is made of mud anyway. I really feel kind of disconnected from the rest of the world when I’m there, and since that’s one of the reasons why I traveled halfway around the world in the first place, I fit right in. I like a challenge, and I’m the type of person who can tolerate a lot. Yet it’s not the kind of place where you want to squeeze 6 people for an extended period of time. There’s no internet, lousy water pressure, and lots of bugs. There’s just not enough room anyway. That’s why for the past several weeks, Atul and other GSC staff have been locating more suitable accommodations for the summer crew of 5, plus me. We finally found one, and I took a look at it for the first time today.

Man, it’s nice. Although after the mud hut, anything would seem pretty luxurious. Still, it’s really nice. The floors in every room are marble, and so are the countertops in the kitchen. There are plenty of cupboards and closets in all rooms for storing stuff. Two bedrooms and a bathroom attached to each bedroom make it perfect for accommodating both sexes. My favorite part is the huge common room surrounded by full-length windows that let in a ton of natural light. Plus, a big open space with smooth floors just screams “dance floor.” I hope the new students are interested in learning swing dancing.

Right now, it’s being painted, and a little bit of sealant is being added to the moldings. Other than that, the house is in perfect condition, very clean and new. There’s a stairway connecting to the roof, which is huge, so that will be a wonderful place to read a book on a lazy, hot afternoon. Outlets in every room and broadband availability are good things to have for a bunch of laptop-toting college students, and we got ‘em. We even have a shower in one of the bathrooms. How American.

One of the more interesting features is the vegetable storage mini-closet in the kitchen. It’s a cupboard that opens out to the outside and is shielded from the elements by an awning and a screen fence. You can keep leafy vegetables, potatoes, onions, carrots, peas, basically any vegetables in this storage area, and the cool air at night will keep them fresh. No need for crisping drawers in the fridge. It’s a truly ingenious way to take advantage of the conditions around you for your benefit. And it looks really cool.

Next week, the painting and cleaning should be finished, and I’ll be moving in a few days after that. I’ll have a few weeks in there by myself to get used to it and see if anything needs to be added or changed. Trial by error remodeling, I call it. Then, it will be ready for the new group. Now we just need to set up a decent sound system in the main area for the swing dance party. I’ll get started on the proposal.