This post is a visual display of my abode in Mengit (SW Kenya). I have been living on this rural homestead since June. The family I live with is great, such a blessing and a good fit for Peter and I. I am really enjoying living in a mud hut, the simplicity of life has been a restful experience, lantern-lit nights are charming, and buckets showers at sunset revive the heart.
Also, this thought has gone through my head, I won't tell you where but maybe you could guess... if I ever have a house in N.A., would anyone ever visit me if an outdoor latrine was the only washroom option?? Ha. Probably not, but hey I would save lots on plumbing!
All and all, I am realizing that living in this village can be a very refreshing experience, not sure how i would fare after months on end but I'm more than contented knowing that I have enjoyed this lifestyle thus far. Thank you Jesus for this otherly experience. It's making me continue to question the "necessities" of comfort contraptions I live with live in Canada, and if technological social companions are keeping us from knowing our neighbors, are they
healthly comforts?! OK, everything in moderation right?... Just thoughts, it is a blog entry after all.
The entrance... Karibou! (welcome)
The Kitchen (they have separate housings for cooking). Mama Sarah is a great cook, we usually eat ugali (Maize flower with water) with some sort of side dish which could include greens or goat. Other options, chicken with rice and potatoes -- a favorite of mine.
The storage hut for harvested crops. They grow Maize corn, beans, and various other types of veggies.
The entrance to mine and Peter's room.
We built a hand-washing station (hws)! For after latrine cleaning we used to have to walk back to the house and collect water and find soap and so on. And believe it or not many people here are just now learning the importance of hand cleaning. This hws is now fixed with a wooden post and the gutter that feeds the bucket with rain water is now properly propped on the roof of the latrine. This design came to me during prayer, we are hoping that the locals accept it as an hws option.
As far as rural latrines go, this one is a GOOD example.
Hanging my clothes after hand-washing them, a recent skill I have acquired.
L-R: Me, Fetus (a son of Sarah), Mama Sarah, and Peter
my brother-in-law & sister have a composting toilet right in their home - they live off the grid in the catskills at the top of a mountain in New York - you would never know it wasn't a flush
ReplyDeleteand we would come visit! :)