Nary a Goblin in Sight

In what must be a blow to the candy and costume industries, October 31 came and left in this part of the world with absolutely no outward recognition of Halloween. This week, we finally moved into our house. The District Council has put forth a significant amount of effort to make it comfortable, and it has two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a toilet room, and a "geyser" shower, along with other features that are not the norm for a Zambian home. Nonetheless, a few inevitable loose ends and surprises were encountered. No chairs, no water at various times of the day, no place to put the oven in the kitchen, no mirror (perhaps a good thing in my case, but shaving is definitely a challenge without water or a mirror), and an assortment of now familiar characters popping in and out (a pretty sizable lizard that uses the opening in the wall for the shower drain, a very large, hairy and frenetic spider that comes in and out under the front door, and cockroaches that seem to reside in the door locks and frames). One by one, these challenges are being attended (or adjusted) to, with chairs delivered, water stored, cooking with the portable oven on the large living room table, and tolerance for at least some of our extra “roommates”.

A number of kids reside in the other nearby houses, and Ity became an instant hit by providing the curious onlookers with balloons. They ran, jumped, and kicked and batted the balloons with amazing energy.   

Ity makes some instant friends

Another challenge is that the house heats up like an oven during the day and evening this time of the year. Opening up the doors and windows to increase circulation makes it easier for mosquitoes to enter. While Ity traveled to Lusaka this weekend to take part in a program for other Dutch compatriots the first of the week, I stocked up on some home basics, and also carried back a large fan from town. The locals were doubtless snickering or at least scratching their heads over that one.

A favorite tree near our house