Home Away From Home

I was asked to talk about where I am staying while in Nkope.


Nkope Mission is a village found near Monkey Bay on the southern tip of Lake Malawi

The volunteer house is situated right up against the lake. This is the view from the back porch:

                                      

This is the entrance to the backyard:

Here is a sitting area, right inside the backdoor. This is a great place to sit and plan.

This is the view from the front of the house. This house is completely self sufficient. It has its own water processing, sewage etc. There is a garden that grows all of the vegetables we eat. (I have had meat for 1 meal since I've been here...and that was a quarter piece of steak like substance...I'm not sure it was beef.) The project manager and volunteer coordinator live on the property, but in different quarters. The property is completely gated in and there are two guards on duty. There is a gardener, a cook, a housekeeper and a dog named Scrappy!

This is the view from the front porch, looking out toward the garden and the front gate. When you walk down that long dirt road you come to a gate. On the other side of the gate is the village of Nkope. I teach at Nkope Hill Primary School, which is about 1/4 of a mile walk. 

I have had to change my lifestyle quite a bit here. We eat for survival, not for recreation. The food comes in very small portions and there is very little protein, that I am willing to eat:) I brought some protein bars and I have been supplementing my diet with those. Its a very communal life style and it is difficult to find alone time, though the group I am currently with is quite enjoyable. Luxuries such as hot water, electricity and even just water are unpredictable. I feel well taken care of, though. We are the privileged few. No other home has as many luxuries as we do. Everyone else drinks their water straight from the river...The same river they bathe in and wash their dishes in.

That is just a glimpse into my life in Nkope.