My house--the front gate and the front door.
I am now settled into my own place. As of Monday, I will have been here three weeks. Which, if you are counting, means that I spent roughly four months at Hammer and Dela's house. The first two days of that period, I was back in the rooftop chamber that I had enjoyed in March. But, after the fall, the stairs were just too much, so I moved into Joycelyn's room.
We didn't think that it would be a lengthy stay. The night of my arrival, Dela told me that the tenant in the house next door to their compound would be leaving on September 15. He is a huissier de justice--a bailiff--and had his office in the space. I thought it would be a perfect place to be. It was two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. And the location is ideal.
This picture shows the gate into the compound--the tan one. The gray door that you see is Hammer's garage. It is the only picture of the house that I have. I only saw the outside. Dela and I went into the courtyard to check it out, but we never got to see the inside of the apartment that I would be renting. On September 15, the tenant announced that he needed to stay an extra few weeks because of a case that would be continuing that long. That was discouraging, to say the least! From my journal:
Of course, I'm impatient to be in my own place. (October 5)
Prayers still waiting for resolution--me being able to move and the wifi issue. (October 8)
I'm feeling some discouragement again about the living situation. I must really need lessons on hospitality and fellowship! It's just that I thought, by this time, I would have a bit more independence and be able to get around on my own and take care of things. That's not totally the fault of the living situation--part of it is me being chicken to drive anywhere but to school! (October 30)
Finally, toward the beginning of November, we learned that the tenant had decided not to leave. So Hammer began looking elsewhere for lodging. Toward the end of the month, he found two places and took Dela and me to see them one Friday evening. We just drove by one, because the rental agent could not meet us until the next week. Hammer thought it was the better choice, but Dela and I were not sure. In the dark it looked HUGE, far more than what I would need. We drove then to another one. It was located almost directly across the main road from Karen's house, although back from the road a bit. The house itself was great: living room (of course), two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a storage room inside. The courtyard wasn't huge, but it was half paved and half planted, which was nice. Dela and I liked the house itself, but none of the three of us liked the location. Just before we had left on our house-hunting mission, someone had told Hammer that a man in a house behind his had died, so that house was up for rent. We drove in that direction on the way home, but couldn't tell what house it might be. Two neighbors that we asked did not know either. Dela thought that would be perfect. Unfortunately, as we found out the next day, the family had already found a new tenant.
So Monday, we visited Hammer's favorite. Seeing the inside made a huge difference for Dela and me both. It truly is larger than what I need (living room, dining alcove, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, two baths, outdoor kitchen and bathroom), but it is arranged in such a way as to feel cozy. I suppose the square footage is more than my house at home, but it doesn't feel it. One of the exciting things was the presence of air conditioning. We told the man I would take it and made arrangements again to meet for me to sign the lease and pay. The asking price was 60,000 CFA per month unfurnished, 80,000 furnished. Hammer talked him down to 70,000 for the furnished.
Before we went to sign the lease, I had to go to the bank to get the cash. Hammer and I discussed the merits of a six-month vs. a year-long lease, and I decided to go for six months. My original plan had been to rent for a year, but, since it had taken so long to find a place, I only had about six months left in my original stay. Another advantage is that I could withdraw enough money for six months with one trip to the ATM, whereas I might have to make another one for a year's lease. When we met the rental agent, I paid for the six months. The agent then said that the landlady wanted a good-faith deposit of an extra 6 months. That I didn't have, so we agreed to meet once again the next week so that I could pay him that. We agreed that although I would have the keys as of that second payment, I would not actually move in until the 15th of December and the lease would run out on the 14th of June.
Naturally, things moved on a different timetable than that. Although the ladies of the church came the next Sunday afternoon to clean for me (see photo below), there were still things in the house that I didn't want to use (most notably the mattresses) that had to be removed.
Then, a few days before I planned to move, the homeowner decided that my deposit was not sufficient to cover the cost of any of the furnishings that I might break. Hammer and I visited the house to see if there were things that could be removed and came up with a short list: the TV, the outdoor couch, either the couch or two of the chairs in the living room. But, since she had specifically mentioned the air conditioning in the living room, we weren't sure what her objection was. We decided to call her and see how much more money she wanted. Since he couldn't reach her, Hammer called the rental agent, who said not to give her more money, but to assure her that I would take care of the place. When Hammer finally got her on the phone, he found that her worry was that the living room AC was too powerful for the electricity in the house--it would trip the circuit If I used it. So I promised not to use it. [Just a side note. On the day I moved in, Yaouvid was skeptical of my story. He turned the AC on and, sure enough, it ran for about 5 minutes and then tripped a circuit.]
Other preparations had to be made before I could move. Hammer wanted someone to come check all the air conditioners to make sure they were working; he wanted to pour some concrete from the big gate to the street. I had to check out all the furniture and items that Sara & Doveney left in storage and then move them; and I had to get the Internet installed.
All of these things caused delays in my moving plans, so that it was January 3 before I finally officially took up residence. There is still work to be done, but I have the essentials--a bed, a refrigerator, a bathroom, even household help. I am happy because I was able to unpack some things, like my laptop and my ukulele, which I had left in the suitcase for fear of being overwhelmed by things in the one bedroom. I am also happy because Joycelyn can now sleep in her own room when she comes to visit.
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