The compound and my house.

I am very fortunate to be living in a family compound. The landlord (or head of the compound) is one of two brothers. From what I can gather each brother has two wives and several children as well as other children that they have taken in. So, on the compound there are two older men (known as dad and stepdad in Mandinka) and their wives (ranging in age) and then each wife has some children. There are also some grandchildren on the compound. There are a few rented properties on the compound (such as my own and Pauls) and there is another Gambian family living here. I haven’t come across any ‘nuclear’ families yet and I know that some of the children and teenagers here don’t have parents (it is also pretty common for people to send their children to live with other family members like grandparents, aunts and uncles). It all gets a little bit confusing because the Mandinka language has very clear ways of explaining who exactly the family members are and on what side of the family they come from however when talking to you in English they just refer to everyone as sister, brother, mother or father (even if they are what we would call cousins, aunties and uncles).

The compound itself is very nice and has its own tap within the walls. The tap is not on all the time but you can get water from it for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening. The Ceesay’s are very welcoming and treat you like family which is really nice. They always want to know what you’re doing and often just like to hang around with you on the porch. Every time someone passes my door (which is often because I’m near the tap) they shout out ‘Kaddy’ and will come to greet me. The children shout out my name all the time and are always trying to get into the house to see what I’m doing or just to play with my belongings. People seem really intrigued with me and within often whole crowds of teenagers and adults gathered around just calling out ‘Kaddy’ and then speaking in Mandinka and waiting to see if I can respond (which often I can’t).  It’s also quite a lively and noisy compound. It’s a really nice atmosphere and I feel very lucky to have been placed with such a lovely family. There is another Kaddy here (she is about 3) and she loves the fact that we have the same name! Every time she sees me she says, ‘Kaddy, Kaddy’ then laughs!

My actual house is nice too. Though technically I live alone, I share my house with a mouse and termites (both of which seem impossible to eradicate). The termites are strange little things, I’ve never actually seen them but every morning there are random little piles of concrete and plaster on the floor. There is always quite a lot for one night and I bet if i left the house for a week there would be a proper termite mound! I have two rooms: a living area with a table and chair, two more ‘comfortable’ chairs, a coffee table, a fridge and a stove with a gas canister attached (which is currently empty) and then the other room is my bedroom. In the bedroom there is a bed and a chest of drawers (I haven’t put anything in there yet because i’m worried that the mouse might eat whatever is in the drawers!) When I arrived at the house there was also a broom handle suspended from the ceiling which I use as my wardrobe. There is a back door at the end of my bedroom which leads to an outside area where my pit latrine is. The hole to the pit is covered by a piece of wood with a stone on it and in the corner of the latrine there is hole (like a plug hole). There is no running water here so I wash myself in the latrine area using a designated bucket. I also wash dishes out the back (not in the latrine though and I have a different bucket)! And I wash my undies out the back too (in yet another bucket)! Buckets are crucial here!

I haven’t quite mastered using the latrine yet but I have made some simple contraptions that have made my life a bit easier, such as my toilet roll holder, privacy curtain (though Paul and I have separate latrines we share the same outdoor area) and a line to hold my towel. The outdoor area and latrine is uncovered so having a wash and going to the toilet in the rain is quite an experience and having diarrhoea, especially during the rainy season (which I had a terrible bout of recently) is a bloody nightmare! 

The street outside my compound (compound to the left)

Inside the compound (this is the row of rented houses)

Paul's house to the left, mine to the right (we share a porch)

My house! (and bike)

The tap at the compound (the yellow things are what I collect water in, I have 3 that are usable)

Inside my house (the living area)

Same room, different angle!

My table/desk with pictures from home!

My cooker (would be even better if the gas canister had gas in it!!)

Going through the doorway into the other room (bedroom)

Through we go!!!

My bedroom!

My wardrobe

Reminders of home!!

Bedroom (looking at the rear door - leading to ensuite!)

My outside area (rear of the house)

My toilet and shower

The toilet (obviously remove the wood covering the pit hole!) There is a drain for when I wash, clean teeth etc at the edge of latrine.

My handy toilet roll holder!

My privacy curtain (Paul's latrine area is just the other side!)

My rear door (looking back into the house)

My sink!!!