Moving

This weekend I’ll be moving into a new apartment. It has 3 small rooms, is entirely made of concrete, and I couldn’t be more excited.  I told my host father Thursday, and he seemed typically indifferent, but I haven’t told my host brother who I’m anticipating will be upset. It’s in Ciudadela Las Mercedes, which is the neighborhood with the school that I work at, and is 5 minutes closer to the municipio where my office is. This may not sound like a big deal, but I’m hoping that it means the difference between arriving at work dry or soaked in sweat, though during the warm season I’m sure there will be little difference.  It’s also close to a tienda that sells choco-bananas which are exactly what they sound like and cost 10 cents. The only downside about the new spot is I’ll no longer be living half a block from the empanadas that I can only describe as deep fried chicken potpies.

My rent is going to be $80/month, which is $10 more than the Peace Corps allots for people living at my level. It’s pretty common, though, that volunteers living in small cities are stuck paying a little bit out of pocket, so I’m actually pretty pleased about the price. As of right now, I have acquired a gas tank, stove, mattress with bedding, fan, plastic stools, and small pull out couch. All of these were purchased/gifted from other Peace Corps folks who are leaving. My landlord is also letting me borrow a dresser/armoire that she didn’t use. Thus, I’m doing well from a budgetary standpoint, having $360 left of the $465 settling in allowance that Peace Corps gives us.  I’m in the market for a used refrigerator, but so far I haven’t found one, and the cheapest new mini-fridge around runs $210.  Other than that, the main costs I’m anticipating are going to be outfitting the kitchen, buying a couple of chairs, and buying wood and a circular saw.

Wood and a circular saw? Yes, that’s right. One of my goals is that by the end of my service I’ll be more self-sufficient. You know, in a prepared for Peak Oil, Armageddon or the Zombie Apocalypse sort of way.  Along these lines, I’ve decided that making my own furniture is a worthwhile endeavor. I’ve picked out plans for a table and some shelves that I’m going to build, and if that goes well who knows what else I’ll be inspired to do.  It’s time to put that Williams Middle School Tech Ed training to the test.  I’m also planning on painting the walls in at least one of the rooms, though I feel like I’ll be worse at that than I am at making furniture.