By popular request

By request, some basic information (and apologies that it's text--the internet cafe computers don't recognize my camera):

What is your private dwelling like? How many rooms? Size? Furnishings? Beds? Walls? Windows? Kitchen, etc.

Our little house is made of cinder blocks coated in concrete, like most of the modern dwellings here. The alternative is huts with thatched roofs. The key to our place looks like an old fashioned skeleton key. All the rooms are painted the same color. You walk into the great room, with a living room and dining area. The fridge is in the dining area. To the right are our two bedrooms. Ashley is in the "kids" room, with a big bed but kiddish decorations. I'm in the "master" bedroom. The bathroom has everything you would expect, but no hot water and we have to flush the toilet with a bucket. In the kitchen, the stove/oven doesn't work, so we use a combination small oven/hot plate contraption. The fridge is in the dining area. We have beds, dressers, three couches, and a round dining table with chairs. There are few decorations on the walls. If you walk out the back door, you run into the laundry line and an orange tree.

What is the family's dwelling like? Same questions. Do THEY have running water.
What about electricity?

The main house, we haven't seen too much of. They have a separate bathroom/water closet. A living room. A large kitchen with two stoves, one electric, one gas. A dining room, which we've only eaten in once. The TV is always on. We haven't seen the bedrooms or other rooms. The floors, like in our place, are tile or linoleum squares. I haven't noticed any books besides the newspaper, magazines like Cosmo, and the Bible. Their toilets run fine, and they have hot water. We're both in the same boat in terms of intermittent water and electricity shortages.


How far is it to the library?

A 15-20 minute walk.


How big is the library? How many rooms? Walls, tables, chairs?

The main library is a rectangle about 20 feet by 100 feet, maybe, split 2/3 adult, 1/3 child. There is a circulation desk in the middle, and a magnetic gate by the front door. There are a few bean bag chairs in the children's section and two little tables with kid-sized chairs. In the adult section, there are two long rows of wooden tables with chairs and a small lounge area. Except for one large shelf holding the reference and Botswana collections, all the books are on metal shelves on the walls. There are windows near the ceiling. There is an office in back, which the entire staff shares, and a staff bathroom--no TP, no soap, no toilet seat. Out back in a spout coming out of the ground, for water. Out front, there is a worn down trailer. One third houses the HR/administrator's office, one third is for storage, and one third is where the staff sits when it's not too cold.