Everyday Necessities

Several weeks ago I showed you our house. I thought today I'd show you things in our house that are different than homes in the United States. These are things that we couldn't do without.

We don't have near the electricity problems that Katrina has in Nigeria. However, it isn't unusual for the electricity to go out a couple of times a week. Tonight for example while I was cooking supper we lost power for about twenty to thirty minutes. If it is daylight it isn't a problem. However, if it is dark, it is really dark. This is a rechargeable lantern that puts out quite a bit of light. We keep it in a special place so we always know where it is at. There are also several flashlights kept in strategic locations in the house and candles with matches in every room.

If we would drink the water here we would get sick. There is bacteria and other impurities that our bodies aren't used to. That means that we might get sick if we drank tap water. That problem is solved by having a water filter for drinking water and for brushing teeth. It works by the simple process of osmosis and gravity. You fill up the top compartment with tap water. Inside is a clay filter to get rid of the impurities. As time goes by the water passes through the filter and into the bottom part of the filter. Now it is drinkable water!

There are four dogs on the compound for security reasons. Copper and Dino are two that are outside all day long. They are quite tame and friendly (to us). Dino is the father of Copper. Copper is younger and more energetic. John feeds her our bones and scraps of meat. She really likes that. Due to the treats and warm concrete, she hangs out near our house during the day. We often hear her tail hitting our door at night. It's not a bad thing to know that there is a guard dog right outside your front door!

We don't have and don't want a hot water heater. We don't have room for one and they are too expensive to run. However, we have three small ones that give us hot water just when we need it. Each shower has a hot water heater on the top of the shower nozzle. About three to five minutes before you want to take a shower, turn on the switch outside the bathroom and you've got a warm shower. Likewise, we have another larger hot water heater in the kitchen above the sink. We plug it in while I am cooking. Again within three to five minutes there is hot water. Boy, is it ever hot! What hot water isn't used doing supper dishes stays warm overnight and is still lukewarm the next morning.

This is high malaria season. Since it is the rainy season, there is a lot of water sitting around. We take a drug to prevent us from getting malaria every day. In addition we sleep under mosquito netting. Our bed has a special frame for the netting so it isn't right in our faces when we go to bed. It's almost like sleeping in a canopy bed.

Click here to see a few more pictures of things that make our lives a little easier.