Barbie House

For the last week and a half I have been “luchando” (fighting) to finish my house. I painted my house, electricity connected, changed the locks on all the doors and windows, had a sink and running water installed. My host family is mad at me for moving to other side of town instead of living next door (no breathing room) in a house, converted from a store. I feel like everyone in town has expressed doubt over some part of my plan, from the colors or my house or disbelief that I could do these things on my own, but they never came to help.

Despite this “lucha,” I have finished my house. All I need is the power turned on, which should be in the next couple of days? Also, I need to buy my furniture. Oh sweet headache. I have decided that I am at my limit of living with families and I need my own space, ASAP!!!!

In my struggle to fix up my house, I have decided that I definitely picked the right neighborhood. It is full of young, intelligent women who are attending university. This is a rarity in the DR. Most of the population struggles to finish high school. Furthermore, I have a caring mother-like figure that checks on me but is never intrusive. While I was fixing up my ¾ palm wood and ¼ cement-block house, she made me food and brought me juice and water. Even her daughter helped me paint (one of the women who goes to college); I should say she did almost as much painting as me.

I am now living in my house. The girls that helped me clean and some minor painting have nicknamed my house, the Barbie house (refer to picture). I may not have a flushing toilet (I am using a latrine) but I have never felt such utter satisfaction, I worked so hard on my house and I even planted grass and flowers. My house is my sanctuary. It offers me tranquility and I can come and go as I please now. Six months of living with families, I don’t think I’ll ever live with another family who isn’t mine again. It’s just too stressful for me. I like my own mess.

Now all I have to decide is which curtains to put up since I don’t have doors between my living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Wait, I have to stock my kitchen, find a washing machine to wash my clothes on a weekly basis and build a shed for my puppy cause I can’t leave her outside in the rain which comes on a daily basis but it is my perfect Barbie house!