First Glimpse of the House

Today was the first glimpse of the new digs and here are my impressions:

First, I have to state that it is still very close to the NGO and on an earthen road (not a path!) that leads to the main road of the village (aka it's in a really good location). It is back in the village more than my current house which has pros and cons. The biggest con is that my pretty view of the mountain and lands is gone. (No, this is not a huge deal  but I did really like my view.) The main pro is that I'm more in the community and will get to know people better. (In this case, I think the pro outweighs the con.)

Second, the outside of the house is really pretty. It's painted pink and brown, has some cool pillars on the front step, and is nestled nicely in between two friendly-looking compounds. The plot for the house has not been manicured yet, meaning that there are a lot of weeds and rocks and building materials everywhere, and the owner has yet to put a fence up. This is not such a big deal to me right now but it seems to be cause for concern with the staff from the NGO.

Third, peeking in the windows of the house, it has a nice layout. (I felt like a crazy stalker sneaking around the house and looking in the windows but oh well.) The rooms seem like a good size and I can see how I would decorate and make it feel like home. It looks comfortable and that's important.

Finally, and this is the big one, it is so so so far from being finished that it made me extremely disheartened. I mentioned that there are building materials everywhere outside but that doesn't even begin to explain the status of the inside. There are buckets and stacks of tiles and wood boards and paint cans and all sorts of things strewn about. The ceilings are only partially put in, there's no paint on the walls, the tiling for the floors hasn't been started, and the bathroom and kitchen were unrecognizable since no attachments or fixtures have been installed. The handyman from my NGO looked around and said the water hasn't been hooked up yet and the wiring for the electricity is unfinished. For someone who said the house would be completed in two weeks, the landlord sure has a lot of things left to do... Too many things for that timeframe...

So we called the landlord up and questioned him about it. He said that he will not receive the check for the loan to finish the house until next week Tuesday. He will go out immediately and purchase the rest of the things for the house and get to work. He believes there should only be about a week delay at most to finish everything. He also said that he will be putting a geyser in and fitting the kitchen and he doesn't think this should set him back additional time (from the already pushed back date). If that's the case then the house should be completed and ready for me to move in by the second week of June. That's what he's saying anyway...

With the way things go here, I don't expect the house to be finished within that timeframe. I would, however, jump up and down and have a great big smile on my face for weeks if it were the case. So, at least for now, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and keep my fingers crossed because, if it all works out, I think this is going to be a really great house for me. And, honestly, after five weeks without water what's another three, right? Right. Here's hoping!