Monday, January 16, 2006

Come inside!

When we entered the house, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the people of PACA had not only cleaned up our house (which had been unoccupied for several months) but they had also scrounged up some basic furniture and supplies for us so that we could enjoy our first day or two without having to start shopping right away.

The house is all one level, and the rooms are large. The picture you see is of the dining area. The table easily seats eight and we could easily fit three of these tables in the dining area.

Here iare two views of the kitchen looking from the doorway by the sink, and looking from the dining area. The floor is made of ceramic tile (as is the floor in the dining area - we've already broken a few glasses.) The countertop is made of polished granite - which is very common here. The fridge and stove were given to us to use as long as we want as they were left behind by former employees and the school doesn't need them. The fridge works well. We've already had the gas stove worked on and it still has a faint gas leak smell, so we'll likely replace it soon. We have lots of cupboard space, which is something most Brazilians do not have.
This picture shows the area in the corner of the main room which is next to the dining area. When we saw this we thought, "What in the world are we going to do with this?" It is a beautiful bar with shelves in behind it that are perfect for bottles. This house was definitely made for entertaining - only, we don't drink. So we've converted this bar into a computer workstation and it has worked out really well.
The last picture for today is the view from the bar area of the rest of the living room. The living room, bar and dining area are all one big room. Again, the furniture, though worn, was a welcome addition. From the door at the end of the living room to the back of the bar is about 40 feet. The floor is made of expensive wood, as are the walls. Some of the wood in the floor, I'm told, is so rare that you can't legally buy it any more. The object was to impress as wood is very expensive to build with in Brazil. Most homes are made of concrete and plaster. Everyone who is native to Brazil does the "Ooooh-h-h, Aaah-h-h" thing when they see all the wood. Coming from Canada, our first reaction was, "Do you think they'd let us do something with these walls?" Aren't we ungrateful?

More is coming. You still have to see the bedrooms, bathrooms, and the outside.