Mi Casa

July 4, 2012

One of the many interesting things about visiting and interviewing so many community members is that we get to see the variation in construction and design of different houses around the village. Here’s a small glimpse of our world.

Rwandans are very private people, and houses are generally surrounded by a hedge row, allowing you to only see the front door from the street. Houses are constructed in one of three ways: mud bricks, mud over a wooden lattice-like frame, or concrete covering a mud structure.

Upon entering the front door, most houses open to a living room with a small table and a few chairs or stools for visitors. This is the setting of most of our meetings. Floors are either dirt or paved, and depending on the family, some walls are painted. Windows are made of glass or wood, and some families have wooden doors separating the rooms.

Most daily activity actually takes place outside of the houses. Kitchens are out back with either wood or charcoal stoves. The cows are inevitably in this same courtyard area, as they are almost considered part of the family. It is here that crops are dried, meals are prepared, the children play, and visitors gather in the afternoons and evenings.

Below is the blueprint and some pictures of our very lovely home, which is definitely one of the nicest in our village. 

Bedroom that Gabriela and I share

View of the "back yard," cow stall, and kitchen area from my window

Blue print of our house

The team plays cards in the living room for my birthday!
Note neighborhood kids watching through the window.