New house!

Some time back I had a great offer. Here is the background: My buddy Jacques from the French congregation was asked by a sister in his congregation to live in her house while she and her family are in Belgium for the next seven months. Most of the members of this family have already moved to Belgium, with the exception of the sister, who is the mother of the family.

This is a three-bedroom house in Kibagabaga (don't you just love that name?), a neighborhood with a lot of large houses, many of which would be viewed as mansions. The family to this point has not been able to rent their house, which would probably demand $500 a month, a large amount by any standard in Rwanda. It would be difficult to find someone to rent this house, unless it's a foreigner with a family, and then there is the matter of whom you can trust.

So, Jacques, due to his closeness with the family, is considered the "fils aîné," or eldest son (but obviously not literally), entitling him to free rent. But of course, there are two other bedrooms. So, I was asked if I would like to move in also. I could pay the same rent I'm paying now for my present house (100000Rwf, or $116), but look at what we're getting!

The house is fully furnished and has not only the three large bedrooms, but a completely stocked kitchen, including a fridge with freezer, stove, oven, microwave, and all cooking utensils. Then, we will have water every day (hooray!) because there is a 3,000-liter tank on the property. The bathroom has a bidet, if you know what that is. Not to mention the big-screen TV with countless channels, which are all in French. There is parking space for the car, which we don't have to share with anyone. We get a security guard who watches the property and the car all night and cleans the car several times a week, inside and out. He gets 20000Rwf ($23) a month. Then, we've hired Peter, my ex-Bible student, who used to do the cleaning at my old place. Peter will do the cleaning, washing, and ironing twice a week for 30000Rwf ($35) a month.

So, in early December, we met with the sister to discuss arrangements. She said I could pay the $116 a month. I asked her, even though we will be living in the house for seven months, two of those months I will be in the U.S. ... so would it be possible to pay rent for only five months? She agreed! I paid her the five months in advance, and so I'm set until July.

On December 12, we took her to the airport to catch her flight to Belgium. That was also the day we moved in. It took me less than an hour to pack my stuff, and Jacques took about the same amount of time to put everything he has into two suitcases. The advantages of a simple life!

By the way, they are building an annex in the back of the house that will have living quarters, kitchen, and toilet.

The deal is this: The family will be coming back in July for two months during the summer holiday. So, at that time we will have to move out. Probably Jacques will go back to his family's place in Busanza. But there is the possibility that I could move into the annex, assuming that it will have been finished and also that I am still in the country by then.

Finally, I asked my friend Clément if he would like to move in and take the third bedroom. He came over, looked at the house, and readily agreed! (Who wouldn't?) He will be paying rent also, but a smaller amount. So, at least the family will be getting something for their house. And we will be taking good care of it while they are gone!

Jacques

Clément

How about a video home tour? Here you go:

Hey, once I live in this house for seven months (or five, actually), how can I go back to a smaller place? And to living alone again, as I did for the past four years?