is this la vida loca?

We woke up this morning not only to a heavy odor of fish (this is one of the few weeks the local fish factory is open) but also to some more house chaos-- sanding our newly laid parquet flooring and arguing with the carpenter about what in the closet was part of the plan and what is a mistake. We've been out and about all morning because you can't really breathe in the house (sawdust). Too bad all of our furniture and things are in there also, covered by a thick layer of dirt and grime.

I must add that for the last two days my abs have been aching. I think I've laughed too hard, too much, too long. It's about all I can do to make it through the day. Here are some of South America's Funniest (or most horrific) Home Renovation Photos.

Most of the house looked kind of like this pink room (minus the pink) when we moved in.

Interior patio. All windows and open spaces are barred in Peru for security. Not sure why they covered up these water pipes only halfway up the wall. Nor why the bottom half of the wall is wet. Related? Hmmm.

When we asked for sod, we were thinking of something a little different than this. More like lawn, less like little pieces of grass planted all around.

The hole is for the grounding rod, covered up because Ellie fell in and got stuck a few days ago.

Bathroom. Yuck. They tried cleaning the floor, but this is the result. We might paint it.

Oops. Looks like someone forgot to cover up the exposed wires in the shower!

You might also notice the paint on the tiles. We paid for the walls to be painted and got the tiles painted for free!

Which one is worse: cement shelving ...

or these gorgeous cabinet pieces? That's a tough one.

Here's the closet. Do those shelves look sturdy to you?

Besides the fact that there are some accidental cuts in some of them....

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Hannah Murray |

2 comments

Anonymous on April 24, 2008 at 2:32 PM

That house is BEAUTIFUL. I'm serious. All of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I lived (alone, days apart from the nearest American) in much more dilapidated homes without a heated shower or fridge or stove or electricity or running water or phone service... should I go on? Still, given all of that, Cameroon (where we lived for 2+ years) was called "Africa Lite" because it wasn't nearly as difficult as some other countries like Chad or Niger.

Looks like you have a good, solid, SPACIOUS place to call home for however long you're there! May God bless your work and the Peruvians you serve.
--L
Anonymous on April 26, 2008 at 9:22 PM

I really believe you are going to make it as homey as can be. What's homier than a cookie? Some fabric here, some fabric there - and darn it, it'll be cute! You need some fabric?

You could always paint the cabinet pieces one color to unify them. I like them better than the concrete. Seriously.

Also, I'm thinking you could sod the wall of the interior patio. Put that water to use. It would have a real Elvis/Graceland feel. If you haven't been to Graceland, trust me.

Oh, I could go on, but you are right, it is really fabulous compared to general living conditions there -- and your Puerto friends will be thrilled by hospitality in the Murray home. It'll be good.

Love you guys,
Tara

is this la vida loca?

2 comments

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