Housing on Campus

Backyard in progress

Taste of Morocco

Backyard progress

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HOME SWEET HOME     All four of the townhouses on campus had patio areas. Three of the four had some kind of flowers planted over the years.   Whoever lived in mine did zilch.  The walls of the other patios had giant blooming splashes of color.  I had gray cement, but that changed. 

There were benefits to living in Zambia.  I never had to worry about weeds in my yard.  I had three guys working on my patio.  It got a facelift with slate on all walls, floors, and even the bedroom balcony.  I should have waited till it was finished before starting on the flowers.   But, I couldn’t.  I went jogging and found a nursery across the road and in the bush.  The prices were so cheap.  I bought around eighty plants on the first trip – most of them for twenty cents each. 

These went in front of my place while the masonry went on in back.  One neighbor said his wife was after him because my yard looked better than theirs.  I told him to tell her that he did their gardening while I paid to have mine done.  It made a difference, and I guess they took the hint.  My gardener, Welcome, soon was working at their place, too.  And, they also had a job for the masons.

Welcome came to my class and, I must say, he lived up to his name.  I had no idea why he was there, but soon found out it was just to take care of me.  He noticed the rear tire on my car was flat.   Did I know that?  No.  So, he wanted the keys to the car so he could change it for me.  Then, he came back later asking for money to get the flat tire repaired.  He’d contacted someone at school to take the tire into town.   I realized -- again -- that what goes around comes around.  I’d been treating the workers better than some other people around school had.  In return, they took good care of me.