Beginning

Four years ago, I became a Peace Corps volunteer and traveled from the Guinean capitol of Conakry to my village of Wonkifong. My house had been built by Canadians working on a long finished project and had been vacated for who knows how long. I was the first PC Volunteer to Wonkifong so it was sparcely furnished - a bed, a table and a few chairs.

This time, the stars aligned themselves and Krista and I entered an apartment vacated by teachers who have moved on. They were quite kind, leaving furniture, kitchen items, place settings and other items (key among these is a french press for Krista as ours broke somewhere in security - the x-ray people were a bit worried with all the shards of glass she was packing).

So, where are we / how are we living? At first glance, Taichung is bigger than I expected though relatively calm. We live in the north/northwestern part of town near the forested hills. Our apartment is spacious - three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen area and a living space. Several of the rooms have window AC units, which have been greatly appreciated as we adjust to the tropical environment. Our kitchen contains a stove top but no oven - apparently ovens are not a common appliance. The heights are interesting with counter tops being too low for me whereas cabinets are almost too high. Maybe the low set sink is my path out of dish duty...

Frank