A New Home

We've found our new house!

So all last week I was searching and visiting houses that Ben and I could move into for the next 1-2 years. After much travelling here there and everywhere, I turned to an ad in the ICF newsletter (an information email for Christians in Phnom Penh). Ben and I went to view it together at the end of last week, and have decided it's the place for us! We will be renting the ground floor of a 2-story Khmer 'villa', with another family yet to live upstairs and the landlord living right next door.

                                                 (Yes it is even more orange in real life)

It has 2 bedrooms so perfect for guests to come and visit us (hint hint, come and visit!). The price is just right (nice and cheap because it is outside the city) and the location is brilliant. The land is tucked away in a quiet corner of the Russian Boulevard and Hanoi Road (you can look it up on google maps, it is near 'Sony street'), which means it is great for getting both me to town and Ben to Logos, but is away from the noise and hustle and bustle. There is also a market not 2min down the road which will be perfect for our fresh fruit and veg*.

*Ben and I have decided to only eat meat when we go out, to save me having to buy unknown red lumps hanging from hooks (and covered in flies) in the market, and the street vendors cook it best anyway!

 But back to the house... On Friday we discussed and drew up the contract and Saturday we signed it! We plan to move in next weekend. The landlord has a lovely Christian family, only the father speaks English (that said I think the mother understands but is shy to speak) and they have 2 kids, one of whom goes to Logos sometimes through a partner school.

 
 The place has naught in it but curtains, so last night we were trying to budget out how to afford basic things like a stove cooker and bed when our new landlord called to tell us they'd bought them for us! Not only that, but they (slightly due to a small mis-communication) kindly installed an air-conditioner for the bedroom and a hot water heater (YIPPEE!) for the shower. These we've agreed to pay them back for because they are certainly luxuries in this country! So with now a few basic things in our house, we'll be looking at buying a fridge and some furniture (probably mostly rattan/cane, they specialise in hand-making it here cheaply) and other basic things like kitchenware to make this house a home. We're so excited!