Tales from Fort Knox



Now it's time to make good on my promises and talk a bit more about my home and 'hood.

View of my yard from the 2nd floor balcony

What does it feel like living in a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath house with 2 living rooms, an eat-in kitchen, dining room and multiple spacious foyers? To someone who absolutely loves decorating, inventing storage solutions and living in small spaces: odd, but doable.  I thought I would be dwarfed by such a large space but above all, it’s home and if you know me, you know I’ll do my best to make it as cozy as possible. I’ve embraced it as a home design challenge.




Eat, dance, play-in kitchen. I spend a lot of time here.



Since my home is built (@8 foot concrete wall around the perimeter) and secured like Fort Knox (for the 1st week or so I had a 24-hours security guard. Now just in the evening til 7am) to say it’s a challenge to get to know neighbors is an understatement.  I’m definitely not in Cape Verde where:

• living on a main road I can greet passing drivers and pedestrians from my porch
• I can look straight into my neighbor’s living room and see what show they’re watching on tv

• I could look up into my neighbor’s corridor and see them eating lunch

Here, it would be nothing short of a miracle that I’d have the opportunity to meet my neighbors. 



Living room where many games will be played:)



A miracle happened last week.  I was tossing out a uncomfortably large dead roach I discovered my 1^st night (yes, it took me 3 days to get up the courage to dispose if it). That wasn’t the miracle, but close to it! I decided the best place to toss it without having to carry it too far would be from off of my 2^nd floor balcony.  As I tossed it I saw a woman in the pool next door and 2 children playing.  I waved then went back in to start sterilizing veggies for my 1^st lunch.  As a putted around the house I thought about how it was cool to see someone outside.  I figured she probably lives there since she’s chillin’ in the pool to swim and every so often would shout at the children.  I thought:  “Wait, what an amazing opportunity to meet someone!”  So I went back up on the balcony and just hung out enjoying the view, waiting for an opportunity to strike up a conversation.  I may have started it saying something like “It’s a perfect day for a swim.”  I don’t remember what I said. We got to chatting. I find out she is Kuwaiti and in Benin only for 3 months visiting her husband who works here.  Her husband was out taking her daughter to the hospital to treat finger her brother slammed in the door.  Ouch.   It had just happened so she was understandably concerned.  More chatting and promises to chat and visit one another more were exchanged. Now I know a neighbor.  It’s important to me. 

Update a week later: My Kuwaiti neighbor came over today  to visit while I was gardening.  Her daughter is doing well.  Please pray for her family as they are going through a difficult family issue now.