Uma Kiik

Well it is looking less like Le Chateau du Hovelle and more like an Uma Kiik (Little House). To all those who complained I had too much stuff – pah! It all fits now it’s unpacked! So there.

Because it is mainly one big room, with antechamber, bak mandi and verandah, with kitchen in separate huts off to the side, I feel very much as if I’m on holiday whenever I’m around the house. It’s like upmarket camping. I don’t think I’m alone in this feeling – a friend of mine recently described living in the DFAT compound as ‘like living in a caravan park’ (that would still be an upmarket caravan park compared to the Chateau, though). I suppose it’s something to do with the impermanence of your surroundings, too – even if you know you’ll be here for a couple of years, there’s something about not having your own furniture and all one’s books, etc, that makes it feel rather temporary.