The Move

I moved out of my house yesterday. It's not that I wasn't comfortable there. Actually, I was very comfortable. I lived in a clean house. The bathroom and kitchen were huge. The house was always spotless. The neighbors were friendly. My family had goats in the back. I simply wanted to move to get another experience.

I thought this would cause drama between my old host family and my new host family. To my surprise, it didn't. My regional manager from Peace Corps, Wawan, came to inspect my new house and to speak with both host families. When he talked to my old family, they kept insisting that I was family. They told me multiple times that I am welcome into their house whenever I wanted. My host mom also invited me to contnue playing volleyball with her every evening. I couldn't sleep well on my last night in her house. I knew I would miss them.

But I don't miss them too much simply because I live 0.5 kilometers away. I moved into a house that it right across the street from my school. I moved there because my counterpart, Bunda, is very close with the family that lives there. I have spent a lot of time with this family and I thought it'd be an intereting experience to be able to live in 2 different households during my 24 months in Panggul.

A little about my new famly:
Host dad: He's the gardener at my school. He's a very calm, humble man. Today I found out that his sister is the next door neighbor at my old house. When I took a look at him today, I realized they had similar features. I had no idea they were related (and I've known both of them for about 10 months).

Host mom: She owns a toko (small store) in front of our house. She sells candy, oil, gum, coffee, and fruit. She's also very humble and friendly.

Diah: She is my host sister. She is a senior at my school. She is currently waiting for college acceptance letters.

Nova: She is a boarder at the house. She is another student at my high school. Her parents pay for her to stay at the house so that it will be easy for her to go to school. She typically goes home on the weekends to visit her family.

I already feel very at home here. I have known the family since the first day at my site. I still have to unpack, so there's not much else to report.