I’ve been looking for a house to rent for 5 months now, and when an older “demarcheur” (agent) turned up saying another missionary had told him I was looking I was a bit skeptical after my previous experiences, but within two days he had shown me two houses within the locality and price range.
One was larger with a small yard but needed more work, upped the price past my absolute limit (ie. where I add to the SIM rental allowance what I can spare monthly) and wanted a whole year’s advance rent, the other has an easygoing landlord only wanting monthly rent in advance, larger yard but much smaller, older house. In fact the bathroom and kitchen you can barely turn around in, but it’s within 5 minutes' walk to the mission, a quiet neighbourhood, and available soon. The problems it has I’ll just have to find creative solutions to, like the ancient metal louvre windows that don’t quite shut with the pervasive wind and dust of Harmattan soon to arrive. The last tenant was there 10 years so it looks like it could be a longterm option
My “Green Princess” gets heads turning wherever I go as the only Peugeot 504 I’ve seen on the roads in Ouaga, and older Africans smile and congratulate me since it brings back memories for them. With only a year to go until her 30th birthday she’s almost a classic. She handles the roads OK, but not without affecting her - there’s a new squeak almost every trip to IMS shaking through climbing up and down the boulders, dirt dunes and rocky hillocks that make the back roads here after rainy season.
