House tour

The house we are renting was built in 2008 by a Norwegian couple. It is an upstairs/downstairs duplex setup with us inhabiting the lower level. This works well for us with the dogs being able to go in and out as they please. However, the view of the lake is non-existent from our patio. We walk to the edge of the yard for the amazing lake view.

It is an open concept space with three small bedrooms. Brandon believes the space to be about 800 square feet...it feels like less to me. We have electric hot water for showers that can get you about a 5 minute long rinse. We lucked out and the house does have a septic system (different than what we have in the states) so we are able to flush the toilet paper...this is a luxury here! Another luxury that we have is a water filter system on our kitchen sink. This means that we are able to drink the water versus having to buy large jugs of water. We also have onsite laundry and dryer for the wet season and fairly reliable internet.

With all of this, the space is definitely a simplification for us. One that we are enjoying. I do think that Brandon misses the yard work as he really got a "sense of accomplishment" from it. There is a full time Guardian on the property. He comes around 8am and leaves for home around 5pm and takes care of all the house/yard maintenance. There is also a woman who comes on Fridays to clean and to wash the linens. These things would have been amazing at home while working full time. Being here there is a sense of guilt about it...we really do have the time!

Things we brought from home that we are really glad we did:
1. Our own pillows.
2. Our king size down comforter and king size linens.
3. A projector to hook up to the computer or laptop for movie viewing on the wall.
4. A few dog toys (Kirby loves to pull them all out and prance around with them),
5. A bathmat...Ha! This was in Kirby's kennel as padding for his flight and we now use it in the bathroom!
6. Large beach towel. Another item that was in Kirby's kennel that comes in very handy when drying the dogs after a swim in the lake.
7. Brandon's large Packer's water glass.
8. 2 alcohol toilets (story on next post).

Things that we didn't bring that we wish we had:
1. A table lamp (the lighting in the house stinks at night).
2. A few hangers.  There were about 15 hangers here. I am using 9, Brandon is using 1, and there are 5 in the guest room.
3. A first aid kit.
4. Our own bath towels.

We were told that 60% of the worlds donated/unwanted stuff makes it's way to Guatemala. Literally everything that is sold around the lake is pre-owned (with the few exceptions here and there). This is not a place that you just run out to pick up something that you need or WANT.  This is a big shift for me especially. I notice here that when I am bored I will get the itch to go shopping just to kill time; something I did fairly regularly at home.  This is not possible now and is a part of my materialism detox. I am happy to report that the withdrawal symptoms are lessening with each passing day.

XOXO,

Katie and Brandon