This is our balcony. Seeing the palm trees from the balcony is a constant reminder we are not in Oregon anymore. Mornings are spent here drinking coffee before the sun pounds down on it at about 3pm everyday. The balcony is a place for coffee to be sipped, bibles to be read, clothes to be dried on, and the place you run when a moto arrives honking and you don’t know if it is for you or someone else. It provides a place for retreat while being a place of practicalness.
Read MoreOur yard here is much smaller than the one I grew up with, and full of rocks instead of grass. Most houses, including ours, have slatted windows that let in all the heat, sounds, and smells of our neighborhood. We feel like we are outdoors all the time. When we visit the US, being indoors feels sealed off and so quiet! The DR doesn’t have big public green spaces or parks like the US, so on the coast where we live, if you want to be outdoors in nature, you’re pretty limited to the beach.
Read MoreWe live in a second-floor apartment in a little 5 apartment building in Lima, and unfortunately we do not have our own outdoor space. We would love to have a outdoor yard, or at least a balcony, but houses and larger apartments in Lima can be quite expensive to rent.
We really lamented not having our own outdoor space from March to August 2020 when we were in a fairly strict quarantine and our son wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment complex. Thankfully we have very understanding neighbors who didn’t mind him scooting in the front entryway or allowed us to go up on the roof to get some fresh air and blow bubbles! Will learned how to ride his bike on the roof of our building.
Read MoreOur mission hospital almost touches the Caribbean, and a large part of the hospital housing extends up a hill with marvelous views of the ocean. Every morning we can see rustic fishing boats setting out early looking for their catch of the day. Just in the distance we can make out a chain of small islands called the Cayos Cochinos, and during the summers the sun lowers over the ocean bringing us spectacular sunsets.
Read MoreThere are so many things I love about where I live. One thing is how big the space is on the Ranch. I love going for walks around the Ranch and taking in the beauty of the mountains around us and the palm trees that make the desert an oasis. I also love that I can walk out of my room and start hiking within a couple of minutes.
Read MoreMy husband and I moved into our apartment shortly after we got married in 2019. In Chinese culture it is quite common for parents to purchase a home for their adult children when they get married. My generous and thoughtful in-laws gifted us this place and it has been a huge blessing for us as newlyweds.
Read MoreWelcome to our little corner of the jungle. We finished building our home in 2019 and have been studying the local culture and language since then. Our community is located in a lovely valley nestled between lush green mountains.
Read MoreA lot of people here live in high-rises, and many buildings are shaped so that you can see the ocean from nearly any apartment. Most apartment buildings have a common outdoor area with a pool or tennis court, and a lot of the apartments here have balconies. I never had a balcony before moving to Malaysia, but now I have four of them! It’s by far my favorite part of my apartment.
Read MoreWhen we were choosing a home to rent in Chiang Mai, we wanted space for our energetic kids. (What parents don’t think that?) However, yards with space are few and far between. Another desire of ours was a space to get outside when it rains and not always have to get wet. Sometimes is great to have fun in the rain, but with three kids I wanted a dry option.
Read MoreIn April 2021, we moved into a new home in our small town! There were many reasons for the move, and while I was sad to say farewell to our previous house, this new one had SO many benefits. Like a beautiful front yard & front porch! Growing up in Florida, I am used to huge backyards with playsets and swimming pools. But this little green space in our front yard is simply perfect. We love the neighborhood, the neighbors and the location.
Read MoreAs you can see in the front yard, there are many potted plants. Most homes here have potted plants on their cement terraces. Most of the plants have something to offer, though I haven’t learned them all yet. There are aloe vera, lemon grass, cabe (hot peppers), strawberries (no fruit yet), ginger, and more. I bought a few plants, pots, and soil before we left for the summer, and my helper grew the collection while we were gone. Most locals get creative with their ‘pots’, using plastic bottles, empty oil bags, just whatever they have.
Read MoreWhile we have lived in this space for about five years now, we first fell in love with the fact that it was very close to town, school, and trails, while still having an amazing view of the mountains surrounding us. It has an apple tree, cherry tree, and peach tree that bless us throughout the year.
When we originally moved in, there was not a huge apartment building being constructed that loomed over us. We have gotten used to that, and taken the opportunity to get creative with the space we have, realizing that it is a gem in a booming ‘city’ trying to grow.
Read MoreWhen the lockdown kept him from his everyday work … My husband turned our patio into a beautiful aquaponics garden! Most homes in the city are flats, with different families on every floor. We moved almost two years ago from a ground floor flat and were SO excited to have a first floor with a balcony that we could make our own (that and to be able to get some sunshine into our home!). Right outside our door we have a big fish tank, herbs and vegetables, grapevines and bunches of other plants. Our neighbors all come by to see what we’re up to (us weird foreigners putting fish tanks on our balconies) and sometimes sit for tea in the shade of the grapevines. It’s become one of our favorite places to have our tea and our meals.
Read MoreOur favorite thing about our flat is our balcony. It is unusual to have a balcony in apartments in our city. We use it for everything—from bbq-ing, to laundry drying, and even as a “pop-up” swimming pool for our son during lockdown.
The worst thing about our flat is the noise. Our flat faces the main street; everyday we can hear the traffic. Also we hear random gun noise that is used to scare the pigeons away. Also, during big festival seasons, it’s so loud, and you can hear the parades and all the firecrackers.
Read MoreWe live in a beautiful place. Our home is nestled in the side of the Rift Valley, which means that we are greeted with beautiful views each time we walk out of our home and around our community. I often stop mid-walk and just stare at the views of the hills and valleys...it just doesn’t get old.
Read MoreIn our tan and grey concrete city, yards and grass are nearly nonexistent. Since most people live in apartment buildings, balconies are a family's only hope of an outdoor haven, and we are lucky enough to claim a large one as our own. Apartments with outdoor space are hard to find because, if they don’t already belong to the owner or their family, they are usually snatched up by a current tenant of the building as soon as they become available.
Read MoreI live on the same compound as the school where I teach; it is an 8-acre campus in the suburbs of Addis. The campus is surrounded by a stone wall with razor wire on top. On our campus, you can find wild Genet cats, Mongeese (or Mongooses..both are acceptable plurals), and a few tortoises roaming around. The neighborhood outside our walls is packed with people, mosques, churches, and a variety of small shops selling everything from fruit to fabric to used shoes. Both the beauty of our campus and the life outside the gates play a part in the outdoor space I call home.
Read MoreThis is a little different “walk” than we’ve had on other days of our global walk outside, because we don’t actually live here...yet. We’ve owned this property for four years and have been developing it slowly, and we hope to start building our home in the next few months and finally move onto the property in 2022! I’m excited to share this space with you.
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