The Truth Will Set You Free

Looking for a place to live in Africa is about as fun as using the squat toilet. You can do it, but you’d much rather have a more comfortable, easy-going experience with as little frustration as possible. We are happy to report that our stint with “House Hunters International” is now over, and we just moved into a great place to live. The journey was definitely one of great lesson learning, too.

Two weeks ago when we arrived in Kisumu, we weren’t exactly sure what it would hold, let alone where we would live. Pr. Chuchu and his family kindly took us in while we were getting settled at work and looking for a place to live. We began the search with the help of Pr. and Fred, a fellow congregant and neighbor or Pr. The first options we saw weren't exactly calling our names. Some were much too small (picture a kitchen the size of a closet with nothing but a sink and shelf), some were too big (4 bedrooms of unfurnished space, yikes), some were not in a good location (far from the city and work, and with lots of construction around), and some just didn’t quite have the comforts we were hoping to get (ie: a western toilet, bars on the windows, hot water, an indoor oven). We felt somewhat high maintenance not liking the options we had seen, but security was our #1 priority and none of these places passed the American test. The other options of furnished places were nice, but twice the budgeted amount for which we had planned.

While walking around the city in an area we liked one day with Fred, we came upon a nice place with a “House to Let” sign on the outside. The guard let us see around the place and it immediately stood out from all the options we had seen – nice area, good space, secure fencing and windows, western amenities, even a rooftop access for laundry or hanging out. In the excitement for seeing something we actually liked, we called the owner and she agreed to meet us there. She came and Fred bargained her down some in price, but the kicker was that the place was a compound with a guest house attached in which several other people were living. The lease would make us the “owners” of the compound with the guesthouse dwellers paying us each month. Tim and I were immediately leery of this, but the place still seemed like it had many positives. We agreed to meet her tomorrow at the bank to discuss an agreement and sign if it was good. 

The next day, we were feeling unsure about our quick jump. We called our director, Shauen, and discussed the plan. He was happy to hear we liked a place, but also concerned about the security. We ended up meeting with the owner and discussing some more options. We also discovered that the “guard” was only a part-time gardener and the security system wasn’t working. These red flags made it too much for us to sign, so to the confusion of the Kenyans we had to say no politely.

The search continued with some other not-so-great options. It was clear that our thoughts of a home and the Kenyans was much different, but we found it hard to be completely upfront when asked "Do you like it?" for a place we would never live in. At this point we had already been living out of a suitcase for over a month, and while living with our supervisor and his family was nice, we were ready to get a place of our own. Just when we were about to give up hope and splurge on an expensive, but furnished and secure place we received a call from Fred. He had talked to a furnished apartment complex in town that we liked and talked them into giving us the rent at less than half the price if we would furnish it ourselves. Our prayers were answered because we got a place we wanted, and we allowed our Kenyan friends to help make the experience possible through their savvy bargaining.

The outside of our new apartment building

So we had the place, and then began the furniture/living necessity hunt. We went to the Sunday market in Kisumu, which was an experience all in itself, to search for some bargain furniture. With the help of our Kenyan friends Fred and Phenny, we got a 7-seat living room set, coffee table, and bed for less than $300! Most of the negotiated took place in Swahili, but we were able to catch some words. At one point, Fred was bargaining with the bed makers and after hearing a price that he thought was too high that they claimed was their lowest he said, “The truth will set you free my friend.” The phrase must have pulled some heartstrings with them as we got the bed for a great deal. We had a laugh at his comment and reflected on how true the statement was. If we had been honest and firm at the beginning about our main priorities in a place to live, we may not have endured so many sketchy options.

All 4 pieces of our new living room set
being transported on a tuk-tuk (rickshaw)

In the end, it all worked out and we happy to call our new place on the 5^th floor of Groovehut apartments home (check them out here www.kisumuapartments.com).