My host mom decided to raze the aguadua (cane) shack that she had in front of the house and replace it with a proper building. The idea is to have a restaurant on one side, and a store on the other.
Here’s a pop quiz for my readers: what’s wrong with the building? And don’t mention building codes, those don’t exist. I mean, what is logically wrong with the setup? To help you out, here’s another angle.
Sign number 352 that I’m a city boy: my first impulse when I found out about the project was to wonder whether zoning regulations allowed this live/work arrangement in a residential area. This is of course a preposterous question, as it is a quite normal thing for people to have a business on the first floor of their house, and live on the second floor. And if a government official ever did press the issue, I’m quite positive that they could be convinced to overlook the issue if one paid the fine up front, in cash.
On the subject of Susana’s house, here’s her huerto. It’s been on hold for a while due to the construction, but she really knows her stuff and has the beds ready for planting. I’ve been helping out, and will help her with the planting.
I’d also like to mention that you can see my house in this picture; I live next door, on the first floor (more pictures will be in an upcoming post). Notice that the side of the building isn’t painted. This is quite normal. Typically, people paint the street-facing parts of buildings but not the rest, presumably to save on costs. Construction here is very utilitarian and no time is wasted on cosmetic details. Speaking of construction, the electric wiring in this country terrifies me. It is so terrifying that I will devote my next post to the subject.
Answer to the quiz: you will notice that there is no door connecting the two rooms that are under construction. Host Mom forgot to tell them that she wanted one, and since she specified that she wanted “dos estructuras independientes,” they took her at her word. Dee dee dee.
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