PCV Cribs

I’ve become rather accustomed to the Malagasy life style and at times it’s so easy to forget just how different it all is from life back in the states; one just takes it as it comes, and that’s that. I’m proud of my home and in many ways it’s one of the better crafted ones in my village, which at times is quite a badge of honor despite the fact all the houses are essentially grass huts. But just this last Monday I took part in the construction of a new roof for my neighbor’s house, and it was at this moment that I discovered something really unique about ourselves as a people. Getting in the trenches I quickly found the same work environment that I was so accustomed to in the states, here we were, the local carpenters, all working together and making a serious dent in the project; material was being burnt up, coffee was slammed, jokes were cracked, and then the roof was complete. Although a Ravinala house differs greatly from houses even in the Highlands of Madagascar let alone the United States, we weren’t just building a house were building a home, and there’s a universal bond in that, that I believe every carpenter can understand.

Berlin, St. Albans, & Ambalona?

"It's Good To Be King"

With that said, I think it’s also long overdue for me to present you, the reader, with a relatively tour of my own living establishment from the inside out.

Here’s my professional kitchen complete with a hand built eucalyptus counter top and 3 burner gas range. This is where the majority of non Malagasy food is prepared in Ambalona: everything from oatmeal to eggs & homes, chili, pasta, and my specialty fish ‘n chips.

The kitchen opens into a large living & dining area complete with state of the art LED lighting, which then extends to a writers nook complete with an integrated bookshelf. The structure of this space is softened by one of a kind drapes that also divide it from the neighboring sleeping chamber, which features a full bed, stamped steel armoire, and studio.

Double French doors open to an inviting garden that encompasses the homestead.

The charming path leads to a petit conservatory and pepinaire

In the rear yard one will find the steel framed shower complete with a state of the art rain collection system, and conveniently located composting center.

Exiting through the rear gate past an array of Spanish Flag and Indian Spinach one will be quite pleased to find the restroom situated quaintly under coffee trees and also unreasonably close to neighboring homes.

Salama

Nick