In the front of our apartment block there are a series of small fenced off areas. I guess they are meant to be gardens, but the Peace Corp office is the only office that has done anything with theirs (mowed grass, small patch of wildflowers, a nice tree). The rest of the gardens are left to run wild. With the good rain this summer the grass is waist high, full of flowering grasses and wildflowers. The other day I looked down from our balcony (while tending the seedlings) and noticed the outline of a sand-pit in one of the spaces below us. I asked about clearing it out and by the end of the day the ADRA maintainence guy had cut the grass (apparently using hedge clippers!). Nymaa could see the benefit of having a place to take the girls outside, so she found out where to get a load of sand. After paying the equivalaent of two days of Nymaa's salary for a load of sand we were all set. We even have a little table and bench.
The girls have been out there every day this week. I spent almost two hours out there with them this afternoon and Alesia was still enjoying rolling in it. The weather has been a nice 27 C all week. I was sitting in the sand, in a t-shirt and jeans, trying to remember how frozen this all was a few months ago...
