The Villa at the Vill

Believe it or not, my hut here in Zambia, which is really more of a house, is a fairly comfortable pad for a bachelor like myself.

It is about 290 square feet — larger than the apartment I rented immediately after college — and made from compressed, kiln-fired bricks. The roof is composed of grass thatch and does a really good job keeping the rain away, while the floor is hand-mixed concrete. All things considered it’s home for me, and will be for the remainder of my Peace Corps service.

With an assortment of trees, my hut will someday become a forested getaway.  For now, it's home and it's not too bad.

I’ve named it “The Villa” because once in a while I have a lot of spare time to name inanimate objects, like a hut. But also because I get a laugh out of imagining renting this place to someone in a travel magazine by describing it as “The Villa at the Vill” — like it’s a trendy, remote vacation spot.

The ensuing description would go something like this — The Villa comes complete with tropical fruit trees (mangoes and guavas), an enclosed pit latrine for your private use and a chest-high bathing shelter where the user can take in the surrounding views. The African sunsets are a must from this vantage point.

The backside of my hut.

Additional features worth mentioning are the solar panel — complete with car battery to charge all your electrical needs; a mosquito net because avoiding malaria on vacation is a must for every world traveler; a hammock where passing the day away in comfort is as easy as sitting down; a garden where the freshest, most delectable vegetables are grown year round; and lastly, the locals (your neighbors) will treat you nicer than you have ever been treated before.

From arrival to departure you will be greeted every morning, afternoon and evening with ear-to-ear smiles. You won’t want to leave. This is the Africa of your dreams.

At least that’s how I imagine my rental description going, and truthfully it is pretty accurate (except for not mentioning the constant issues I face with mice and termites).

The Villa seen from under the mango trees.

The villagers near me are as nice as you’ll find anywhere in the world (they really do boast ear-to-ear smiles from morning to night) and the presence of the solar panel on my roof, which means power all day and night, is well worth the $260 I paid for it.

I’ve tried my best to make it all my own by adding HGTV-inspired touches: painting the outside a flashy hue of orange, the inside white (to reflect candle light at night better), planting a few trees, having a hammock sent from home, building a grill for the occasional barbeque and hanging up pictures of friends, family, and home.

I’m even hoping to hang at least one strand of Christmas lights from the roof in December, powered by my solar panel, of course.

If anyone is ever in the neighborhood and needs a place to stay, don’t look any further than “The Villa at the Vill.” It has to be one of Mufumbwe District’s most exclusive hideaways. It will be everything I’ve described and more. I guarantee it.