My house here in the Dominican Republic is very different from the homes I've had in the U.S., but I love it just the same. My house here is made of cement walls, which is typical for my area. It has a sala (living room), a cocina (kitchen), a baño (bathroom), and three habitaciones (bedrooms), which is pretty spacious considering I'm the only one living there. My neighbors fit multiple families in houses the size of mine, so I feel very lucky to have so much space to call my own.
My sitting area has just two plastic chairs and a table I made out of cement blocks found in my backyard. I've decorated the walls with pages from picture books and art given to me to make it feel more homey, and I was gifted a beautiful chandelier made of shells from the beach, which has become one of my most prized possessions. The kids often stop by to draw and color in the doorway, which makes it feel like even more of a home.
When I first got to my house, there was no refrigerator, stove, or oven. Things like refrigerators and stoves don't typically come with houses, and ovens are not a common appliance to find in the typical household in my community. So, I bought a small fridge and a countertop stove in the capital, and that is how I store and cook my food.
