I should add that because of security reasons, I'm not allowed on foot outside of our house. So I can't provide pics of the building. But here are the surrounding areas.
This is the east view from the balcony outside my room, the gates face this way. The open mountain is very inviting. There's a big open space between the house and the houses on the bottom of the mountain. Someone told me that this is actually low land, and in the spring when the ice melts, the place becomes a marshland with thousands of tiny little frogs that squash under the feet. So let's wait till spring to see the gory details.
Meanwhile, another view from my balcony. Most houses have very high walls around them, with bushy trees. Sometimes, there are cloth borders on top of the walls to make the walls even bigger. I think it's partly privacy, but mostly security, since arms (I'm told) are widely available. And because of income inequity, petty robberies are common.
The road home. I take this road every afternoon, turn left at the end of the wall, and voila! I'm home. It's great to be two minutes walk away from the office. I can roll out of bed, brush my teeth and be at the office before I've even woken up.
