I took this photo during my first year as a PCV in Niger, West Africa in 1994. This photo shows how I set up my kitchen area to make it manageable for me. I white-washed my walls to keep the termite count down. I added colored paint around window frames for more aesthetics. I hung artifacts for decoration and did a paint-by-numbers drawing too. Daily essentials, alarm clock and towels hung ready for use. The Peace Corps taught me that I could set up a home wherever I am and add my personal touches, even in a mud hut with sand floors in the middle of nowhere in Africa.