but that didn’t keep us from trying. We heard that our house had really deteriorated since the Americans all left and the embassy returned the buildings to the landlord since he wouldn’t make the repairs they required. (Like the faulty elevator!) So we were prepared for it to look a little different, but how much could change in one year?
Walking past church — gorgeous flowering tree. The little hut is where the police stand guard 24 hours a day.

Getting closer . . . our pit has finally turned into a building! We walked by “our pit” every day, always taking bets on whether the project would be finished by the time we left. It’s not quite completed, but it’s getting there.
Here we are — no more local police since it’s no longer a diplomatic residence. The grass was dead, trash was blowing around in the yard, and everything was overgrown. The place was completely deserted.