How we keep warm, part 3

When we sit with our local family, or when we go out visiting, another way that we keep warm is the sandali. The sandali consists of a table positioned over a hole in the floor where they burn coal dust. A large blanket sits over the table, so that when you sit down you tuck your legs in. It can be very warm under the blanket, so sometimes you even need to take your legs out to cool off a bit. Ella loves to sit at the sandali and even puts her hands in sometimes to warm up.

The danger of the sandali is obviously CO poisoning. This is usually dealt with by leaving the front door or a window open, allowing for ventilation, but also leaving the air temp inside the same as outside except for where you put your feet. A few nights ago the family came running to Jen (the local doctor, they think) to look at the 3 year old girl who had become unresponsive and looked a little like she was having a seizure. On Jen's advice they took her to the hospital and we learned later that it was CO poisoning. They think that she fell asleep at the sandali with her face slightly under the blanket. She recovered after a few hours and was back to herself the next day. So its nice to sit at the sandali when we go visiting, but we are glad it's not our only source of heat.