31 December 2008


27 November 2008

Today is Thanksgiving, but here in Madagascar, it's just a regular Thursday.  I am certainly thankful that I have my fellow trainees around me to help celebrate, but I'm realizing quickly that once I'm alone at site, I'll have to find a way to keep homesickness at bay.  And finally I have a glimpse of what life in Ampasimadinika will be like; I just got back yesterday from site visit, which was definitely wild.  We left Alarobia for lake Montasoa (the old Peace Corps training site, which is a lot like a summer camp on a lake) on the weekend of the 15th where we met our site counterparts.  My counterpart is Dr. Vololona, a woman from Tamatave.  I first realized what a struggle my first months at site are going to be once I began speaking with her.  Having never worked with a volunteer before, she doesn't realize that she has to speak simply and with active verbs... none of the complex grammar makes sense in my mind yet.  However, we managed to make a schedule of what we were going to do during site visit.

The following Wednesday, I left for site accompanied by Dr. Vololona, Kanto, Brad, and their counterparts.  We crammed into the taxi brousse for our 8 hour ride, and being that Americans are generally at least 6 inches taller than Malagasy, the taxi brousses are not made for American comfort.  Regardless, we made it to Tamatave that evening, stayed in a hotel, and woke up the next morning to explore Tamatave – our banking town – with our counterparts as our guides.  I immediately fell in love with Tamatave; it's not as crowded and harried as Tana, meaning it actually has sidewalks more often than not.  They also have pousee-pousses (rickshaws) in Tamatave, meaning there are less cars, less traffic, and besides, it's way more fun to travel around by pousse-pousse than by broken down taxis.  Tamatave is right on the Indian Ocean which is accompanied by a nice ocean breeze throughout the day, with temperatures around 80 degrees.  Beautiful.

The next morning, Dr. Vololona and I took a taxi brousse to Ampasimadinika.  Being only and hour's drive, we arrived in no time at all, and before I knew it we were stepping off the brousse and onto the streets of Ampasimadinika.  I must admit, my first ten minutes in Amp/dinika were pure panic.  All at once I realized that for the next two years I will be living alone in a house without electricity, and that I am going to be the only vazaha in town, meaning everyone will be curious about me, but no one will really be able to relate my old life.  I felt like hopping right back on that taxi-brousse and finding the next plane to America, but then I realized life in America wasn't so carefree and easy.  In fact, it was often more stressful than life has been here so far!  Slowly the terror gave way to curiosity and excitement as I saw my new house, met the rasazy (midwife), the mayor adjoint, the pharmacist, and a whole slew of neighbors, all of whom were complementary of my Malagasy and eager to make me feel at home.  Within the first hour, I learned the word “tamana,” which means – to be used to a place, to be comfortable.  Everyone asked me, “Efa tamana anao?” - Are you already comfortable here?

Later in the afternoon, Dr. Vololona, the rasazy (Holida), and I walked up the RN2 – the national highway that runs through Amp/dinika – talking to local vendors and neighbors along the way.  It's leche season right now, meaning the streets are covered with leche skins and seeds, and the harvestors are quickly picking the leches and getting them into trucks along the RN2.  For me, that meant that every new person I met insisted on giving me a handful of leches, which are possibly the most delicious fruits I have ever eaten.  After our excursion on the RN2, I definitely felt tamana.

The next day I returned to Tamatave where I met up with Brad and Kanto at our beach bungalow hotel (20,000 Ar a night = $13.30), fully equipped with running water, a sit down toilet, a hot shower, and a beach.  We were in heaven.  That evening we met up with other Peace Corps volunteers, some of whom have extended their stay in Madagascar, and some who have returned to Madagascar to work outside of Peace Corps.  A group of 8 of us went out on the town (safely of course – don't worry mom and pop).  It was really good to make some new connections, especially since our training group is getting split up all over the country.

All in all, the trip renewed my motivation to work on my Malagasy, prepared me for life as the only vazaha in town, and helped me realize that when the going gets really tough, I always have Tamatave to escape to for a weekend if I need it.  The time is drawing ever nearer to when I'll be living the real Peace Corps experience, and I'm nervously ready for it.

Ino vaovao any Etazonia?  -  What's new in the U.S.?

 

 

22 Decembre 2008

Today is Monday, and I've been at site for one week now.  I can't believe it's only been one week!  Adjusting to life in Ampasimadinika has been going pretty well, but I still have quite a long way to go.  Learning how to cook for myself with limited resources, being comfortable with only speaking at an intermediate level, not having electricity, being stared at everywhere I go... they're all things that take some getting used to!

Monday through Friday I work at the Centre de Sante de Base (CSB), which is a little concrete, four-room clinic located a mere 30 second walk from my house.  I arrive around 8 or 8:30 and work until all the patients have been seen, which can be 10:00am or noon.  Tuesdays and Thursdays are the busiest days, and already last Thursday I gave my first kabary (presentation) on Malaria prevention and detection.  The kabary went really well, and everyone present was extremely excited that a white girl was “mahay teny Gasy!!!” - can speak Malagasy.  If nothing else, I get a little boost every day by how astonished people are that I can speak Malagasy.

My doctor and rasazy (midwife) and pharmacist all live right next to me and are very supportive, inviting me to mitsangitsangana (take walks) and chat about whatever I'm capable of chatting about.  Fortunately, I've also made some friends on my own, which happen to all be teenage girls.  They come and find me every day to talk, and walk around, and laugh, and watch me cook pitifully.  I'm amazed at how hospitable and patient these girls are at ages 14-16.  When I was that age, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have befriended a foreigner so quickly, nor taken the time to help her learn new words or clean house or wash clothes.  Every day these girls amaze me with their patience and maturity!

Well my battery is about to die on my computer, so I'll have to put it away until I reach the big city for New Year's!


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