I was able to celebrate thanksgiving with the volunteers in my region despite being 10,000 miles from home. We all went to one person's site and each were in charge of one or two dishes. We cooked goose, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin soup, green bean casserole, salad, and three types of pie. It was difficult to find many of the ingredients and we were a little skeptical as to how some of the dishes would taste. Everything turned out delicious and it was fun to not only celebrate an American holiday so far from home but also to tell my Malagasy friends about the holiday. They asked if we would dance after the meal but I explained we would be too stuffed to do anything. Actually a few of us did bike the 2 hours home. It was a good way to burn off a few of those extra calories while singing out loud.
This year has given me quite a few things to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my parents who call me as often as I need which was on a weekly basis in the beginning of service. I'm thankful for the rest of my family and friends who write me emails, send packages, skype me, and just keep me in their thoughts. I'm thankful for the Peace Corps because they gave me the opportunity to work abroad and open my eyes to a world much larger than I imagined. I'm thankful for the other PCVs and especially the ones in my region who listen to my victories, frustrations, and bodily issues and then dance it out with me. I'm thankful for my community and everyone in it who welcomed me despite a few differences and allow me to learn from them and work with them. I'm thankful for the opportunities to travel around this beautiful and unique country. I'm thankful for mofo bota, Atoaka Akory, my concrete house, the flop, clean drinking water, my iPhone and kindle, my luminaid, Tupperware, my bike, flat roads, cell phones, awkward cultural exchanges, the noises outside my house, the lamba covering my dresser, my region full of vegetables, Ambato, frip, coffee, the nearby epicerie, eggs, and so much more.
You know you're a PCV when
- You accidently sound out an English word with Malagasy pronunciation
- You have thought about the relationship between chickens and dinosaurs numerous times
Hiya,
ReplyDeleteI'm starting the application process to be in the Peace Corps and considering Madagascar as one of the places I'd like to request to be sent to. I have a few questions I hoped you could answer. Was Madagascar one of the places you requested? I'm wondering if it's even worth sorting my top three places. Also if you could just tell me about how supplemented your application was and if I should do any additional specific or non specific volunteer work to make my chances of selection higher?