Secondary Projects

I'm still busy preparing the training manual for the Healthy Households program. Most of the manual was already written, I just added one chapter on safe water treatment and storage, and added data from my CSB to tailor the manual to my site. I also worked with a friend to translate two of the chapters. I'm hoping this will motivate the ACs further knowing which health problems affect our community specifically. This manual has taken much longer than I anticipated but it is now translated and in the review process with the help of my counterpart. She thinks this will really help the ACs with refresher trainings making all the work and headache completely worth it.

I am also doing a program called Helping Babies Breathe (HBB). This is through an organization called Mercy Ships which which is an international agency that provides free health care. In January I will go to a training on the east coast to learn how to train medical personnel on proper resuscitation techniques for babies and mothers during birth. I'll then hold a training for the staff at my CSB and staff from a nearby CSB. For 8 weeks before the training and after the training I will track the births determining how many babies are healthy, how many need assistance, how many mothers are referred to a larger hospital, etc. The doctor and midwife expressed a lot of interest in this program.

One of the Toby (health resource center) in town is in need of a new roof. The building has little insulation and is too hot for mothers to bring in their babies for weighings and nutrition counseling. An AC and I spoke to a carpenter to get a quote and also brainstormed fundraising ideas. We want to essentially have a bake sale and sell bracelets to raise money while educating community members on the services available at the Toby. However, my AC suggested that we wait until April to fundraise as that is harvest time and more people will be willing to buy non essential items. Hopefully we can get the community excited about this project as well.

Lastly, I will be trainer for the new health volunteers arriving in February! I will go to a training of trainers in January then help train the new stage in March. I'm looking forward to all of the upcoming projects and trainings in the new year!

You know you're a PCV when
- you have permanent sandal tan lines
-the seat next to you on a taxi-brousse is the last to be sat in

Fete Ny AC

December 5 was Health Volunteer Day and I decided to throw a party celebrating the ACs in my community. ACs volunteer their time to work at health resource centers, write reports, give presentations, and be available to the community for general health information. They don't receive pay and they have jobs, families, and other responsibilities to juggle in addition to their AC role.

I baked chocolate cake and made a poster expressing thanks, and the AC brought soda and crackers. A few speeches were made, lots of pictures were taken, and a little dancing happened. Everyone had fun and the party was a success. I hope this motivates the ACs to continue their work as they are critical to the health system in my community (two doctors, one midwife, one matron, and one pharmacist serving over 15,000 people).

You know you're a PCV when
- No one shows up to your meetings
- Similar to a phantom limb, you get phantom smells. I swear I smelled pepperoni pizza the other day

Thanksgiving

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

Learning the Fomba

I'm constantly trying to fit in and learn the fomba (culture) of Madagascar and my community in particular. Its also a challenge getting used to life without certain amenities. Here's a few situations that may or may not be fomba related i've experienced recently.

-My neighbors couldnt sleep because I was singing too loud. They live two doors down.
-Not only do I get called fat, I'm told exactly where I'm fat.
-I've been asked to help produce music
-I've been asked if I make movies.
-I've been asked if I was in the tv show we were watching.
-When watching 'how to train your dragon,' during the part where the dragons were breathing fire and stealing sheep, I was asked how many dragons live in the States.
-Ive pulled worms out of my rice, fruit, and hair.
-My water is so cloudy that showering might actually be making me less clean
-Ive caught children watching me through my window or from over the fence
-Ive been laughed out for sleeping past 5am

-French fries in rice is a perfectly acceptable meal

The Emotional Life Cycle of a Volunteer

During training Peace Corps gave me a handout with the emotional life cycle of a volunteer throughout service. Many volunteers go through a bit of a tough time after six months at site. Of course everyone is different and I actually had just come out of my slump at the six month mark.

The emotions of a volunteer are constantly changing and it can be difficult to find a balance between work, integration, solitary time, time spent at or away from site, etc. I felt guilty every time I left site whether it was for banking, business, or relaxation. The life of a volunteer can be very stimulating with the new language, culture, social situations, harassment, work ethic, taboos, missing home, accomplishments, failures, new relationships, food-I really could go on and on.

I often hear, “don't compare yourself to other volunteers,” but it takes a conscious effort not to. During IST I listened to other PCVs about life at site and was doubting whether I was integrating enough. I was so overwhelmed with new information and project ideas, and I didn't know where to start. After a few difficult weeks in September, I finally realized that I really can't compare myself to others because every person and every site is different. I need to live in the way that makes me happiest. Ive leanrned how much alone time is too much and how much time working is enough for me to be the most productive. Ive learned how much time out and about in the community makes me feel integrated and learned that sometimes i'ts ok to just read all afternoon. Finally, I learned how to organize project ideas into concrete steps and a timeline, and what is feasible to do in two years.

Peace Corps says that you'll experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Ive found that to ring true on many occasions. The highs definitly outweigh the lows otherwise I wouldn't still be here. I'm still finding my groove in this way of life but its getting easier all the time.

You know you're a PCV when:

• Finding phone credit is better than finding money
• If there's a word in Malagasy you don't know, you say it in English with a French accent and 80 percent of the time they understand

Sambatra

Sambatra is a ceremony that is held only once even seven years in the southeast of Madagascar in a town called Mananjary. It is a month-long celebration in which boys born in the preceding years undergo circumcision as a rite of passage in becoming a man. Sambatra means 'very happy' in Malagasy and it is said that no one can frown during the events. The final week of October is when many of the events take place. I traveled to the sud-est to watch these events unknowing that I was a few days too early to see most of them. Oops.

I did get to see a parade of traditional Malagasy music and dancing, and a concert. I also had my hair braided in a certain way, wore a lambahoany (patterned cloth worn around the waist), covered my shoulders, and avoided wearing balck in order to dress like the Malagasy women and show respect. I also hung out with other PCVs that I haven't seen in a while though and spent time at the ocean. I was a very relaxing and fun weekend and though I didn't see the events that I wanted to, I was able to attend a very old and traditional ceremony that only takes place once every seven years.

You know you're a PCV when:
-95 F doesn't seem so hot anymore
-You love the taste of powdered milk
-Anyone that has hired help to hand wash their laundry is considered 'bougie'

Youth Club

I started a youth club at the beginning of October. We have weekly meetings for girls ages 12-20 years held at the CSB. Two ACs each week help me plan and carry out the meetings. So far we have talked about communication skills, decision-making skills, and self-esteem. As the weeks go on and trust is built among the group, we will talk more about women's health and birth control since many of the girls have questions about these topics. The meetings have gone very well and everyone seems to have fun! However, many of my games are difficult to explain in Malagasy and the girls struggle to understand me. My AC will then re-explain it and adjust it so that it's easier to play. There was one week in which three 9 year old girls came to the club. I was glad that they wanted to participate but I had to adjust some of the content. We were supposed to talk about teen pregnancy that day but I cut that out and we talk about future goals instead. The youth club meetings never go quite how I expect but that is what Peace Corps is about: adjusting yourself to meet the needs of your community.

You know you're a PCV when

-You hate the soda 'bon bon anglais' and avoid sitting by it at events
-You are used to roughly 30 flies buzzing around any building at any given time

VAC

Every four months volunteers in each region hold a Volunteer Action Committee (VAC) meeting. We get together to get updates from Peace Corps, discuss upcoming regional projects, or work through any problems we are having at site. My region has a few upcoming projects which I'm excited for. The first is an HIV/AIDS bike ride. My region has one main road that goes in a giant circle. We want to start at the volunteer's site that is that farthest away and then ride our bikes to each site holding an educational festival with our counterparts and co-workers. The schedule is still in the works but we plan to ride a total of 140 kilometers across eight-ish days. This won't take place until March/April though. The second project is a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camp. We would each hold a mini camp at our own sites then choose 5 girls to attend a regional camp then a final camp in the capital. This also won't take place for another 6 months but we are beginning to plan for it now.

We held our VAC meeting in a town on the far eastern part of the region. A Malagasy friend invited us to his hometown to meet his family and go hiking. We hiked for about six hours through the forest. Halfway through the hike we stopped and our Malagasy friend and his two family members performed 'Joro' which is asking ancestors for blessing and thanking for protection. They pulled out a liter of rum and we each took a sip inside a dried sugar cane then poured some on a specific tree. It was a neat cultural ceremony to see.

You know you're a PCV when:
-Even your taxi-bicycle has broken down
-You have found a way to binge watch an entire season of a show in one day despite no electricity

Vaksiny

Every Thursday morning I help at the CSB with vaccines. We typically have four people helping to get through 50-60 babies from newborn to 11 months. No electricity or computers and so all record keeping is done by hand. Each mother is supposed to have a karnet for her baby which is a small notebook (often with Kim Kardashian or Taylor Swift on the front) with the name of the baby, mother, father, birth date, place, weight, and to keep track of vaccines and weight gain progress. The CSB keeps track of immunizations and weight on cartes which is a card with all the information that the karnets have but kept for CSB use. Each karnet has a number (ex. Vacc 351/14) that corresponds with the carte. Helper #1 looks through the cartes organized by fokontany and by month that the next vaccine is due. Helper #2 fills out the cartes and karnet by writing the date of the next vaccine (there are 12 vaccines that should be completed by the time the baby is 10 or 11 months). Helper #3 weighs the babies on a small scale. Helper #4 is the midwife administering the vaccines. Between the waiting, weighing, and vaccines, there's a lot of crying from roughly 50 babies each week.

My least favorite spot is the weighing station. I really struggle to pronounce Malagasy names (most last names begin with R and are 12 letters long), nobody can understand me anyway, and another helper has to say the name again. However, I've learned what the miniumum weights babies should be at according to their age. This way I can tell the mother if the baby is on the right track or if the mother needs some nutrition counseling. I have recently been looking through records at the CSB and SEECALINE to determine the weights of children in 2012 and 2013. I've found that roughly 30% of children in my commune are underweight with the largest percentage in the 9-12 month age range. At 6 months, mothers are supposed to introduce complimentary foods in addition to breast milk. Perhaps mothers are unsure what to feed their babies at this age. I will work with my Acs to educate the mothers.

I've also encouraged the helpers to check if the karnet has the mother's vaccinations, and if it does, ensure that the mother is up to date as well. Mothers are supposed to receive a series of 5 vaccines to protect againt tetanus. The first two vaccines are given one month apart at prenatal consultations. The third vaccine is given 6 months later. Many women don't return for their next vaccine once the baby is born causing them to start the series over again during the next pregnancy. By checking the karnets during baby vaccinations, more mothers are getting the immunizations they need as well

You know you're a PCV when:

-Meals get more creative as time goes on. Ex. Pico de Gallo and cheese sandwich

-You're taxi-brousse takes the dry river bed route to the banking town instead of the road

The Lamako Dance

There is a popular attention grabber that seems to be universally known here in Madagascar no matter the region. I call it the 'lamako' clap and it goes like this: one person/the leader yells, 'Lamako!' Everyone claps four times. The leader yells, 'Avereno!' Everyone claps ten times. The leader yells, 'Atambaro!' Everyone claps once. It works very well to get people to stop talking no matter the age. During IST another volunteer and her counterpart taught everyone a dance to the popular clap that consisted of fist pumping and singing. It was a hit. So then I taught it to my ACs at the beginning of a monthly meeting. They loved it and requested to dance it again at the end of the meeting. Then they began requesting the dance during manentana-ing (this 'Gasy word literally translate to 'moving others toward action' and is the verb used for giving health talk to either large groups or one-on-one. It's what my primary role is here). The dance succeeds each time to get people laughing.

I visited another volunteer's site recently and watched her manentana about ARIs (acute respiratory infections). We tweaked the lamako dance from four fist pumps to four fake coughs into the arm (the take-away message was to cover their mouth when coughing/sneezing), then the rest of the dance/message was that we were happy no one was sick anymore. Men, women, adults, children, everyone loved the lamako dance! It has become a frequent request, wonderful motivator, and great way for people to remember the health message.

You know you're a PCV when:
-Working more than three hours in a day is exhausting
-Fripping has become a national sport among volunteers (at least in Lac Alaotra)

Things I Miss from the States

Of course the number one thing I miss is family and friends but here are a few others that I may not have expected. In no particular order:

-Mint white mochas
-Coffee shops at Christmas time
-Driving
-High speed internet and a reliable connection
-Phone plans
-The ability to easily call anyone anytime
-Cult fan movies and books
-Anonymity
-Hot showers
-Washer and drying machines
-Fast food
-Brown sugar (for baking)
-Lined notebook paper (only graphing paper here)
-Punctuality
-Clean drinking water straight from the tap
-Charging my computer at my house
-Electricity
-Any bed that is not lofted and larger than a twin mattress

Things I don't miss:
-Only half hour lunch breaks (it's 2 hours long here and many people nap including me)
-The amount of time I spent on the internet (though this depends on the day)
-'Hidden' ingredients in food (I enjoy an all natural, locally grown diet)
-Winter/ice/snow/cold
-Not enough sleep (I go to bed around 8pm and wake up around 6:30am)
-Inflexible schedules
-Alarm clocks

Things I thought I would miss but don't really:
-Running water
-Netflix and other TV
-Electricity (it depends on the day if I miss it or not)
-New clothes
-Straightening my hair
-Staying up late

I know a few items overlap (ex. I don't really miss running water but I do miss hot showers). And it's not that I don't miss running water at all-life would certainly be more convenient with it-it's more that I don't really notice not having it. Honestly I'm proud of the callouses on my fingers from fetching water from a well then carrying the full buckets back to my house.

One of the main things I miss about being in the United States is anonymity. I'm stared at constantly. Called out to constantly. Whispered about constantly. Most days it doesn't bother me. I can ignore it and consciously push my shoulders back and lift my chin to appear more confident. But some days I'm still caught off guard. One afternoon I was with another volunteer who was getting ready to manentana. While she and her AC were setting up, I was sitting in a house while roughly 20 kids were gawking at me. There were people sitting all around the room, coming on the doorway, and peering through the window hardly speaking at all. The other volunteer and I tried to ask questions to start a conversation. It didn't work. We told them it was rude to stare, and it made me sad and embarrassed. They didn't move. I eventually went into the other room to be out of view. More adults came and I introduced myself explaining that I didn't like being stared at. The kids ran off after that but I still felt incredibly uncomfortable. I know I didn't handle the situation very well. I didn't mentally prepare myself which I normally do before going out in the town.

Some days being so 'other' doesn't bother me very much and some days it takes a great effort to go out to the market. Some days I walked confidently saying hello to everyone I see thinking 'this must be how Harry Potter feels!' and some days I put on my hat and long sleeves to hide. This is my reality of being perhaps the first person with blonde hair and blue eyes that people in my village have seen. This has made me wonder what it feels like to be an immigrant, a refugee, an outsider in the United States. I try everyday to learn the language, the culture, fit into the community. Sometimes I feel I've succeeded and sometimes not. It's the reality of Peace Corps. My patience, humor, temperament depend on the hour. Sometimes I wish I could quick go home to the States. And sometimes just walking to the market or biking to a fokontany makes me so grateful to be in this country, glad for all the new people I've met, and appreciate the new things I've seen.

You know you're a PCV when:
-You start swearing like a sailor in public and no one can understand you
-You eat your entire care package in one sitting

The Neighbors

Two doors down from me lives the guard and his family. The guard is also the karate master of my town and holds classes every Saturday (I really want to go!). He walks with a limp but said he can protect me and the CSB commune by using his karate skills. His wife's name is Vola who is my best friend in town. We hang out and chat almost everyday, and she really goes out of her way to help me (she even got up early to boil water in order to iron my dress before a wedding. That is love). They have a 9 year old son and 3 year old daughter who frequently visit me and look at my maps, sticker book, and just like to make funny faces in the reflection of my water filter. During the school year, their niece lives with them because her family lives too far for her to walk to school each day. This family of five lives in the exact same size living space as I do which is smaller than a college dorm room. Almost every night, a woman in labor knocks on their door for help and the guard notifies the midwife and then stays awake with her until she is taken care of. They open their kitchen and supplies to family members of the people who stay at the CSB for medical treatment. Whenever I'm away from site, Vola calls to check up and I always say, “inona no vaovao?” (“what's new”) to 3 year old Monica. They are beyond kind to me and are some of the most generous people I have met. I feel lucky to have them as my closest neighbors.

Monica

 You know you're a PCV when:
-You have found worms in your fruit
-You don't send food back at a restaurant even if it has hair, bugs, rocks in it

Home Improvement

I've made a few improvements to my house recently. I finally put together my Peace Corps oven. My neighbor and closest friend, Vola, came with me to the market to buy all the supplies. The venders were more inclined to give me the real price rather than the vazaha price (though Vola told me I was still getting ripped off). I was still satisfied. For example, the original price of my 38cm pot was 38,000ar (about $15) and I got it for 20,000ar (about $8), success! At one point Vola was bargaining for charcoal. I paid for what I thought was a small bag but ended up getting an entire rice goonie of charcoal! At least I can do a lot of baking before I have to buy more. I've baked brownies, banana bread, and quiche in the new oven (I offered to bring zucchini pie to Thanksgiving). I put the bowl of batter on two upside down cans on sand inside the pot over charcoal. The charcoal sits on a 'Gasy stove which looks like scrap metal cut into a square with slits for the ash to fall through. Everything takes about an hour to bake and I fan the charcoal every 15 minutes (I cut up the side gerry can to use as a fan). I'm happy to be baking again!

Since I needed the side of my gerry can to fan charcoal, I used the top and bottom for pots. I planted flowers, parsley, and cilantro. I was afraid to plant in the ground because the chickens might eat the seeds. I casually mentioned to a friend that I needed manure for my garden and he showed up with three buckets full! Nothing has sprouted yet but I'm still hopeful.

I asked a local carpenter to build a set of shelves that look identical to existing shelves in my kitchen. I need more space to prepare food and store dishes. He came over to take measurements and agree on a price. One week later he dropped off the supposed identical table. It ended up being shorter and longer than the other set. It seems he mixed up the length and width when building! No matter, I'm still very happy with my new furniture even if I have a little less leg room.

You know you're a PCV when:
-Pests include rats. bats, chickens, frogs, lizards, cockroaches...
-The pests of your house sound like the seven plagues of Egypt

Project Ideas

Since first applying to Peace Corps, I've often received the question: 'So what is it you actually do?' I didn't have a concrete answer pretty much up until now.

Before the invitation I would say, "help create sustainable change...but I don't really know."
After the invitation: "I'm a Community Health Advisor...whatever that means."
During PST: "Provide health education to my community...but I don't know my community yet so it's hard to say..."
During the first three months at site: "Integrate and complete my CDS...but after that I don't know."

And now, after almost 7 months in this country, I finally have a work plan for the next year or so (although still vague). My first primary project is called Healthy Households or 'Fandaram-asa ho an'ny Tokan-Trano Salama' in Malagasy. I plan to start this program towards the end of January and implement it until July/August. Ideally, 18 healthcare workers from each of the 6 fokontany would have 6 households that they visit twice per month. This totals 108 households, each household averaging 6 people meaning 648 people reached with health education that have limited access to the CSB. Each month the ACs will undergo a training lead by me about various topics such as prenatal consultations, family planning, nutrition, vaccines, and water, hygiene, and sanitation. The ACs will deliver the health message one-on-one to the household and do a different activity each month such as building hand washing stations, drawing vaccine timelines, making water covers, etc. Then the AC will visit a second time to administer a post test. I'm focusing on healthcare for pregnant women and children under 5 years. I've asked the medicine inspector at the district health level to partner with the program but need to finish and present the training manual before they decide. I'm currently working on writing a grant to pay for the necessary materials to complete the trainings and demonstrations.

I've had a lot of requests to teach English and after 4 months of saying, 'I'm a health volunteer ,not an English teacher,' I broke down and started a club. It's every Monday afternoon for 6 weeks only. They requested to learn the lyrics to a song and so I chose 'Waka Waka' by Shakira. In hindsight this may have been a bad choice since the chorus is in another language besides English but I have a lot of memories with this song and plan to teach them the dance to the chorus. Also, I was teaching vowel pronunciation last week and noticed they kept spelling words with 'o' as having a long 'a' instead (ex. dog but spelled dag). Soon there will be an entire village in Madagascar that speaks English with a Minnesotan accent.

In October I'm starting a Youth Club with my ACs. I plan to have weekly meetings with lessons on life skills such as peer leadership and effective communication skills. I also want to talk about education and job opportunities beyond middle school and high school level, dating, and safe sex. The main goal of the club is to provide a safe place for 15 girls ages 13-20 years to ask questions about health, education, and life where they may not have had a person they felt comfortable asking before. Ideally two ACs each week will help me plan and conduct the meetings.

The kids are on winter vacation right now but start school again in October. I plan to continue handwashing and hygiene education with them and have a goal to build a few handwashing stations at each school (there are maybe 12 schools in my community). Also, a past volunteer published a children's book in Malagasy about Malaria and I hope to have a book reading at each school.

Lastly, I plan to increase the number of cooking demos. Right now I do one or two each month in one fokontany. There are two other fokontany that have a health resource center that I'd like us to use. There are some barriers to this, the main being not enough money to buy the food and supplies. I suggested us starting a garden specifically for cooking demos at each location. I then asked who is willing to keep up the garden. They said, 'you are!' We are still working out the logistics on that project idea.

So on top of preparing these programs and projects, I am working at my CSB two mornings per week either helping with the prenatal consultations or the baby vaccinations. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the work ahead of me in the next few months but really, it feels good to have a clear idea of what I am actually doing here.

You know you're a PCV when:
-Natural objects become obscure landmarks. Ex. Turn left at the second boulder, pass the ugly cactus-like plant, climb up the red wall and that's where you get reso
-Finding phone reso at site becomes a yoga exercise.
-8am and 4pm have become 'cow rush hour,' and it's terrifying.
 

The Taxi-Brousse

I've been meaning to write this post for a while and I'll paint a picture first. Imagine an old van that may or may not be rusty, has about five rows of seats, is extremely bouncy, and struggles to get up hills. Now imagine that van with about 30 people crammed into it holding bags on their laps, bags of rice shoved under the seats, and the roof piled high with luggage or furniture or sometimes live animals. Now imagine riding this packed van for 10-14 hours depending on how many times it stops. This is how I travel. The taxi-brousse normally leaves 1-4 hours late and stops continuously until it's full. Also, my idea of full is very conservative compared to what the driver thinks is full. The music is normally blasting whatever the driver decides which I've heard popular Malagasy songs, 80's American songs, or sometimes a recording of a church service. The road is bumpy, curvy, and full of potholes. Sometimes people throw up in a bag if they have one but the driver doesn't stop either way. You are so squished that you have to lean forward in order to fit your shoulders. Most of the time, your bag is on your lap but sometimes you're holding another person's child. The van stops once or twice so everyone can go to the bathroom on the side of the road (there are no designated rest stops or port-o-potties). It also stops for about a half hour so that everyone can get something to eat. The hours sometimes go quickly and sometimes drag on. And the craziest part about all of this it now seems normal.

You know you're a PCV when:
-You start complaining about paying more than $2 for a meal
-You use the same jokes over and over
Ex. Me: How old are you?
Random child: 7 years old
Me: Me too!
Gets a laugh every time

Events Following the Return to Site

I returned to site completely refreshed after almost a month away. It was so happy to get back because honestly, I needed a vacation from my vacation. I was happy to see my friends, neighbors, and co-workers, and people trickled in and out during the first few days back to say hello. Not too many randos asked me for a voandalana (gift from traveling) which was also a plus as I already have roughly 40 people to bring gifts to! I brought cookies back for my doctor's family, guard’s family, my 'Gasy family, the CSB staff, and my 18 ACs—I can't carry much more! People called out to me by name saying they missed me and asking where I was. This is a huge plus because that means people know who I am and know that I'm not a random vazaha! However, within my first few hours back, I did get called fat, pimply, and that I was bad at speaking Malagasy. Thanks guys, I missed you too. The Malagasy in my town are very straightforward. If I change at all in this country it will be that I have very thick skin.

The day after I got back, my friend came over and asked if I was going to watch the cow wrestling. Hell yea I'm going to watch cow wrestling! We went to her house around 1:00 and watched from the balcony. The event started 'when the music starts' which was about two hours late. Everyone on the street started dancing and then in a mass, traveled around the corner and out of site. 20 minutes later, they all came running and screaming following by a bucking bull. One guy tried desperately to hang on only to be quickly replaced by another guy once he fell off. Everyone rounded the corner again and the event was over. It lasted roughly one minute. People continued to dance in the street for hours after. What an unexpected way to spend my afternoon!

Two days after I got back I attended a wedding. This was actually part II of the wedding I went to a few months ago. However, this time the ceremony was held in the church. Overall it was similar to a wedding in the States. However when the 'Wedding March' played, everyone clapped to the beat and the wedding party waved their arms in a dance. The ceremony ended and the bride, groom, and wedding party all got into the back of a few trucks and paraded around town. Oh also, it was pouring rain. They looked so cold and miserable! The reception was help outside under a large tent that dripped steady streams of water. We ate the same food as last time which I guess was a standard wedding meal: pasta, mashed potatoes, carrot salad, rice, and goose. My friends are still astonished when I tell them I don't eat meat, “But then what can you eat!?”

You know you're a PCV when:
-Voandalanas seriously stress you out
-Sometimes you crave sweets to the point of eating plain sugar or just smelling vanilla or just eating sweetened condensed milk or eating just honey by the spoonful

Pictures from Site

The two midwives and I

After teaching the class about hand washing

Lac Alaotra

Lac Alaotra

Karate and Kung Fu clubs

The neighbor kids

After building tippy taps

My house



My counterpart and I during IST

Journey to the South

After IST many PCVs decide to take a post-IST trip since we were not allowed to travel during the first three months. My friend Michele and I decided to go south of Tana. We took a 10 hour taxi-brousse ride (I plan to write an entire blog post just about taxi-brousses) to Fianarantsoa which is another large city. We spent one evening and morning trying to figure out the train schedule to the east coast (it only runs certain days, sometimes it only takes stuff not people, sometimes it leaves from a different town-what?) before deciding to just brousse it.

We headed east to Ranomafana which is a touristy town with a large national park conserving the tropical rainforest. Much of the plants and animals are only found in this park. We hiked for about four hours one morning and viewed several species of lemurs, many birds and plants, and one chameleon. In the afternoon we shopped and played pool in the hotels. We met an elderly Swiss man who invited us to dinner with his family. This man lived in Madagascar when he was young and was back to show his family his where he grew up. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with them talking about what we do as Peace Corps volunteers. The evening ended with an invitation to stay with them in Switzerland if we are ever passing through the area.

The next day, we continued east out of the highlands and to the coast to a town called Manakara. Michele and I spent the day on the beach drinking wine and eating delicious food (crab with coconut sauce anyone?). We also fripped like crazy which is like thrifting but from stands on the street. I'm in the process of phasing out the safari clothes I brought to country to a more normal attire. While walking to the beach we came across a bridge that had collapsed. The bridge was no longer accessible to cars but wooden stairs were built to get across. It was still very much used by the Malagasy either doing laundry and selling goods. Nothing goes to waste here!

We ended our vacation back in Fianarantsoa where we hung out at the meva which is a house only for Peace Corps volunteers. We fripped again and also enjoyed awesome pizza that was better than some pizza in the States. We had a great vacation but are looking forward to returning to site!

You know you're a PCV when:
-You hate the Fianar taxi-brousse station
-You've made the mistake of taking a pousse-pousse with luggage (A pousse-pousse is a cart pulled by a man sometimes on a bicycle and other times just on foot. Michele and I thought the pousse-pousse had a bicycle when it didn't when we accepted to ride with both of our huge hiking backpacks. That poor man!)

IST

After three months at site, PCVs return to Mantasoa to go through In-Service Training (IST). This is a two week program in which the first week is with a counterpart of the PCV's choice, and the second week is more focused on how to begin projects. I chose one of my ACs (same as a CHW but I'll be calling them AC from here on out) to attend the first week with me. We talked about the PC approach to development, project design and management, nutrition and cooking demonstrations, and also the values of Malagasy and Americans. The last topic was...interesting.

When we first arrived for the training, my stage was very excited to see each other. We exchanged all kinds of funny stories from the first three months at site. We also exchanged stories of frustrations. It can be very difficult to be the only American in your community. There are many cultural exchanges that either the Malagasy don't quite understand or the PCV doesn't quite understand. Then all the volunteers got together and vented about these frustrations. It was comforting to talk to people going through similar situations at site and can understand the rollercoaster of emotions. For the record, we do love our sites, our jobs, the Malagasy, and the country. The PCVs and the counterparts each came up with the top five values for the different cultures so that we better understand each other. These values are specific to the groups that came up with them and I just thought they were interesting to compare.

Values of the Malagasy (what our counterparts decided)
1. Kinship
   -Family comes before job/money
   -Important to visit sick friend/family member and bring food/money
2. Respect
   -Elders
   -During speeches, show respect to audience by apologizing
   -Appearance is a sign of respect to those around you
3. Cultural Practices
   -Turning of the bones (Famadihana)
   -Asking for blessings from the ancestors (Joro)
   -Circumcision (Sambatra)
4. Taboo (Fady)
   -Taboos in places (ex. can't plan beans in certain areas)
   -Taboos on certain days (ex. can't work on Thursdays)
   -Taboos about behavior (ex. the father can't sit on the head of the bed of the daughter/sister)
5. Food
   -Sign of respect
   -Doesn't belong to one person but to the community

Values of Americans (what the health PCVs decided)
1. Tolerance
   -Gender equality
   -Value differences
   -Diversity
   -Positive relationships with animals
2. Independence
   -Personal space
   -Privacy
3. Discretion
   -Platonic relationships
   -Sexual relationships
4. Work
   -Practice what you preach
   -Taking initiative
5. Constructive Criticism

During the second week we learned about grant writing, specific programs for projects, and of course language. I'm looking forward to returning to site so that I can organize all the information we talked about and decide on a project. I have a big meeting with my ACs in August to talk about what my counterpart and I learned at IST, project ideas, what the next steps are, and hopefully a three month plan. It seems I'm about to become very busy!

You know you're a PCV when:
-PCTC now seems like a super nice hotel
-Hot showers have become a luxury

My New Gasy Family

During my installation and first few hours at site, a woman came up to me and said, ‘Nice to finally meet you, I’m your new Gasy mama!’ Since then I have gotten to know her and her family, and they invite me over for lunch on the weekends. As a thank you I decided to cook spaghetti for them. They watched me closely to learn how to make the sauce and I encouraged them to try to make the sauce again in the future if they liked it. I thought the spaghetti turned out well even though the sauce was a little watery and my Gasy family claimed there wasn’t enough salt. However, after the spaghetti the still brought out rice and loaka (the food that’s served over the rice)-a whole other meal! At first I thought maybe they made the rice and loaka as a backup in case they didn’t like the spaghetti but that wasn’t the case. My Gasy family just simply stated that they aren’t full until they’ve eaten rice!

You know you’re a PCV when
-You’ve gone to bed before 6:00pm.
-You consider staring into space to be an acceptable pastime

Camp Bandro

I finally saw Lac Alaotra which is what my region is famous for aside from all the rice farming. The other PCVs in the area and I arrived on a Friday afternoon and immediately met some German girls who were conducting research in the lake as part of their master’s degree. They were nice enough to take us on a hike up one of the nearby mountains (have I mentioned that my region is completely surrounded by gorgeous mountains?). We enjoyed a beautiful view of the entire lake, nearby commune, and miles of rice fields. However, Lac Alaotra is only about 20% of its original size and is quickly shrinking.

We camped for a night and got up around 4:15 the next morning so we could catch a canoe (with a guide) to see the lake and the Bandro (aka Gentle Bamboo lemur). The lake itself was more of a wetland and had a definite swamp-like smell. However, it did have pretty vegetation including plants I called, ‘Dr. Seuss trees.’ In many places the lake was only centimeters deep and we got stuck a number of times. We did catch a glimpse of the endangered Bandro lemur which was exciting since it is only found on this one lake in Madagascar. It's rarity is largely due to habitat loss. I also watched local Malagasy fish which consisted of swinging a basket back and forth through the water. They must be successful because the fish from Lac Alaotra even reach my site which is one of the farther areas from the lake.

You know you’re a PCV (in the Lac Alaotra region) when:
-the hardest you’ve laughed in country was at shadow puppets
-you’re a talented artist
-you appreciate how hilarious your own jokes are  

Cooking Demos and School Teachings

A few weeks ago I did my first cooking demonstration. I worked with one of the CHWs who also works at the SEECALINE. SEECALINE is an organization which provides education about nutrition for children 5 years and younger. We cooked rice, eggs mixed with a type of leafy green, and bananas. There were about 20 mothers and 30 kids watching me prepare the food all in a small room, and then we cooked outside. I talked about nutrition, safe water treatment, and asked questions about health and priority needs in the community while waiting for the rice to cook. The kids rarely give me any personal space normally, and while I was prepping the food, they crowded so close I could hardly move my arms! I had fun though, and I think everyone enjoyed the food. We’ve scheduled another cooking demo this upcoming week.

Two different teachers asked me to teach a class in the schools within the same week. I taught about proper hand washing in five classes between two fokontany with the help of my CHWs. We played a game in the beginning, learned about the content, and then sang ‘Zaza Manasa Tanana,’ a song about kids washing their hands. I told the kids to sing the song while washing so that they wash their hands long enough, and then to dance to air dry their hands. The kids and teachers all laughed at my dancing but I’m hoping that helps them remember to wash their hands. We had a lot of fun, and the teachers asked me to come back in a few weeks before their school vacation.

You know you’re a PCV when:
-Getting mail is as exciting as Christmas come early

Language

Malagasy 101
-All verbs begins with the letter M
-For past tense, replace the first letter M with N
-For future tense, replace the first letter M with H
-Most nouns begin with F and have an extra NA at the end of the verb

Verb: Mahalalala
Past tense: Nahalalala
Future tense: Hahalalala
Noun: Fahalalalana

This makes a lot of words sound similar which is super confusing for the non-native speaker.
Ex. 1 ‘Bevohoka’ (pregnant) and ‘be vovoka’ (lots of dust). This was more confusing in the CSB setting.
Ex. 2 ‘Mikakakaka’ (to laugh hysterically) and ‘mikaka’ (to poop). Also super confusing.

So I speak Malagasy only, all day every day at my site. I’m slowly getting better but I still speak broken Malagasy. However, few people actually correct my language mistakes so I often don’t know if I’m saying something incorrectly. It’s also frustrating when I’m trying to tell a story and don’t know the key word in Malagasy in the story. Then on the flip side, I often can’t understand the main word in a sentence or question that someone is asking me. I’ll say ‘tsy mazava’ (I don’t understand/it’s not clear), then the person will repeat the exact same sentence very slowly and yelling. I still can’t understand the words you’re saying even when you speak louder. It was also difficult to learn my role in the CSB and understand the paperwork (which some is in Malagasy but mostly in French) and not knowing how to ask my questions in Malagasy.

Despite these frustrations I often hear, ‘Mahay miteny ‘Gasy ianao!’ (You can speak ‘Gasy!) or ‘efa mahay ianao!’ (You already know [Malagasy]). I modestly say, ‘mahay kelikely aho sy mbola mila mianatra!’ (I know a little and still need to study!’ from which I’m always reassured. The Malagasy are very encouraging. Also, I have attained a relatively high level of Malagasy considering the short time I’ve been in country. I took French for 6 years in middle school, high school, and college and I still knew more Malagasy by the end of 2 months of training than French. However, while I can speak conversational Malagasy, I lack vocabulary which is really just memorization and usage. This is where I can fall back on French (many Malagasy are fluent in French- the school and hospital systems are all in French) and I’m surprised with the French vocabulary I do remember (I whipped out the French word for ruler the other day. Seriously, I could remember ‘regle’ but I couldn’t remember how to factor when studying for the GRE!?’ However, since many Malagasy are fluent and speak French to me (often with me unsure which language they are speaking). My French is so poor that I tell them I don’t know any.

Many people have requested English lessons from me. I plan to start an English club in August, and if the number of people who have asked me for lessons show up, I will easily be teaching over 100 people. There are two people in particular who come to my house 1-2 times per week to ask me English questions. One is a teacher who wants to learn English well enough to teach it in the schools. They already know English pretty well and it’s always nice to give my brain a break from Malagasy. They are reading a high school science book making their English questions hard! I have to try and explain words like ‘fossil fuels’ in a mixture of English and Malagasy. They are also reading an English book and have questions regarding phrases such as ‘I am crushed,’ or ‘street punk.’ Also difficult to explain in my limited Malagasy.

But really, I enjoy speaking Malagasy because I never thought I would be fluent (using that word loosely) in another language. I watched ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ the other week with some other volunteers. At one point the main character is in Italy and her friend orders a coffee in impressive Italian while claiming she’s only been learning for 6 weeks. We all completely scoffed at how much Italian she knew so easily. But then again, maybe that’s how we sound to people who can’t speak any Malagasy?

You know you’re a PCV when:
-You’re not sure which language you just spoke, ‘Was that Malagasy, French…or Spanish?’
-Your English is gradually getting worse.

Deliveries and Dancing and Weddings

So in one week I watched three births…out of nine! I just quietly stood in the back and hoped no one asked me to do anything. The first birth was a difficult one, although what delivery isn’t? I’m not sure how many hours the woman was in labor but once she started pushing, the baby was out within 45 minutes. The midwife delivered the baby in her regular street clothes and flip flops. The friends and family of the woman were changing buckets of water and cloths…while barefoot. There was no option of an epidural and if the mother needed an emergency cesarean section, she would have had to get a taxi to the banking town which is 2-3 hours away. There were some difficulties when the baby came out as he wasn’t breathing. The doctor stepped in and worked his magic for a few tense minutes until the baby finally opened his eyes and began to cry. The baby weighed in at a healthy 5.1 kg! The other two births I watched went much smoother and were both girls. Also, none of the women made a single noise during their labor. I felt bad watching in the corner but the family would joke with me about how big my eyes were as I watched. There have been births since that week but have taken place at night or when I’m at my fokontany. I’m sure I’ll see plenty more in my two years.

One Sunday when I was attending church, I got called up front. I didn’t realize I was called up until the nice family I was sitting with urged me to stand up. I shook my head and said I was embarrassed-there were over 300 people there! The pastor called up the elderly to pay respect and then finally someone came and pulled me up front. As soon as I stood, everyone clapped and thanked me for my service. The pastor handed me the microphone. I paused for a minute and took a deep breath before speaking. I introduced myself and explained my purpose…in Malagasy…in front of 300 people. Then they put on music and had me dance with the elderly people! All I kept thinking was, ‘Now dance for us!’ The rest of the week, all the community members told me how they either watched my performance or heard about it. They did tell me how happy they were to see me dance with the other Malagasy and I just hope they were laughing with me, not at me.

I recently attended a Malagasy wedding. It worked out because I met the couple on a Monday afternoon, was invited to the wedding on Tuesday morning which took place on that Friday. I attended the wedding with my doctor, pharmacist, and one of the midwives. However I was very confused because they kept telling me that the wedding wouldn’t take place until August and they would throw another fete then. What took place on the Friday was the sorotra or civil marriage. Everyone was still wearing wedding attire, the pastor attended and spoke for a while, everyone ate lunch, and there was dancing. At one point the DJ announced that I would dance in front of everyone. I thought, ‘what!? Not alone!’ So two young girls danced with me for a few songs while everyone giggled at my moves. When I sat down, I was assured that I was ‘mahay mandihi’ (good at dancing). I’m going to have to get over this fear of dancing in front of people quick (I know I was a dance teacher but this is not choreographed jazz dancing!).

You know you’re a PCV when:
-You’ve literally swept chickens out of your yard
-On beautiful, sunny days you think, ‘What a perfect day for laundry!’

Spare Time

In the beginning especially volunteers tend to have a fair amount of spare time. People choose to spend their free time in many different ways getting more creative as time goes on I imagine. I choose to spend my free time reading and cooking. I’ve read 15 books in the six week at site making 20 books since arriving in country. Originally my goal was to read 100 books during my service. That may not be too impressive for some but I probably only read 10 books in a year prior to the Peace Corps. However, I’ve since upped my goal to 120…then to 150… then maybe to 200 judging by how quickly I’m finishing books. I’ve added a running list to my blog as a side note if anyone’s interested and I’m open to any book suggestions!

I also spend the majority of my time cooking, thinking about what I’m going to cook, or going to the market to buy what I need to cook. I’ve always liked cooking-mostly baking-but in the States I was too impatient or lazy. My meals were quick and easy-bowl of cereal, apple and peanut butter, mac and cheese, or else I would pick up food that was already ready to eat. I rarely cooked despite having an entire kitchen, oven, four stovetop burners, and all kinds of kitchen utensils (orange peeler anyone?). I can’t wait to have an entire kitchen when I get back to the States, and I plan to fill it with even more utensils (I dream about the day that I own a garlic mincer). However, that is not my reality now. I’m extremely lucky to have a separate kitchen and a stove with two burners. Most Malagasy in my community have 1-2 pots that sit on three bricks and an open fire beneath (hopefully outside!). So everyone is impressed with my stove top and gas tank when they come over. I have plans of making an oven eventually (giant pot, sand and 3-4 empty cans) but I’m still collecting supplies.

I try a new recipe almost every time I cook but my meals mostly consist of pasta and sauce (spaghetti, creamy spinach, spicy fresh tomato), (rice (curry fried rice, Spanish rice, leek and potato risotto), soup (tomato, potato and cheese), or bread and dip (guacamole, hummus). Everything is made from scratch of course and on average takes me an hour to cook. My lazy meal is a scrambled egg sandwich with green onions and tomatoes, with carrots on the side. The Malagasy think my cooking is crazy and are surprised every time I tell them what I’m making. However, there isn’t word I know of for spice so when they ask what I’m making, I say, “rice with green peppers and tomatoes.” They say, “That’s it?” click their tongue disapprovingly, and say “I’ll teach you how to cook.” What I can’t translate is that I add cumin*, cayenne pepper, and garlic salt to make it more flavorful. The conversation ends with me saying, “mahafantatra aho fa hafahafa” (“I know it’s/I’m weird).

*Cumin is one of my favorite things I packed and become somewhat of a prized possession.

 You know you’re a PCV when:
-You know how to make an oven out of a pot, sand and cans
-You impress people by telling them you’re cooking rice that day. Side note-people sometimes show off to me how much rice they can eat, ‘I eat 2 kapoaka (can sized amount) of rice for lunch!” As a reference point I eat about ¼ kapoaka of rice every few days. The Malagasy really love their rice!

"Still no friends?"

This blog title sounds depressing but I promise it’s a funny story. But first, I apologize for my seriously neglected blog as I’m still trying to figure out my internet situation. I should be able to post at least once per month from now on and I’ll post a few at a time. I’m going to date my posts for the date it was written rather than the date it was posted.

Anyway, I’ve already been at site for over a month now and things are going well. Not going to lie, the first few weeks were very tough when I had thoughts such as, ‘I’m never going to understand this language!’ ‘Can I really do sustainable work here?’ ‘Do they think I’m lazy or incompetent or will they take me seriously?’ These seem to be normal concerns while I’m finding my place in the community. However, when people sincerely thank me for coming to this village or to see how motivated my CHWs are to work with me or when kids call me by name instead of vazaha (foreigner), those negative thoughts are replaced by positive memories.

So my first big task as a volunteer is to complete a Community Diagnostic Survey (CDS) which I’ll then present it to Peace Corps in July and also to my CHWs and CSB staff. This entails me going to all my fokontany asking questions about health, education, environment, social issues, history, etc. I asked the community members to draw maps of the village, write their daily schedule, prioritize their needs in groups of men, women, and children then analyze the similarities and differences in their answers. I have six fokontany in my commune and it takes me about two weeks to go to all of them. In the mornings I work at the CSB. I help weigh and take the blood pressure of pregnant women waiting for their checkups with the midwife. I also write in the carnets and cartes which are small booklets and cards used for record keeping as again no computers, no electricity. I’ve started giving short presentations (called manentana in Malagasy-I’ve turned it into a n English verb: manentana-ing) to women and children while they wait to get vaccines each Thursday.

Even with this work, I have quite a bit of free time. My neighbors or people waiting at the CSB often come over and chat or just watch me cook (or read or work or write-they like to stare at me). My neighbor’s three year old daughter comes over every day around lunch and we chat although neither of us understands the other. Every morning I go to the market and have certain sellers that I chat with and buy my vegetables and fruits, rice or pasta, eggs, peanuts, or bread from (I’m now a known vegetarian at my site-seeing the meat hanging in the sun or having to kill my own chicken or duck isn’t appealing). The Malagasy find it incredulous that I don’t eat rice every day three times per day-they really love their rice.

So that’s my day-to-day life one and a half months into service. I’m working up to In-Service Training (IST) in July and I’ve been thinking about what sort of larger projects to work on once IST is done. Getting back to the title of this post-About three weeks into site, I was feeling good about my integration, I was recognizing people on the street, and I was hanging out with neighbors and leaving my house every day. Then twice in the same day people came up to me as I was walking on the street and then again when I was in my yard, “Mbola tsis namana?” (“You still don’t have friends?”) I thought, ‘what!? I have friends!’ The Malagasy are more straightforward with some things than Americans. I laughed the comments off and I’m confident that I’m leaving my house enough, working hard, and I do too have friends!

You know you’re a PCV when
-you replace English words with Malagasy words when you speak English. Ex. ‘I started manentana-ing with my rasazy (midwife) isan (every) Tuesday and Wednesday. She’s so mazoto (motivated).
-You can’t tell if you’re getting tanner or just really dirty.

Officially a PCV

I have survived my first week at site! In the PC books and blogs I read prior to joining, I noticed that many people wrote about that moment when the Peace Corps car drives away and you are the only American in your village. All I could think about in the moment was how hungry I was.

The last few weeks have been long—between final tests and presentations to swearing-in to moving into my new house. Swearing-in was very fun and had great food (I must officially be a volunteer because all I can talk about is food). It was held at the Ambassador’s residence, and even the Prime Minister attended. There were news reporters, cameras, and a pretty good sized audience. It was also wonderful to dress up and straighten my hair (and wear my dress and wedges for the only time during the next two years—seriously what was I thinking).

After an evening of celebration and goodbyes, the people in my region aka ‘Ladies of the Lake,’ and I (there are five of us total moving to the region to join three current education volunteers) loaded the car to the absolute max and drove the eight hours to Ambatondrazaka. In one day, I bought everything I needed for my new house including a lofted bed, table and chair, and two bookshelves (custom made in less than 24 hours). I was the first person to install in my site which terrified me because I couldn’t see anybody else go through the experience first. I moved on Saturday, April 26 and installation went exactly how I wanted it. I quietly slipped into the community without a big party so it wasn’t too overwhelming. The Peace Corps car and my friends left around 6:00pm and I enjoyed my first meal on my own of bread, tomato, and avocado. 

My house is small, and it reminds me of a one person dorm room with my lofted bed. I live on the CSB compound with four other families including the doctor and the guard. We also share the compound with a few families of chickens and geese that frequently wander into my yard. My house is on the end of a three house complex. My kitchen is a separate room in which I walk outside to get to. I have my own bathroom and shower (bucket bath room), and I’m surrounded by a fence. I have no running water or electricity and tend to go to bed around 7:30pm because it is so dark! My house definitely cozy, and now that I’ve finished cleaning, it’s starting to feel like home.

This last week has slowly ticked by as I’m not yet working. I’ve visited the market every day to ensure that I actually leave my house. I’ve introduced myself and my purpose countless times, and each time it gets a little easier. Language is rough overall though. I understand far less than I hoped. I can only ask people to repeat or speak slower so many times before I lie and say I understand. I usually get called out on this though. However, today I spent the afternoon with my neighbors who are nursing students and about my same age. We chatted about our families and boyfriends, and it was the first time that I have felt at ease in my community. I finally understood that language would come with time, and that it’s not always about what is said as it is how we interact and relate to one another. 

 This upcoming week is ‘Mother and Child Health’ week. I am working, i.e. observing at the CSB every day this week. I have a meeting with the CHWs on Friday where I hope to establish a schedule. At this point, I will be working at the CSB on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, and visiting the fokontany in the afternoons, although this could change after our meeting. 

You know you’re a PCV when:
-You phone is so primitive that you can’t even change the volume

-You have debates with other PCVs on whether you should filter, sur’eau, do both, or neither to your bucket bath water even though everyone attended the same informational session.

March 23 - April 23: The Final Weeks of PST

Presentations

A large part of a PCV's life is presentations – large group, small group, one-on-one, planned, impromptu, etc. Therefore we give many presentations during PST to practice. Here are a few of the highlights.

Baby weighing. Twice per month mothers get their babies weighed to track growth, determine if the baby is healthy, and get a consultation. This was one huge sob fest. The babies were terrified of me, burst into tears, and then tried desperately to get away from me when I weighed them in the sling and measured their arm circumference. Mampalahelo ahy (it made me sad)!


I gave a one-on-one presentation to a man and his child at his house. The child was so terrified of me, screamed throughout the presentation, then threw up on the man. Poor baby!

 

One morning I was practicing informal presentations and went up to a group of vendors at the market. I asked if I could talk to them about malaria. Then one of the vendors pointed to the lettuce and very slowly said with intense pronunciation,"Misy anana," ("these are leafy greens"). I really questioned my language skills after that.

 

Last Friday I gave a presentation at the middle school with one other PCT. We talked to 40 kids for 45 minutes about hand washing. It went well! We made up a form of freeze tag where some kids were 'poop' and tagged others. The tagged kids then had to sit and wait for the 'soap' kid to untag them so they could play again. The kids didn't really get it and ran from everyone but oh well. We then gave 15 minutes of content and had the kids make up their own skits. I think they had fun!

 

My final tech presentation consisted of talking to the host families and PCTs by myself about a topic of my choice. I chose safe water treatment and storage. At one point I needed a volunteer and no one moved. Then my neny stood up and I said "misoatra neny!" ("Thanks mom!").  Everyone laughed. It's great to know that moms can always help you out.

 

Recent Happenings

We went to Tana last week to visit the US embassy and the Peace Corps offices. During lunch we stopped at a mall and grocery store. I spent my entire week’s worth of money on a few food items and a large milkshake. Lafo be (expensive) and I won't do that again! I did laugh uncontrollably throughout my entire time spent in the food aisles.

 

One morning we had a cooking demonstration. Five or six volunteers killed chickens. I really struggled to watch. I eventually excused myself to go ugly cry in the bathroom. I think I will be a vegetarian once at site.

 

I was on the talent show committee and we held the event last Friday. There were 35 acts and three hours of performances but I was so impressed with everyone. I got up and dance for the first time in four years and really enjoyed it! Other people danced, sang, and played instruments. A few of my favorite acts: one guy could kick himself in the head, another sang a song in Spanish while holding his pet duck, two health guys did a comedy act making fun of the ag volunteers, and one girl did interpretive dancing about farming rice.

Swearing in and Installation

On Wednesday we take the oath and finally swear in as Peace Corps volunteers. There are a lot of emotions as people are excited, nervous, and sad to leave each other. My stage will only get together three more times throughout the two years of service.

 

On Thursday we will begin installation which is where we help the people in our region move in to their sites. There are five other people in my region and we will spend several days helping each other set up homes and will meet some of the people in their community. I am nervous for that moment when the Peace Corps car pulls away and I'm on my own. However my service will have really begun at that point and as I've heard many times throughout PST: “People join the Peace Corps to become a volunteer, not stay a Trainee.” I feel very ready for service and am looking forward to getting started.

 

One last funny thing that happened to my fellow PCT while she was watching Superman with her host parents one evening. The movie was in English so she tried to explain what was happening. Her host parents thought that superman's alien planet was the U.S. and kept saying how different it looked from Madagascar. My friend didn't know how to say 'alien planet' in Malagasy so she just let that go.

 

You know you're a PCT when:

• many conversations involve the malaria prophylaxis and comparing the side effects
• the realization that everyone in town knows what you are doing. Example 'you're going the wrong way to the hotely!' 'How did you know I was going to the hotely?'

March 23: Tech Trip

For one week we traveled to the east coast of Madagascar for our tech trip! The purpose of the tech trip was to apply what we've been learning in classes, practice language, experience Mada outside of the Mantasoa bubble, and see other Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) sites. Each morning was super packed with presentations and activities; the afternoons were spent prepping materials for the next day; and then in the evenings we were free to do our dinner and hang out.

We left on Monday, March 17, and drove to Vatomandry, which is right on the Indian Ocean. The drive was absolutely breathtaking as we drove through the highlands, mountains, and through small rural towns with wooden huts. The road was very curvy and a bit nauseating.

Vatomandry is larger than Mantasoa and has a large market. It was fun to be able to order our own food from the various small restaurants or street food stands in Malagasy without the crutch of a nearby language instructor. The experience made me feel closer to actually living here rather than being at summer camp - though, I did mess up the language a few times. For example, I was talking to a shop owner and telling him about Peace Corps and why I am here. I thought he asked how many people were in my group and I told him 20. It turns out he asked how long I would be staying here and I told him 20. So now there is a man in Vatomandry who thinks I’ll be staying here for the next 20 years. Whoops!

I also had a free moment to swim in the Indian Ocean. The waves were huge, and it was so refreshing because the temperatures were crazy hot and humid. One of the evenings, my stage had a bonfire which was super fun and a great boding event. We attempted s ‘mores with crackers, chocolate, and bananas. This evening was a highlight of the trip.



 

MALARIA FESTIVAL

On Tuesday we went to a current volunteer's site for a malaria festival. I know it sounds strange to have a festival regarding malaria, but the event focused on prevention and care of mosquito nets. The event started about an hour late which is expected. While waiting, I started dancing with the local kids. We all held hands and made a giant circle. More and more kids and trainees joined the circle. Soon there were about 75 people all watching me and copying my dance moves! It was an awesome moment, and afterwards, many of the trainees told me how much they enjoyed that! 

Circle of kids I led in dancing


Next, the mayor gave an opening speech thanking all of us, as well as discussing the prevalence of malaria is the community (about 30 people per week are diagnosed with malaria during the height of the rainy season).


In tech class learning about mosquito nets

The community healthcare workers (CHW) danced for us, and a youth group sang while we sat on stage. Then the festival began and we headed to our stations. My station was how to turn a square net into a circle net. Many houses have only 1-3 rooms, and families may sleep in the same bed which may also be in the same room as the kitchen. The purpose of the circle net is so that it will be easier to hang in a small house, and easier to take down during the day. My station, which included four PCTs and three CHWs, performed three large demonstrations, and several small group discussions. It was very difficult to understand people's questions with the language barrier but I think we got the message across.
 

My group at the Malaria Festival

The next day we headed to another volunteer's site. We gave presentations on various topics. My group presented on malaria again. We originally planned to sing 'head, shoulders, knees and toes' but the audience was made up of mothers and their infants. We quickly had to learn a new activity were mothers could participate while sitting down. Events never go completely as planned! The presentation went well for the most part, and the interns of the health clinic were even taking notes on our poster!
 
On Thursday, we went to yet another volunteer's site and had one-on-one interviews with CHWs where we learned how to fill out intake forms. After lunch, the community threw their New Year's party...in March. They said there were too busy to celebrate in January. We danced for hours before getting on a bus to the next site.


In the next town we went on two hikes. I saw many awesome plants, chameleons, frogs, snakes, and...lemurs! I saw the two largest species, as well as two other small species. It's hard to describe them so I'll try to add pictures as soon as I can. After the hike, we planted a community garden with a school class and taught them about composting and companion planting. We also talked about the importance of hand washing.

Our last destination was Moramanga which is a city about two hours from Tana. We went dancing and fripping (second hand clothes shopping) before catching a taxi-brousse back to Mantasoa. We were all nervous for our first taxi experience without any PC staff helping us. However, everything went smoothly and I was even able to chat with a 13 year old girl for roughly 20-30 minute in Malagasy. Progress!

The tech trip was awesome, and I'm glad I got to see more of Madagascar before going to my site. It's crazy to think that I only have four weeks left of training (two weeks with the host family then two weeks at PCTC). Time is flying!

You know you're a PCT when:

• 'mianatra Malagasy aho' (I'm studying Malagasy) becomes a legit reason for any language mistake
• you lend personal items from dictionaries to deodorant or underwear without thinking twice