Europe Trip

I just got back from a vacation in Europe! I traveled with my friend, Michele, another PCV in my region. We took a flight that left around 3:00am out of Madagascar arriving in Paris around 1:00pm. We ran across the entire airport in heels after getting lost a few times in attempt to catch the train to Amsterdam. After missing the first, we still ran to catch the second and boarded the train just as the doors were closing. We arrived in Amsterdam on Christmas Eve after roughly 22 hours of traveling. My brother, sister-in-law, and parents met us at the train station with big hugs and a few tears. It was so good to see my family after almost one year of living in Madagascar. We enjoyed three days in Amsterdam walking around, shopping, eating, and drinking. Michele and I noticed the conveniences we miss in Madagascar such as hangers, automatic hand dryers, and smooth transportation. We also noticed how tall everyone seemed (at 5'3, I am a giant in Madagascar). Though it was fun to speak Malagasy to each other like a secret language.

After a tearful goodbye to my family, a small meltdown on the train, and missing another train, Michele and I arrived in Bruges, Belgium. We spent two days walking around, visiting the towering churches, and eating Belgian waffles and chocolate. Bruges apparently is “one of the most Christmasy towns” which was perfect for us. In my town in Madagascar, Christmas decorations are too expensive for many people to buy and it is over 100 degrees every day.

The last leg of our vacation was spent in Paris. Michele and I went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and a Christmas market. We attempted to see the catacombs, however the wait was over 6 hours! Michele and I similar tourists in that we were satisfied seeing the outside of the famous landmarks and taking a few pictures rather than waiting several hours to go inside. We were both very happy to see what we did in our two short days in Paris. We went to a New Year's Eve party in our hostel that had a bar and live band. They even had a ball drop as we counted down to midnight. After only a few hour of sleep, we got up to catch our flight back to Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Our quick trip to Europe was wonderful, and I am so happy I saw my family. I think I needed the short break from service though honestly, it was difficult to come back. I miss my family, the amenities, and fitting in without getting stared at. After a day or so of processing the vacation, I rediscovered all that I am looking forward to in my remaining 15 months in country. I am looking forward to beginning bigger projects (funding is taking much longer than I thought), as well as several upcoming trainings. I missed my friends at site during vacation but I was able to call Vola's family on Christmas day. A trip to see my family and a short vacation was needed and I now feel refreshed to carry out the remainder of service.

You know you're PCV in Europe when

-Anything you get for free becomes a voandalana (gift from traveling). Ex. wine from the plane, plastic utensils, sugar packets...

-Everything seems so high tech (the airplanes have coat racks? No way!)