Family Vacation

My brother Chris, his wife Jenna, and her mother Marie came to Mada to visit! It took several months of planning, advancements, a last minute flight change, and many confirmations, but it all went as smooth as possible. They first arrived in Tana and we ate at a train station-converted-to-restaurant and went to the shopping on market day. We walked through the frip, past food stands, and down the main avenue stopping every so often to have a beer. Chris, Jenna, and Marie experienced a taxi-brousse to Tamatave and then another brousse and ferry ride to St. Marie, a small island off of the east coast. Although it was dicey getting to St. Marie because the morning we were supposed to leave, it was pouring rain. We gave it a shot anyway and walked in the rain with our bags hoping to flag down a tuk-tuk. The ferry ride was a bit rough, and quite a few people were sick but we still made it. St. Marie was beautiful with almost perfect weather (I thought it was a little cold since we are coming out of winter). We stayed in a cute private villa with a personal cook who made the best food I've eaten in Madagascar. It was the very end of whale season but we were lucky enough to see several. Jenna was so excited she was almost bouncing out of her seat. We snorkeled in Ile aux Nattes, an even smaller island off of St. Marie and ate Malagasy style seafood. It was beautiful.

Next we headed to Andasibe which is inland to a national park. We stayed in bungalows on the edge of the rainforest and could hear the lemurs calling in the early morning. We hiked for about 3 hours and saw 5 types of lemurs, birds, frogs, bugs, and many types of plants. In the afternoon we visited another park with crocodiles, birds, and a fossa. We also went to lemur island where the lemurs literally jump from person to person eating bananas out of your hand. There we fed three types of lemurs and at one point played keep away with one of the more aggressive kinds. This was a highlight of the trip.

Lastly, we drove to my region, and visited Ambato and my site. We wandered around Ambato and I brought them to my favorite restaurants. At my site, we toured the town and stopped at a friend's house who just had a baby the week before. She made us a 'snack' which was really first lunch. We then visited my Gasy parents who prepared fish, duck, salad, pasta salad, ratatouille, and ravitoto and pork (a very Malagasy dish) for everyone to try. They even gave Chris, Jenna, and Marie Malagasy bags. It was very sweet. In the afternoon I held an AC meeting with a training on safe drinking water and sewing bucket covers. My ACs gave handwoven baskets and wall tapestries to my family. My family didn't understand much of the meeting but watched Monica karate chop a mango as entertainment. We ended the meeting with group pictures holding the voandalana.

It was wonderful to have family visit. They were impressed with my Malagasy though they mostly heard me arguing and bargaining. They even learned a few phrases and could tell when I told someone we were friends to try and get a lower price. It felt strange to have them in my town and my little house because my two worlds were combining. I'm glad they got to see me work with my amazing Acs and it was very touching that the Acs came together to give them such unique Malagasy gifts. This trip was yet another highlight of service and I felt so proud to share my Peace Corps experience with family. 

You know you're a PCV when:
-You are especially good at telling time from the sun's location
-you become innovative with limited ingrediants



St. Marie

Whale watching

Whale watching

St. Marie

canoeing to Ile aux Nattes

Ile aux Nattes

Golden lemur in Andasibe



the market at my site

after the AC meeting

gifts from my community