March 15 - I'm Alive: First Month in Country

I apologize for my lack of posting. I haven't had an internet connection or a computer to post from (the computer I brought died within the first two weeks). My mom has done a wonderful job keeping you guys updated from our weekly phone calls, and a big thank you goes to her. There will be a repeat of information here so bear with me. So much has happened in the first four weeks that I am going to categorize events for all of our sakes.
 

From Minneapolis to Mantasoa

After a quick and teary goodbye, I boarded the flight to Philadelphia. Staging was long and I desperately needed a snack but it was so good to meet the other people in my stage. There were 20 health volunteers and 18 agriculture volunteers making 38 total (though one person did decide to go home after a few days in country so now we have 37). I liked meeting people who had similar goals for the Peace Corps, and for the first time, I didn't have to explain why I made this life altering choice. We arrived in Mantasoa on Wednesday night after a long couple of days with very little sleep. We smelled pretty bad by then, and the flight attendant sprayed air freshener during our last flight. We spent the first three days at the Peace Corps Training Center (PCTC) that is located on Lake Mantasoa. Everything is very green and the lake reminds me of home. We listened to a few orientations and several crash course language sessions before we packed up and moved to our home stays.

Homestay

My host family is wonderful! I have a neny (mom), dada, sister who is 16, and brother who is 20. My dada is a carpenter and my neny is a homemaker and great cook. They have a beautiful house with two floors, electricity, and indoor bathroom with a toilet and bathtub but no sink or running water. I was very surprised with the bathroom as every other Peace Corps Trainee's (PCT) family has a kabone (outhouse) and ladosy (outdoor shower). I felt like a child at first because my family had to teach me how to use the toilet, take a shower, and wash dishes and clothes without using running water. My language was very limited which terrified me to move in with a Malagasy family after three days in country. However, neny, my sister, and my brother do speak some English. My dada speaks French so that was our common language in the beginning. Still, I made sure to carry my dictionary everywhere I went. My host family is so patient with me which I very much appreciate!

Language

We have about four hours of language every day. Language classes consist of 2-4 people with one language instructor. I was very frustrated with language during that first week because I thought I would pick it up quicker. Since then I've learned to be patient with myself and the language with come with time and effort. I slowly understand more and more with my host family, and I'm able to hold longer conversations with the locals each week. I try to celebrate the small successes, and reflect on past conversations correcting why I said wrong. I have made many funny mistakes. For example, I was trying to say that my brother is married. I meant to say 'Manam-bady izy' which translates to 'he has a spouse.' Instead I said, 'Manam-body izy' which translates to 'he has a butt.' I have to carefully watch my pronunciation.

Food

The Malagasy are the highest consumers of rice per person in the world. They have rice with almost every meal and it is the largest portion in their plate. An example meal for my host family consists of white rice, sausage, and cucumber and onion salad, with pineapple for dessert. For breakfast we usually have fried bread and coffee. The structure of the meal took some getting used to. Everything gets mixed together on my plate (cucumbers with sausage on them for instance). Also, my host family eats a lot of peanut butter. We make it ourselves and it is the best peanut butter I have ever had. I eat it with my rice at every meal. Eating fruit for dessert was also an adjustment, and more than once I've eaten sweet potato with honey for dessert. Interesting combination.

My Site

I found out my site in the first week. I wrote an essay listing the top ten picks and why I would be the best volunteer for my number one choice, and I also listed my bottom three sites. I got my top choice! I'm not going to say the exact name of my town but I will live in the Lake Aloatra region. Lake Aloatra is the largest lake in Madagascar located a few hours north of the capital. The area is known as the 'rice basket' because the area produces roughly 50% (don't quote me on that percent) of Madagascar's rice. I've heard the area is very beautiful and hot. I'm excited to move there, and I will be living at that site longer than I've lived anywhere else in the past six years!

So I am constantly making observations about myself and other PCTs. I know I will change dramatically throughout my service and grow more than I can imagine at this point. In the meantime, I will note some early observable behavior changes that I or other PCTs have done at the end of each blog post. Enjoy!

You know you’re a PCT when:

• You carry toilet paper with you everywhere you go-in multiple pockets, pants, and bra
• You are jealous of or show off your sink or toilet despite no running water ("You have a kitchen sink!? Lucky!")
• You desperately look forward to 10:00am snack every day.

March 16 Update (posted by Katie's Mom)

Last Tuesday Katie had her first oral language test…. And she did fine.  There will be one more oral exam, and this test must be passed before moving to your permanent village posting.

It is rainy season in Mantasoa.  There is rain every day and morning temperatures are quite cold before becoming really hot in the afternoon.  I suspect quite cold in Madagascar is very different than quite cold here in Minnesota.  Katie has had a cold and fleas!  Actually, the fleas are gone, but I can’t imagine that was much fun.  It reminded me of our head lice experience in first grade.  Ick and double ick! Fortunately, her host Mom helped with washing all the bedding, etc.  It’s a Mom thing, no matter where in the world you are I think.

All the volunteers are going on a week-long technical training trip.  They will travel to 3 different towns near the east coast and conduct Malaria information festivals.  During the trip, they will stay in hotels.  Katie is looking forward to possible improved shower conditions - even more than the possibility of internet. Once she returns, she will have one week with her host family before moving back to the training center for the final weeks of training.  In addition to continued language training, the training is also focused on nutrition and other health issues specific to the area.

Katie is intrigued by the local animals and found a really cute little rodent one day. She gathered her host family around only to find out it was the equivalent of a squirrel…LOL.  There are always farm animals and cats and dogs wandering around the village.

Still no internet connection robust enough for Katie to post or email, but hopefully that will happen eventually.  She sounds very happy, so we are happy too.

Early March Update (posted by Katie's Mom)

Since last post, we have talked to Katie several times.  She says the weeks are going by very quickly and her Malagasy language skills are greatly improved!  On a walk from the Peace Corp training center back to her host family home, she was able to have a conversation with one her mom’s friends all in Malagasy.

The second week of training included a trip to the market to learn how to haggle for the best price with the local vendors.  They were each given a list of items to purchase.  Katie list mainly fruit and vegetables.  Another volunteer’s list included a chicken and then the chicken had to sit on the volunteer’s lap during the bus ride back to the village.

Katie will be in the Lake Alaotra region for her permanent village posting.  Lake Alaotra is a large lake about 80km north of Tana (Antananarivo).  Her new village speaks Malagasy and she is happy not to have the added challenge of learning another dialect.  There will be other Peace Corps health volunteers posted to villages in this region and there are also several PC education volunteers in the area.  She will live in a 2 room hut in the health clinic compound.  It is 2 rooms, but they are not actually connected to each other.  It also has a private fenced bathroom/shower area.  The village has no electricity or running water, bus she will have cell phone service.  She will work with the health clinic to provide education and training to local community health workers in the area of nutrition and other health concerns. These local community health works will then take that information back to their villages.  Katie will also travel to the smaller villages surrounding her main community.


Katie is experiencing local life and she went to a celebration for International Women’s Day on March 8.  There was music and dancing (hip hop) and basketball.  She spent time playing with the local kids, dancing and watching the festivities.  She said the local kids were very amused by her dancing!

Phone Call with Katie (by Katie's Mom)

On Saturday, February 22, we talked with Katie…8:00pm in Madagascar and 11:00am in Minneapolis.  Here are a few of the highlights.

 

After the long trip over with little sleep the group arrived at the Training Center on Wednesday evening, February 12.  After the flight landed, they had a 2-12 hour drive with the last half of the drive over a dirt road, so rather slow going.  The volunteers spent Thursday and Friday in orientation and language training, which she described as a bit like a college dorm with a common room for meals.  Katie says the language is a challenge, especially sentence structure.  She feels like she’s struggling with it, but also is encouraged by how much she’s learned in the first week.

 

On Saturday, Feb 15 all the volunteers moved in with host families – one volunteer per host family.  The 18 health volunteers are all in the same village, Mantasoa.  The training center is a 10-15 minute walk from the village.  All the agriculture volunteers are staying with families in another village which is 45 minutes away on foot.  Katie’s host family includes Mom (Neny), Dad (Dada), a son and daughter.  The son is mostly away at school, and the daughter is 16.  Katie taught the daughter to make a friendship bracelet and that was a bit hit.

 

Katie spends morning in language training and afternoons at the training center learning other skills.

 

The village has electricity, but no running water.  She has washed clothes for the first time, and experienced cold bucket showers. She doesn’t know how to heat the water yet for the bucket baths, but I think that would be a good goal for the coming week.

Her days go from 5:30am until about 8:30pm.  She says they have rice at every meal among other items and also that dessert is fruit, except one day it was a sweet potato.  She was planning to get up early Sunday morning to help prepare breakfast.  She watched Neny kill a chicken one day for lunch the following day.  Her family has hosted other volunteers and they speak a bit of English, so can help when she’s trying to find the correct word in Malagasy.

She says there are strong rain storms that blow up and are over in just a few minutes, and that the dirt is red.

On Sunday all the health volunteers were planning to walk to the other village for a get together with the agriculture volunteers to celebrate a volunteer’s birthday.  Sunday would be the first unstructured time they have all had.

She will find out her permanent village placement on March 5, but will remain with her host family and at the training center for another 7 weeks.

Katie remains enthusiastic and is managing thru all the new and challenging experiences with grace and humor.  We are planning to talk to Katie on Saturdays and will post updates until Katie is able to connect.

Safe arrival in Madagascar (Posted by Katie’s Mom)

Today at 12:04pm CST, we received this email message from the Peace Corp’s Madagascar Country Desk

 

Hi, family and friends of Peace Corps/Madagascar’s newest group of Agriculture/Health Volunteers!

I wanted to let you know that your loved ones all arrived safely a few hours ago in Madagascar! They have just embarked on an incredible and life-changing journey. The Volunteers will be very busy over the next few weeks, beginning to learn the language and culture of Madagascar, so please do not worry if you do not hear from them immediately. They will get in touch as soon as they can, and I assure you that they are under the greatest care of our fantastic staff members in Madagascar.

****
We talked to Katie Monday night from Philadelphia and again Tuesday morning from JFK about an hour before she boarded the flight to Johannesburg.  She was enjoying getting to know the rest of the Madagascar volunteers and in great spirits (maybe a little tired too!).

Pictures below are from the security line at the Minneapolis airport and one of the Madagascar volunteer group upon arrival "in country."  Katie is in the front row, third from left.

Katie, we love you and are excited to hear from you!
Mom and Dad

12 Hours

So far, it has been 663 days since I started my application (I typed the dates into an online calculator), and now tomorrow morning, I board my flight to Philadelphia for staging. Staging is an orientation where all 35 of the health and agriculture volunteers meet for the first time, participate in ice breakers, and listen to an overview of the Peace Corps core expectations and the programs in Madagascar. We also fill out more paperwork and receive our anti-Malaria medication. Then we all check out of the hotel and board a bus at 2:00am heading for JFK airport. The next couple of days will be long and filled with traveling as we don’t reach the training site in Mantasoa until Wednesday night. Keep in mind that I may not have regular access to the internet for several weeks and may not be able to update my blog. Remember that no news is good news.

Last weekend, I had my going away party. It was so much fun and I really appreciate all of those who made it and the well wishes from those who couldn’t. At the party, I set out notecards that people could write memories, advice, joke, or whatever else they wanted. I’m waiting to read the notecards until either the plane ride to Madagascar or when I need a pick-me-up once in country. A certain group of boys told me that they wrote jokes on the cards but didn’t actually write the punch line… thanks for that.

Since I am such a planner, I really didn't have many errands or shopping to do this last week. My time was mostly filled with many lunch or dinner dates, and I’m kind of looking forward to not eating out for a while (did I actually just say that?). Normally, I'm not a procrastinator but I waited to pack until last minute. I absolutely dreaded packing because I was so concerned with the weight of my bags. It took me four and a half hours and one repack but the task is done. My bags come in at a whopping 78 pounds for the two checked bags and 35 pounds for the two carry-ons. Besides my packed Peace Corps gear, my stuff is confined to just a few bins located in a closet in my parent’s house. It’s crazy to think that I completely downsized all my belongings from my apartment in Eau Claire to such a small space.

Applying to the Peace Corps has been such a long process and I feel very ready to go. I haven’t had any freak outs or second thoughts (and only one meltdown at my going away party but I blame the alcohol). I am nervous for many things such as learning the language, meeting my host family, lack of some amenities, and missing friends and family. But I am excited to live in the moment because for months my mind has been on the Peace Corps and Madagascar, and I haven’t really been present. I’m excited to meet my stage mates and the current volunteers as we all have been so supportive of each other on Facebook. I’m super excited to begin working again since it’s been three months since I’ve had a day job. Thank you all who have read my blog so far, and now the real journey begins.