Frip

Since living in Madagascar, I've been introduced to the wonderful world of frip. Frip is second hand clothes donated from all over the world and sold at stands on the street for very reasonable prices (most of the time). For example the dress I wore on New Years Eve in Paris was fripped for 1,500 AR or about 50 cents USD. Another great thing about frip is you never know what you can find. I've fripped clothes that were originally from banana republic or Ann Taylor loft for under $1 that originally cost $40, or a dress I'm going to bring and wear to my future job I fripped for $2 but cost around $60 in the States. On the other side I've found sports jerseys with spelling errors. Like a Minnesota timberwolves jersey spelled 'mihh sola timver woves.' I've seen people wear high school letter jackets from 1998 or 'rest in peace john, forever in our hearts,' that have been donated from the States. 

Anything goes here. I've seen men sport purple sparkley jellies or bright pink sun hats. I've seen little girls wear Halloween costumes to church. I've worn cargo shorts, socks and flip flops, and a knit blue hat and had not a care in the world. This is definitely an aspect of Madagascar I'll miss. 

You know you're a PCV when

-it starts raining and you jump up to set out buckets and basins to catch the water so that you don't have to fetch it later. 

-children shout your name. Even of you can't see them, they see you. 

Helping Babies Breathe

In January I had the opportunity to visit MercyShips, an international nonprofit healthcare organization located on a massive ship, in Tamatave on the east coast. I was aboard the ship for two and a half days and fully enjoyed my time there (apart from feeling seasick when looking out the windows). The ship has a fully functioning hospital and surgery ward, international school, pool, Starbucks, and many other amenities. It seemed pretty luxurious after living in the bush. The MercyShips volunteers got a kick out of watching us clean out the snack shop.

The first day we visited some of the patients as they relaxed on the deck. They were so surprised when we spoke Malagasy and couldn't believe we've only been speaking it for one year. That was encouraging! It was fun to see the workers playing the younger patients (everyone on MercyShips is also a volunteer) and hearing patients stories of their home and families. The second day was spent learning about the 'Helping Babies Breathe' (HBB) program, what to do when a newborn isn't breathing, how to use an ambubag, and how to train CSB staff on these skills as non-medical personnel. We received equipment for our CSB as well. 

I was very nervous to train my CSB staff because I didn't want them to think I was stepping on their toes or telling them they weren't treating properly. However, they were very receptive to the training and excited for the new equipment. My doctor helped me train which was so helpful as the midwives and birth attendants had questions with technical language that I struggled with. There were quite a few 'aha' moments and everyone did better on the post knowledge and skills test. I'll test them again in March and April. 

This program has been successful in other countries but this is the first time it's been done in Madagascar. The success (or failure) with the 10 participating PCVs including me will determine if the program continues here in the future, and our results may be published. My CSB was perfect for this program because I have a larger staff and also many women give birth at the CSB in my community. In other towns, the program was harder to adapt because more women give birth in their house with or without the help of a traditional healer that doesn't have medical training.This was apparent when comparing data with another volunteer. For 8 weeks prior to the training, we tracked the number of births at the CSB. 35 women gave birth at my CSB compared to just 4 women in a friend's community. It will be interesting to track the data for next 8 weeks post training. 

You know you're a PCV when

-about one year into service, most things you own are broken, worn with holes, or on its last leg. 

-after being away from site for a while, you worry about the state your house will be in when you return. 

Rainy Season

Rainy season begins late November and lasts through February. It looks like a different world at my site. What used to be dry, dusty, and barren has become green, lush, and full of growing produce. My yard alone has produced papaya, mangos, peaches, pineapples, pumpkins, and guava. Different fruits are abundant but quickly shift from the three week period of litchis for example to mangos everywhere I look. Sellers crowd the taxi brousses selling 3 pineapples for only 1000AR (less than 50 cents).

However, the abundance of rain makes transportation incredibly difficult. A trip to the banking town that used to take 1 1/2-2 hours now takes 4-5. The trip into my region from Tana used to take 8-9 hours but took one volunteer 24 hours. The roads are either dirt or pavement filled with potholes. The river banks have over flowed flooding the roads making it impossible for brousses to get through.

My first experience with the flooded road occurred in December. I waited 2 hours for my brousse to pick me up only to see the driver ride by on his bike saying he refused to drive that day. I hopped on a taxi-bicycle that took me 10 km. As we approached the flooded area, I saw tons of cars, trucks, people, and even sellers of food lined up on the side of the road and the river rushing into the road creating a new river. One brousse attempted to gun it through the new river. I watched the nose dip down and up while water rushed onto the windshield. I don't think it ran after that.

My taxi-bicycle driver carried my bag and held my hand leading me the through the river despite what I said ('Tsy matahotra aho' or 'I'm not scared). I took off my shoes and we walked through the shallowest part that was still up to my knees (at this point I was afraid of falling). Once I reached the other side I waited for another brousse to reach the flooded road and turn around, carrying me the rest of the way to the banking town.

As the rainy season continues it becomes increasingly more difficult to find taxi-brousses that are willing to come to the region. On a separate trip, the road had turned to mush and I walked 2 kilometers with my bags to the next town. It's quite the experience that the Malagasy go through 4 months out of every year.

You know you're a PCV when
-you kind of like watching commercials on torrented tv shows. They make you feel connected.
-seeing a goose on top of a car or a pig on the back of a bike doesn't even phase you a little.

The Reality of Madagascar

Madagascar, the country as a whole, is one of the poorest in the world. There is little infrastructure and in the year 2015, many people still live without electricity or running water. Many people don't have access to a potable water source. Diseases that were eradicated in the U.S. many years ago such as the plague or typhoid are still present here.
Madagascar also has the second highest rate of under nutrition in the world. The roads are poor and there is not much of a sanitation system in place. Begging is an acceptable norm. There is not enough work year round. There is a hungry season every year. But millions of people live here with a culture still rich in traditions.

One time in Tana I was walking to the grocery store. I made a wrong turn and was in the slums located directly behind a rich vazaha shopping mall. Another time I made a house visit with my AC. The house was one room that had only space for one bed and a table yet 6 people lived there including a newborn baby. Immediately after that we visited a three story home with filled tiled floors. Neither I nor my AC mentioned the juxtaposition.

Coming back from Europe was a huge shock not because anything changed but because I was used to seeing the widespread poverty prior to my trip. When I first arrived at site I fought against the perception that I would be viewed as just a money source. After living at site for 9 months I don't think that is such a bad thing anymore. I can help a friend buy medicine when she can't afford it or help a child go to school. I do deeply believe that behavior change is the key to development work but I feel that donating funds to build wells or renovate a hospital is just as important as long as proper sensitization and a maintenance plan is in order. I still get the question of what exactly I do here, and it has taken me a while to truly understand the work of a peace corps volunteer. Though I also believe that the conception of what a PCV does truly depends on the volunteer who has lived through it.

The Loss of a Community Member

This morning I visited my AC, Noro, whose 7 year son unexpectedly passed away one week ago. When a family member dies, the Malagasy spend time together mourning with just other family members. After a couple days, friends of the family visit individually or in small groups to pay their respect. The visitors say 'we've come to wipe your tears,' then hats are removed, certain words are exchanged, and no one looks at anyone in particular. Money is collected into an envelope prior to the visit, and then placed on the floor at the foot of the person closest to the deceased family member. Once this is complete, the room relaxes and people look at one another again.

 Throughout the speech, Noro, the mother, did not say one word.  She looked numb. I wondered how many people have visited her and how many times she listened to her parents explain how her child died. Though the support of the visitors is greatly needed in a difficult time.

After the visit, I walked the 2 hours home with a couple other ACs. I wish I had the language skills to express my sorrow for her loss. Although even if I did have the language, would I have known what to say? The experience made me feel like a part of my community as we collectively mourned the loss.

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!)