A new experience for me!

Greetings!

So life here in Madagascar progresses slowly. Life has had its ups and downs, but I am happy to say that I am indeed surviving. It has definitely been a roller coaster of emotions. Some moments are over-the-moon fantastic, while others are pretty low. Yet, school starts Monday; so I'm sure things will start to pick up then. Plus, I'll need to work on lesson plans all weekend and prepare. Today is Thursday, and I decided to take a trip to nearby Ranomafana National Park. It's market day in my town and I decided that there were just too many people for me to handle. Thus, I paid one dollar, hopped on a taxi brousse, and here I am in Ranomafana. Ranomafana (or hot water, as it would translate in English) is a really touristy town. Thus, it has internet- gmail and google only, but hey, that's better than nothing. It also has some vazaha, or foreigner-like, restaurants, where I will have some lunch today. Plus, I'm going swimming in the hot baths.

Yesterday was a pretty good day for me. I've started to make friends. However, I should probably mention that they are all under the age of nine. Ahh well, you have to start somewhere, and the kids are kind, talk slowly, and always want to play. Sixteen small children and I sat on my porch for hours just playing cards. I taught them how to play war, and they loved it. In the afternoon I did some walking around town, tried to get my work schedule sorted out, bought some random items I needed, and had dinner at a local restaurant. The big news in town yesterday was that there was a crane (not the bird but the bulldozer thing) in town. Everyone was so excited to see it. For hours, people just stood around and watched the machine pick up rocks. I must admit that it was really nice to not be the center of attention for once! I'll let the crane take the floor anytime.

Hmmm.... not much else is new. Today the weather here is absolutely beautiful-- sunny skies, not a cloud in site-- perfect for swimming!!!! I'm really excited to be in Ranomafana, because they happen to have the best pineapples in the world!!! I'm defintely going to purchase a couple, maybe one for the neighbors, etc.

I hope everything is going well in the U.S. I'll be heading to Fianar, the big regional capitol, next Thursday or early Friday to bank, relax, and take a real shower. Also, I'm really excited, because I realized that I have a week of vacation at the end of October. Thus, I'm going to visit my friend Danielle, who lives north of Antananarivo on the largest lake in Madagascar. It should be a lot of fun!!!!

Well, have a great week everyone! I am so happy to have this experience here!!!!

Maribeth