Greetings from Madagascar!
My mother has been updating my blog for me, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to write for myself for a change. I'm rather sick with Lord knows what, probably some sort of microbe; thus, I'm staying in the Regional Capital, Fianarantsoa, for a few days until I recover.
So…. Life in Madagascar- where even to begin?!? I officially became a volunteer on August 28th and moved to Ifanadiana, my site and permanent home for the next two years, on September 1st, 2007. Ifanadiana is a great little city, the perfect size for me. It has between 8,000 and 10,000 people. However, only a couple thousand live in the actual town, which gives it that quaint, small-town feel. Many people live in the countryside and walk several kilometers to get to Ifanadiana for market days, etc. Ifanadiana is nestled in some small hills. The climate is best described as a temperate rainforest. Thus, there are tons of interesting trees, a little river/stream that runs through town, and beautiful flowers. There's also one paved road, the Route Nationale 25, which runs through the center of town. Subsequently, all of the stores, buildings, and the market line this road. You can walk the whole main street in a matter of minutes, which is nice, because I've really had the opportunity to meet people.
As you walk the main street, you'll find a small post office that receives only letters every Tuesday, several small stores that sell a variety of things from buckets and brooms to eggs and candy, some small restaurants (called 'hotely' in Malagasy) that typically serve one-two dishes a day, the central market place full of stands selling fresh vegetables and beans, and some butchers. There are three bigger 'general store'-esque places in town, where I can purchase cheese (Laughing Cow…), yogurt, pasta, etc. They are sort of your all-purpose type places. The families that run these stores are extremely nice and have been quite helpful to me thus far. There's also two little computer places, where I can type documents, a store that sells radios and other electronic gadgets, and a few churches (the three main ones being a Catholic, Protestant, and Seventh-Day Adventist Church). There are two private schools affiliated with the Catholic and Protestant Churches, a public elementary school (called E.P.P), a middle school (C.E.G) and a high school (lycee) in town as well.
Everyday there are people lining the streets selling food at little stands or on the ground. Right now there isn't a lot to eat, because it's spring and things simply are not ripe yet. Thus, you can purchase tomatoes, spinach, a strange crushed leaf called Rav-toto, beans, onions, garlic, peppers, green beans, etc. There are some bananas, but other than that fruit is pretty sparse at the moment. In December and January, my town is apparently flooded with fruit, which will be really exciting. The fruit I have had thus far is absolutely amazing. We, as Americans, have never tasted such amazing fruit! In December, the market will come alive with jackfruits, mangoes, leeches, papayas, oranges, and the list continues! I have a feeling that I will be eating a TON of fruit salad! Every Thursday is market day in my town. It is an exciting day, because people come from other towns to attend; the streets are bursting with people; and there are usually tons of interesting things for sale. People set up stands that sell used clothing (called Frip); a woman sells shoes, you can buy cloth, pots, dishes, etc. Plus, there's usually an ample supply of foods for sale as well. Most of the clothes are extremely outdated, but it's a lot of fun to search through them for interesting finds or good laughs!
My house: I have my own cute little house that sits up on a hill above the market place. It's made of cement and attached to a town meeting room and a center for Sports et Jeuneuse, where three young guys around my age live. My house is basically one big room with two windows. A previous volunteer built a divider wall made of 4X4s and a tarp to separate the bedroom from the kitchen. Now, when I say kitchen, I really mean a gas camping stove and a huge bucket filled with water! I have a lovely kitchen table with four chairs, a set of shelves for food and dishes, a double bed, dresser, and desk! I DO have electricity, which is really exciting, but I do not have running water. Thus, I have a large garbage can in my kitchen that I pay someone to fill with water three times a week. There are public water pumps in my town, but they only work from 7-10am. Thus, as you can imagine, there are usually several women and children waiting with their buckets. Outside of my house, I have a little cement front porch area, a shower stall for my bucket baths, and an outhouse (kabonet in Malagasy). I have a little fenced yard that's home to some nice trees that keep my house shaded and cool. My house is located near the Bureau de District (sort of like the Town Hall…), a few other houses, and an empty stadium-like spot that's used for town events. It's never quiet, because the neighbor kids love to come over and play. I've slowly been collecting toys for them to use. They're really great about playing with the toys and then cleaning up and returning them when they're finished. I've taught them to wash their hands when they're finished as well. I taught them how to play "War" with cards, and they play for hours. I also have some sidewalk chalk, a pack of crayons, and a Frisbee, that they absolutely love. If you wish to send anything, games or children's toys would be great! My "best friend" is a little girl that comes over daily. (I should probably mention that she is six-years-old!) She comes over just to talk, helps me cook, listens to music, etc. Although she's young, I can tell that she's really smart, because she recognizes that I do not always understand Malagasy. Thus, she's great about rewording things for me.
Teaching: I teach 15 hours a week at both the C.E.G. (middle school) and lycee (high school). My two schools are located in opposite directions, about a 15 minute walk to each. It's nice to walk there, because I usually see several of my students along the way. I teach 5eme (sort of like 7th grade) and 2nde (like 10th or 11th grade). My middle school classes are pretty big, with approximately 50-55 students per class, whereas my lycee classes are very small, between 20-30 students. Teaching can be frustrating at times, but I do really enjoy it! There is definitely a different work ethnic here. Thus, sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get the kids to do things, but slowly we're making progress. I have some really bright students, and all of them seem to enjoy class with the crazy, foreign teacher. I've been using a lot of gestures in class, dancing, singing, etc. From what I can tell thus far, and I definitely do not want to generalize, the Malagasy teachers have more of a lecture-style approach to teaching. Thus, when the student's crazy American teacher is standing on a table to make a point, the kids are extremely excited. I am also starting an adult class that will meet every Wednesday evening. The goal of this class is to help shop owners and other interested people learn English that they could possibly use—mainly business and tourism English. I'm also starting an English club in two weeks, with a few goals: 1) I want those students who are extremely passionate about learning English to have an extra opportunity to practice, 2) I want to gear the club towards different messages about diversity, cultural differences, etc. 3) I want to expose kids to pop culture and motivate them to learn about the outside world as a way to better appreciate their own culture! Hopefully it will be successful! The kids seem really excited about it.
So… other than that, life here in Madagascar is progressing. I cannot believe that I've already been here for four months! It's amazing how quickly time flies. Most of you know how difficult it was for me to decide what to do with my life post-college, and I really feel confident that I made the right decision for myself. I've learned so much about life and myself in the last four months. Plus, it's really refreshing to be reminded of what is really important in life. I think that we, as Americans, often get consumed in the material world. I am definitely guilty of wanting one too many pairs of designer jeans or the newest clothes. However, here, people are happy with the smallest things. The neighbor kids use my trash to build toys and one small piece of candy lights up a kid's face. Plus, people are able to find beauty in nature and the 'simple things' in life.
In closing, here are some funny anecdotes that do not fit into any part of my letter:
1) Three weeks ago, I met Madagascar's biggest pop-star! His name is Lola (feel free to Google him and download a song!) He came to my town for a propaganda concert! Since I was the only foreigner in the audience, I got to meet and chat with him after the show! It was a lot of fun!
2) I attended the above-mentioned concert with one of my closest friends at site. We were dancing like fools throughout the whole thing and just having a general good time. Little did I know that they were video taping the concert. That evening, they set up a HUGE drive-in movie-esque screen in town and replayed the footage of the concert. As I was watching with my friends, all of a sudden the screen was filled with an image of just ME dancing for a good four minutes! I could have died!!!
3) I was offered fried grasshoppers at a party I attended last week with the Ministre d'Environment for all of Madagascar. I guess it's a good source of protein.
4) I saw SIX lemurs last month in the rainforest!! It was extremely exciting!!
5) VAZAHA is the word for foreigner in Malagasy, and I hear this word daily… over and over and over again. It is usually coupled with some word talking about my size. It used to bother me to be called fat all the time, but I guess that I've sort of embraced who I am!
6) Every time you see someone in my town, you greet them as follows:
~Akoriaby (How's your health?)
~Tsara be fa misaotra (It's good, thanks.)
OR…. Salama (Hello)
7) I speak Malagasy every day, which is both exciting and exhausting. There are some days when I simply feel as though I cannot say another word. Then there are others when I could talk for others! My vocabulary is still extremely limited, but it is improving daily. I carry around a little notebook and write down every word I hear!
8) My closest friends are a girl who just graduated from high school last year. She's really smart and actually very good at English. We hang out a lot, and she's been really helpful with helping me figure out vocabulary. I also have a really close guy friend who comes over a few nights a week. We play cards or just chat.
9) I'm taking a Malagasy class at the local elementary school every Tuesday morning. It's with kids that are 8-9 years old! Hahaha…. It's interesting and about at my level of Malagasy.
Well… I hope that this paints at least a vague picture of what my life is like in Ifanadiana. Thank you so very much to everyone who has sent letters or packages. Letters are seriously one of the biggest treats ever! It really brightens my day to receive mail! If anyone is interested in sending packages (although letters are more than enough), here are a few things that I would like:
· Construction paper and craft supplies for my classes (I'd like to do some stuff at Christmas)
· Packs of tuna fish or chicken in those little bags
· Toys for the kids to play with at my house
· Note cards (the big ones to make flashcards)
· Christmas decorations
· M&Ms (peanut… a personal favorite! )
· Pictures of America to use in class
· Children's books.. (perhaps a Christmas book or two for my classes?!? They need to be a very EASY level!!)
· Pasta sauce packs
· Dried strawberries
· Magazines (The Economist, People, etc. I receive Newsweek from Peace Corps every month)
I hope life in the United States is going well! I've been trying to follow some of the news, but it's definitely a challenge! Please continue to write, and if anyone stumbles upon a large sum of money or wins the lottery, fly over and see me!
Lots of love,
Maribeth
