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
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
phone conversation on August 13, 2007
This is a summary of our conversation with Maribeth on August 13, 2007.
--posted by Louise Black, Maribeth’s Mom
Hi! Things are going well, but every day is a bit overwhelming. Absolutely everything is new and different here!
Recently, I visited the village where I will be living for 2 years, beginning at the end of September. It took 2 days to get there. It is located in the temperate rainforest and yes!!! I DID see lemurs!! J The village is located about 10 miles from a national park, which should be great! It is located on a national route, so there are markets and shops along the road. It is a small, safe town. They have had other female PC volunteers so hopefully this fact will help with my adjustment to living there.
I will be living in a house with one long room. There is a make-shift divider constructed of wood and a tarp so that there are actually 2 rooms—a bedroom, and a living area. The bedroom has a huge dresser, a desk, and a big bed. I actually slept at my house one night which was nice. The kitchen will be furnished with a camping-type stove, lots of shelf space, a table with 4 chairs, and a big water filtration container. I will not have running water, so I will need to pay someone to carry water to my house a few times a week. The house has a front porch and is attached to a church and youth center. I’ll have my own shower room (for bucket showers) and my own outhouse. In the front yard are 2 banana trees and a mango tree. Yum!!
My teaching assignment will be teaching 3, 7th grade classes (2nd year English) and 2 or 3 10th grade classes. I’m sure that it will be a challenge!
Once a month, I will travel to a bigger city to do my banking. There will be a Peace Corps building there where I can stay and see other Peace Corps volunteers. They will also have some “luxuries” for us to enjoy like hot showers.
The Malagasy language has very long words, but I seem to be doing fine in learning it. I have always loved languages, so I suppose that helps!
Last week, I attended an exhumation. They laid out all of the dead bodies. Some were 2 years old, while others had been dead for decades. Believe me…it was an intense experience.
On Tuesday, August 21, I will be leaving my homestay. I will spend about a week in TANA and will be sworn in as an official Peace Corps volunteer on August 28. On August 29-30, I will be moving to my own home. A Peace Corps representative will travel with me and inspect my home before I am left to live there on my own.
I know that living on my own is going to be a new challenge for me. I will be the only American living in the small town. I have made GREAT Peace Corps friends that will be scattered all over
Thanks to all of you that have written to me! It means SO MUCH!! Please continue to write. I will still be able to receive your letters through the Peace Corps headquarters address that you have already been using. Mom can give you the updated address, too, if you want it. So far, I have written back to everyone whose letters I have received and I will continue to do so! I LOVE receiving mail!!
(Note from Maribeth’s MOM: If you want to send small padded envelopes, Maribeth would LOVE some hard candies & peanut M&M’s J )
Well, I guess that’s all the news for now. Take care and keep in touch! I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me to hear from you!
Love, Maribeth
Saturday, July 21, 2007
An Update from my 7/21/07 phone call
Here is some information from today's phone conversation posted by Maribeth's Mom.
Hello again! Well, it has been 5 weeks since I arrived in Madagascar and I absolutely love it! It is definitely challenging, but wonderful, too. I have had lots of training and they are even going to give us cooking training soon! Oh...and I've had 11 shots so far. Ouch! They do take good care of us.
I have made some great friends! Even though we will soon be living in different towns throughout Madagascar, we will be able to get together every 3 months or so for Peace Corps gatherings.
I passed the first Malagasy language test a few weeks ago. I am now at the "intermediate low level". They want us to all be at the "intermediate high level" by the time we finish our training at the end of August.
Right now I have been teaching everyday for 2-3 hours. It is a lot of work but rewarding. I have been teaching different classes for young children up to adults. This will help me to be prepared for my 2 year assignment which will begin in September.
Thanks to all of those who have written letters! I just love reading what is going on in the states. I actually have received one of the packages that Mom sent--it was a pair of dress pants and a fleece shirt, so now I am warmer. :)
My assigned town will become my home at the beginning of September. I've been told that there are already some things in the house so I won't have to buy everything. :) I will be going there in a few weeks to see it. At the beginning of August, a representative from Ifanadiana will come to get me and take me back to the town. I think that I will be staying there for 4-5 days. It will be good to be able to see it before I actually move there at the end of August. I also think that I will be able to get a cell phone at the beginning of August. Won't that be great!!? Then perhaps some of you can call me. I would REALLY like that!
Well... take care. Bye for now!
Hello again! Well, it has been 5 weeks since I arrived in Madagascar and I absolutely love it! It is definitely challenging, but wonderful, too. I have had lots of training and they are even going to give us cooking training soon! Oh...and I've had 11 shots so far. Ouch! They do take good care of us.
I have made some great friends! Even though we will soon be living in different towns throughout Madagascar, we will be able to get together every 3 months or so for Peace Corps gatherings.
I passed the first Malagasy language test a few weeks ago. I am now at the "intermediate low level". They want us to all be at the "intermediate high level" by the time we finish our training at the end of August.
Right now I have been teaching everyday for 2-3 hours. It is a lot of work but rewarding. I have been teaching different classes for young children up to adults. This will help me to be prepared for my 2 year assignment which will begin in September.
Thanks to all of those who have written letters! I just love reading what is going on in the states. I actually have received one of the packages that Mom sent--it was a pair of dress pants and a fleece shirt, so now I am warmer. :)
My assigned town will become my home at the beginning of September. I've been told that there are already some things in the house so I won't have to buy everything. :) I will be going there in a few weeks to see it. At the beginning of August, a representative from Ifanadiana will come to get me and take me back to the town. I think that I will be staying there for 4-5 days. It will be good to be able to see it before I actually move there at the end of August. I also think that I will be able to get a cell phone at the beginning of August. Won't that be great!!? Then perhaps some of you can call me. I would REALLY like that!
Well... take care. Bye for now!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Notes from my phone call home on 7/7/07
Here are some notes from our phone call with Maribeth on 7/7/07
(posted by Maribeth's Mom)
Student teaching starts on 7/9/07. Students can choose to come the "English camp". They are on vacation right now. I will be teaching 2-3 hours per day and will end up "trying out" every grade.
The food is OK, but I seem to get quite a few stomach aches. Nothing that I can't handle, though.
My family has been very patient with me. They have been instructed not to speak to me in French or English, so that I can hopefully learn Malagay more quickly. I get along will with my Malagasy brothers, ages 11 & 13.
Once in a while I will be able to check my email. So...if you wish to leave me an email message, please use maribeth.black@gmail.com. Thanks!
I have just received my Peace Corps assignment and will be living in Infanadiana beginning after August 28, 2007. Ifanadiana has a population of about 8500. It is located near the largest national park in Madagascar and has lots of lemurs. Ifanadiana is located about 1/2 hour from the ocean and is near the rainforest. I will be living in a 2-room house with a latrine. There is no running water, or even a well, so I will have to carry water from the town to my house. I will, however, have electricity, and a telephone. There have been 3 female Peace Corps volunteers teaching there before me. I will be teaching either middle school or high school.
I have made lots of friends here including a girl from Wisconsin and a guy from Arizona.
I would still LOVE to receive mail from everyone so...please write!! Thanks!
(posted by Maribeth's Mom)
Student teaching starts on 7/9/07. Students can choose to come the "English camp". They are on vacation right now. I will be teaching 2-3 hours per day and will end up "trying out" every grade.
The food is OK, but I seem to get quite a few stomach aches. Nothing that I can't handle, though.
My family has been very patient with me. They have been instructed not to speak to me in French or English, so that I can hopefully learn Malagay more quickly. I get along will with my Malagasy brothers, ages 11 & 13.
Once in a while I will be able to check my email. So...if you wish to leave me an email message, please use maribeth.black@gmail.com. Thanks!
I have just received my Peace Corps assignment and will be living in Infanadiana beginning after August 28, 2007. Ifanadiana has a population of about 8500. It is located near the largest national park in Madagascar and has lots of lemurs. Ifanadiana is located about 1/2 hour from the ocean and is near the rainforest. I will be living in a 2-room house with a latrine. There is no running water, or even a well, so I will have to carry water from the town to my house. I will, however, have electricity, and a telephone. There have been 3 female Peace Corps volunteers teaching there before me. I will be teaching either middle school or high school.
I have made lots of friends here including a girl from Wisconsin and a guy from Arizona.
I would still LOVE to receive mail from everyone so...please write!! Thanks!
exerpts from my 6/22 & 6/26/07 letter
Here are some exerpts from Maribeth's letter dated 6/22 & 6/26/o7
(posted by Maribeth's Mom) The letter arrived in West Virginia in 12 days.
6/22/07 Greetings from the Red Isle! Well, I have officially survived my first week of Peace Corps boot camp (literally!) Life has definitely been a rollercoaster of emotions. Madagascar is unlike any country that I have seen before. There's so much to take in. It's been an exhausting yet life-changing week. We have training from 8 am until 5 pm daily. It's quite intense. I usually get up at 5:45 am to start preparing for the day. There's so much to do. We must make our beds and clean (sweep) our floors. Then, we get water from the well and heat it for my bucket bath in what we call the "ladoucy." After a quick buck bath, which is surprisingly refreshing (and the warmest I feel all day), I get dressed, eat a quick breakfast which usually consists of rice, bread, and Malagasy coffee, then head to school on a road filled with mud craters.
So...you know the whole stereotype about Africa being warm? HAH! What a joke! I've never been so cold and wet in my entire life! The Peace Corps downplayed the cold. Now, it wouldn't be so bad' however, there are 2 problems:
1- There is no heating anywhere!
2- It rains a lot and hard--almost everyday! Thus, my one sweatshirt becomes so damp that it fails to keep me warm.
So...I walk over 5 miles a day, which is great! However, between all the walking, the classes, the new language, culture, etc. I am exhausted by 8-9 pm. Most Malagasy people go to bed early for 2 reasons:
1- The electricity may not be working.
2 - They are too cold to do anything because there is no heat!
My classes are interesting. We have multiple hours of Malagasy a week, coupled with health classes, safety classes, courses on how to teach, cross-cultural classes, and the list goes on. We've learned about more diseases than I ever cared to discuss. I already received 6 or 14 shots!! including those for rabies, hepatitis A booster, yellow fever, and meningitis.
I've already made some great friends--Guy, who lives in Georgetown and just graduated from University of Michigan and Erin, who is from Illinois and went to college in Chicago. Erin and I walk home together because she lieves across the street from me.
6/26/07 Today is Independence Day for Madagascar. That means that last night there wer all sorts of parties. There was a parade, small fireworks, etc. I attended a small dinner party with Malagasy and American friends and then took to the streets. Today there was a parade and ceremony. It was pouring rain and the ceremony was outside. As the "American guests" we were asked to stand on the stage for the entire 3 hours! I needed windshield wipers for my glasses. :)
This weekend we are going to Tana, the capitol, for the night. It'll be nice to stay in a hotel and take a HOT bath/shower. In fact, I may take multiple baths!
Well...I hope that all is well in the states. Please write soon and please write often. I loved receiving mail!
Until next time! Bye!
(posted by Maribeth's Mom) The letter arrived in West Virginia in 12 days.
6/22/07 Greetings from the Red Isle! Well, I have officially survived my first week of Peace Corps boot camp (literally!) Life has definitely been a rollercoaster of emotions. Madagascar is unlike any country that I have seen before. There's so much to take in. It's been an exhausting yet life-changing week. We have training from 8 am until 5 pm daily. It's quite intense. I usually get up at 5:45 am to start preparing for the day. There's so much to do. We must make our beds and clean (sweep) our floors. Then, we get water from the well and heat it for my bucket bath in what we call the "ladoucy." After a quick buck bath, which is surprisingly refreshing (and the warmest I feel all day), I get dressed, eat a quick breakfast which usually consists of rice, bread, and Malagasy coffee, then head to school on a road filled with mud craters.
So...you know the whole stereotype about Africa being warm? HAH! What a joke! I've never been so cold and wet in my entire life! The Peace Corps downplayed the cold. Now, it wouldn't be so bad' however, there are 2 problems:
1- There is no heating anywhere!
2- It rains a lot and hard--almost everyday! Thus, my one sweatshirt becomes so damp that it fails to keep me warm.
So...I walk over 5 miles a day, which is great! However, between all the walking, the classes, the new language, culture, etc. I am exhausted by 8-9 pm. Most Malagasy people go to bed early for 2 reasons:
1- The electricity may not be working.
2 - They are too cold to do anything because there is no heat!
My classes are interesting. We have multiple hours of Malagasy a week, coupled with health classes, safety classes, courses on how to teach, cross-cultural classes, and the list goes on. We've learned about more diseases than I ever cared to discuss. I already received 6 or 14 shots!! including those for rabies, hepatitis A booster, yellow fever, and meningitis.
I've already made some great friends--Guy, who lives in Georgetown and just graduated from University of Michigan and Erin, who is from Illinois and went to college in Chicago. Erin and I walk home together because she lieves across the street from me.
6/26/07 Today is Independence Day for Madagascar. That means that last night there wer all sorts of parties. There was a parade, small fireworks, etc. I attended a small dinner party with Malagasy and American friends and then took to the streets. Today there was a parade and ceremony. It was pouring rain and the ceremony was outside. As the "American guests" we were asked to stand on the stage for the entire 3 hours! I needed windshield wipers for my glasses. :)
This weekend we are going to Tana, the capitol, for the night. It'll be nice to stay in a hotel and take a HOT bath/shower. In fact, I may take multiple baths!
Well...I hope that all is well in the states. Please write soon and please write often. I loved receiving mail!
Until next time! Bye!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Hello Again!
So.... no one was using the computer, so i thought that I'd say hi again! It's raining a bit, and I'm really wishing I'd opted to bring the fleece!!! :-( However, things are going so well. I received my rabies shot and Hep A booster this morning! OUCH!!! Then, I had an interview regarding my teaching abilities. I'll finish with an interview with the Peace Corps M-car director, Bill Bull. This morning we had pancakes and french bread to eat, complete with M-car coffee. I showered with a bucket and some warm H2o. My walk to school is just beautiful-- I live in the rice fields and thus must walk past everything-- the entire market.
Welp... it's lunch time (we're having tacos!)
Maribeth
Welp... it's lunch time (we're having tacos!)
Maribeth
I made it to Madagascar!!
Greetings from Madagascar!!!
I just wanted to send a quick message to let you know that you made it safely. :-) After what seemed like days of travelling, we arrived in Madagascar. The weather is actually quite chilly, which is nice, because I feel a lot cleaner (if that's possible). Our town is very interesting. Although they are used to seeing trainees, it was quite exciting to walk to the PC training center this morning. I live the farthest from the school (almost a 2 mile walk), which is really exciting, because I'll get a lot of excercise!! I have a large house and my own room. We have electricity but no running water. I have a host mum and two brothers, ages 15 and 12. This morning I took a bucket shower, which was suprisingly refreshing. It's definetely overwhelming, but in a really good way! I've already started learning some of the language but there's a TON to learn. :-)
So... about mail: PLEASE SEND ME SOME SOON!!!
My address: Maribeth Black, PCV
Peace Corps Madagascar
BP 12091- Post ZOOM Akorondrano- TANA 101- Madagascar
If you write "Jesus Saves" and draw some crosses, we'll have the best luck of me receiving things. I'll be sending some cartes postales soon!!!
Well... I better share the computer. This is going to be quite an experiece. I'm definetely excited/nervous, but having a great time!!! The people are sooooo kind and considerate! :-)
VELOMA!! (bye in Malagasy)
Maribeth
I just wanted to send a quick message to let you know that you made it safely. :-) After what seemed like days of travelling, we arrived in Madagascar. The weather is actually quite chilly, which is nice, because I feel a lot cleaner (if that's possible). Our town is very interesting. Although they are used to seeing trainees, it was quite exciting to walk to the PC training center this morning. I live the farthest from the school (almost a 2 mile walk), which is really exciting, because I'll get a lot of excercise!! I have a large house and my own room. We have electricity but no running water. I have a host mum and two brothers, ages 15 and 12. This morning I took a bucket shower, which was suprisingly refreshing. It's definetely overwhelming, but in a really good way! I've already started learning some of the language but there's a TON to learn. :-)
So... about mail: PLEASE SEND ME SOME SOON!!!
My address: Maribeth Black, PCV
Peace Corps Madagascar
BP 12091- Post ZOOM Akorondrano- TANA 101- Madagascar
If you write "Jesus Saves" and draw some crosses, we'll have the best luck of me receiving things. I'll be sending some cartes postales soon!!!
Well... I better share the computer. This is going to be quite an experiece. I'm definetely excited/nervous, but having a great time!!! The people are sooooo kind and considerate! :-)
VELOMA!! (bye in Malagasy)
Maribeth
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