GScharffenberger

Hey all, Very sorry for the extended absence. I had a little while with nothing very exciting going on, as well as being quite sick for the past few days. Here is a short update on what's been going on. Work has been "interesting," to say the least. I had been working on the website for the Ankoay and Carton Rouge projects and finally finished that up. I did run into a bit of a brick wall however. Working in Madagascar is a very different experience. It's been hard getting used to the relaxed time schedule when it comes to meetings (i.e. being told to show up at a certain time to meet with the boss and sitting there for an hour and a half waiting). Also, Madagascar seems to me to have a bad case ... read more

What a weekend! Friday night was a great time at Mojo (the popular ex-pat bar). I've started making friends beyond the couple people I knew before coming. I had a great conversation with two guys, Patrick and Warwick (both are 6'6), and people in the bar thought it was the funniest thing they'd seen in a while. Most Malagasys are quite a bit shorter than the three of us. Everyone I've met here has an incredibly interesting story. Many work for AccessBank (a micro finance company), and many others are involved in projects just like mine. It's pretty interesting coming from college where my group of friends is very homogeneous when it comes to age. I've found myself hanging out with kids my age, and married couples in their late 30s. Everyone seems to connect because ... read more

Yesterday was quite the day. I decided that the one thing I wanted to do was to visit the school I attended when I was here. I only went to K-3rd grade, but my memories of the school are as strong as if I had just been there. I walked the two blocks from the house to the American School of Antananarivo, and was immediately overwhelmed. The place had changed so much! Many new buildings had been added (but the place still seemed smaller for some reason), and it wasn't a little five year old me running around, there were new kids...and many new teachers. I found out that only four staff members remained from the old days. The reason for this is that the American teachers spend a few years in Madagascar and then move ... read more

Tuesday I went to sleep in a plane after leaving DC. I woke up in Paris seven hours later. Last night I went to bed in Antananarivo, Madagascar. After 22 hours of travel, I am finally home. It's a very weird feeling, being away from a place for so long but still feeling that it is home. I only lived here for four years of my life, but those four years were very crucial to my socialization and development. I have been told by many people that Madagascar has changed a lot over the past 11 years, but after taking a short walk around the block today some things had stayed exactly as they were. One thing that jumped out immediately was the smell. There are certain smells that for some reason bring memories rushing back ... read more