moon

welcome once again to the red island. these days, the red island seems to be bleeding a bit more profusely into the ocean however. late december and early january were hit quite hard with cyclones along the coast and even in the plateau. for 4 days i could not get to Tsarazaza because the roads were flooded, water waist high and a current to reckon with. once i made it home, it seemed unlikely i'd ever be able to leave again! the rains continued long after the cyclones left us, bring rain for days on end. it is only now, late february that we are beginning to see some clear skies and sun. but the damage has been done. riding in a taxi-brousse up to Antananarivo, along the plateau, i was shocked by rice field after ... read more

A number of varying events led me to spend this Christmas in village. Many volunteers seem to avoid holidays in village, probably for good reason sometimes. It's nice to talk to family on the holiday, sometimes spending holidays in a different culture just makes it too hard, it's also nice to be with people of your own culture to celebrate it your own style. I have to admit even I was reluctant about spending Christmas at site, but it slowly grew on me. Madagascar's high plateau is very Christian, so it was "Christmas in the true sense", that being church, praying and Jesus' birthday. Around the beginning of December, villagers started preparing for Christmas. But, not in the usual commercial sense you might imagine. In fact, it wasn't until I left my village for market post-Christmas ... read more

Just a brief story to pass on...life in village has been quiet. We are slowly warming into the hot season and the days are getting a little longer. One afternoon a little friend, Faniry, came to visit me as I was working in my yard, carrying her 2 year old brother Elie on her back. We got to work pulling up weeds together when Faniry suddenly asks: "Did you eat today?" I replied that no, actually I had not eaten dinner yet. So she says: "Lots of the kids are saying you don't eat rice. Do you have any rice?" I responded that yes, I did actually have rice, and she comes back with: "Well, I was worried that you didn't have any rice, so I had 40AR (2 cents) the other day and I wanted ... read more

Having been chased from the cold weather of the "hautes plateaus", I recently found myself in a 19 hour taxi-brousse ride from Antsirabe to Morondava. I knew I was getting into warm territory when the brousse stopped in Miandrivazo for a late night snack (10pm) and I found myself taking off my sweatshirt! Bring it on! As we slowly made our way over what seemed to me a dried up river bed full of gigantic canyons, all through dahalo (bandit) country, I attempted a delirious sleep. We arrived in sunny Morondava at 7am. Having planned so well for this trip, I had brought no guide book and disregarded all information that my friend provided about the town. I assumed I'd find cell coverage and all would be well. Yes, Morondava does have cell coverage, but it's ... read more

alright, well...i admit i've sorely neglected this blog. so let me attempt to make up for that and write a whopper of an entry. the truth is, there isn't always that much to say. it's not quite the same as travel where there are daily adventures that seem constantly new, changing and exciting. i suppose there are just as many daily adventures as you'd find traveling, as i live in another country...but they've become almost mundane. i have to convince myself, when i step out onto my laverandana (balcony) with a mug of coffee sweetened with Socolait, see my morning breath, check on my turtle (who's seriously hibernating right now), look down the road at the houses of brick and mudplaster, watch my neighbor cooking rice on his laverandana and check the muddy roads for ruts ... read more

i just wanted to send out a quick note. thanks to everyone who reads the blog and sends their support and encouragement. i can't respond to your comments, but it's good to get them. i'm not having flea problems any more. thanks all for the advice, but my fleas actually jump away from the light (hence the reason i don't have them in the day time...) it's good to know that so many people are interested in my life and what i'm doing. thanks for the love!... read more

hi friends! to those of you who read and respond, thanks for your support and comments. i haven't been very mazoto to write in the blog as i'm doing mass emails as well, and it gets a little overwhelming. but, the momentous occasion of 6 months living in madagascar has occured! that's it, i've made it a half a year here! it's hard to believe! my language is improving, as i notice with every visit to a different city. it's still very frustrating though as i feel like if i talk to someone for more than 5 minutes it mostly consists of me say "i don't understand" over and over again! as i grow older as a pcv (i'm 4 months old now!) i begin to develop a concept of the culture. i'm discovering the diversity ... read more

well, i'm not feeling inspired to write much at the moment, but i want to share some photos with you all so you can see a little bit of my life. alefa. enjoy! ... read more

So, I've been at site just about 1 and a half, made it through Krismasy and New Years Eve and now working into my first full year at Tsarazaza in Madagascar! It's very exciting to think that I have the whole year ahead of me to experience amazing things. And while there is lots to be said about it all, I think for now I will just focus on some thoughts I've had momba ny culture Malagasy. While it's not complete by any means and it is certainly a skewed view, it somewhat reflects my experience so far eto Madagasikara. One thing that has become apparent to me is that Mcar is a culture of inclusion. There is a concept of ownership, but in general terms everything is shared. It is fomba to say "Mandrosoa!" when ... read more

Dear friends, I have been living in Tsarazaza for 2 weeks now, hardly enough to tell you anything. But I'd love to invite you all to a typical day in my life...Mazatoa! Sun rises around 4:20am. The town slowly awakens while I lie in bed hoping to sleep for just a few more hours! Around 6:30 I begin to rouse myself and open the shutters to the shiny world of Tsarazaza. If people are out and about, they call out "Salama o!" to me, and a few feel compelled to tell me I am "Natory atoandro ianao" (sleeping till noon). I go about the house doing some small morning chores: put up the mosquito net, make my bed and bid adieu to the fleas until the evening hours, take my Po to the kabone and empty ... read more