So i forgot to write a lot of things I wanted to say yesterday, hence the reason why i am bloggin again so soon. not to mention I have about 4 hours to kill till my taxi brousse shows up so I need something to do.
So there are more items to put on my wish list. they include...
Glee season 1 (i am very glee dreprived)
Glee season 2 when it comes out
True Blood season 3 when it comes out
Mad Men season 1 (i need to watch this cause everyone talks about it and it looks so good! and then of course all the other seasons of Mad Men)
thats it. I know only TV shows but i need something.
I havent said much about MAd in general lately and I got to think about generalities the other day because I had to write to my 7th grade class pen pals. i told them generalities so I figured I would qlso write about them on my blog
So MAD is a cross between Asia and Africa. apperantly a lot of people in MAD dont consider themselves to be African. They just think of themselves as Malagasy, which i can understand. it is a big island and they are far away. Malagasy the language is actually based off of indonesian languages and people in MAD eat the most rice out of anywhere in the world (my rice intake has dropped significantly now that i cook for myself). The Malagasy people are a mix of African and Asian and you can see both characteristics in people. Kids run around here all alone, even toddlers, which facsinates me. most people here are farmers and nothing runs on any sort of a schedule; that aspect can be frustrating sometimes. We are entering teh rainy season right now, so i am preparing to be wet. the seasons here are wet/dry, not so much Fall/spring. lets see what else can I tell you.... the pres is a former DJ (brian told me that one) and elections are supposed to happen in May but who knows. maybe thats it for now. this internet cafe is really hot and i cant think right now.
Hope everyone is doing well in the 24 Hours since I last posted. I will post again soon!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
My fiance is Chipotle cheating on me. Rude
thats right everyone. Brian is cheating on me with Chipotle. I guess I really cant compete. Chipotle is there and available, whilst I am far away and most definitely not available. He had just better never go there alone again when I get back or I might get jealous......
So a few business things to take care of. First of all, MAD decided for some unknown reason to suspend mail going to the USA for " weeks, from Nov 18th through today, Dec 8. so the following people have letters in the mail that should have gone out a long time ago and will get to their humble abodes sometime between xmas and the first part of Jan (unless in the last week you got a letter from me then never mind): Diana, Hanna, Jenn, mom and dad, grandpa, joe, sally, erin, richard and dolores, and i think thats it. there are some people (whose names i wont mention except there intials begin with K, R and G) who havent written to me yet. just to throw it out there. also thank you to my Parnets and Diana for packages! (Brian yours hasnt come yet but thank you in advance!)
Last time I forgot to post my books Ive read list so here it is!
Skeleton Coast
Eleventh Hour
Born to Run
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
Little Bee
Mother of Pearl
My Horizontal Life
The Adventures of Flash Jackson
The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Also heres an updated wish list:
Toms in any color though i would prefer Plum, Navy or Black
Tims cascade jalepeno chips
Smartfood
ummmmm well maybe thats it. for now. and keep sending the candy! me likey!
Happy Birthday to all my Nov/Dec Bdays! Rachel, Bebe, Chrissy, Corliss, Becca, and if I left you out Im sorry! its hard to think on the spot!
so I gave my finals this last week to all my kiddies and my 2nde class did well and my 6eme did not. Whats depressing is that most of my students failed an exercise that they had seen at least twice, if not three times before. ugh. I dont know what to do with them. I honestly dont think I can lake the tests any easier then they already are. my 2nde kids are smart so they will get harder tests next trimester, with an emphasis on reading comprehension and writing. joy! I am glad this trimester is over and i have time to breath. it was a stressful 3 months. I had to get my house organized, my lesson plans done, try and fit in, and not explode all at the same time. I am excited for my month breather. beach here I come!
I leave tomorrow to head to Tana then on Sunday its off to Mantasoa for training. Im there a week then on the 18th or 19th its off to farafangana, where I will get ride of my sock tan. not that its not attractive of course. I will be teaching an english club for the elected officials of the town while im there so that should be fun/interesting. i will be there till about new years but new years itself i will be in Fianar. I am just really excited to speak english and see friends and eat good food and have a beer or two and not feel bad. small victories.
I dont really have much else to say at the moment. I will try and post pics later this month, if I can, so everyone can see where I live. i will be able to check my email again in like é weeks so if you have anything send it my way! peace!
So a few business things to take care of. First of all, MAD decided for some unknown reason to suspend mail going to the USA for " weeks, from Nov 18th through today, Dec 8. so the following people have letters in the mail that should have gone out a long time ago and will get to their humble abodes sometime between xmas and the first part of Jan (unless in the last week you got a letter from me then never mind): Diana, Hanna, Jenn, mom and dad, grandpa, joe, sally, erin, richard and dolores, and i think thats it. there are some people (whose names i wont mention except there intials begin with K, R and G) who havent written to me yet. just to throw it out there. also thank you to my Parnets and Diana for packages! (Brian yours hasnt come yet but thank you in advance!)
Last time I forgot to post my books Ive read list so here it is!
Skeleton Coast
Eleventh Hour
Born to Run
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
Little Bee
Mother of Pearl
My Horizontal Life
The Adventures of Flash Jackson
The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Also heres an updated wish list:
Toms in any color though i would prefer Plum, Navy or Black
Tims cascade jalepeno chips
Smartfood
ummmmm well maybe thats it. for now. and keep sending the candy! me likey!
Happy Birthday to all my Nov/Dec Bdays! Rachel, Bebe, Chrissy, Corliss, Becca, and if I left you out Im sorry! its hard to think on the spot!
so I gave my finals this last week to all my kiddies and my 2nde class did well and my 6eme did not. Whats depressing is that most of my students failed an exercise that they had seen at least twice, if not three times before. ugh. I dont know what to do with them. I honestly dont think I can lake the tests any easier then they already are. my 2nde kids are smart so they will get harder tests next trimester, with an emphasis on reading comprehension and writing. joy! I am glad this trimester is over and i have time to breath. it was a stressful 3 months. I had to get my house organized, my lesson plans done, try and fit in, and not explode all at the same time. I am excited for my month breather. beach here I come!
I leave tomorrow to head to Tana then on Sunday its off to Mantasoa for training. Im there a week then on the 18th or 19th its off to farafangana, where I will get ride of my sock tan. not that its not attractive of course. I will be teaching an english club for the elected officials of the town while im there so that should be fun/interesting. i will be there till about new years but new years itself i will be in Fianar. I am just really excited to speak english and see friends and eat good food and have a beer or two and not feel bad. small victories.
I dont really have much else to say at the moment. I will try and post pics later this month, if I can, so everyone can see where I live. i will be able to check my email again in like é weeks so if you have anything send it my way! peace!
Friday, November 26, 2010
I just lived through a coup. Jealous?
So before I get to the coup, a few things to say first...
Happy Thanksgiving all my American Friends! i hope you ate some turkey and drank some beer for me. i had to work so no Turkey for me. plus I wouldnt even know where to go to find turkey in my town. im not even sure if there is turkey. so instead I went italian and had pasta. what can you do?
Next CONGRATULATIONS to my Eric, my bro, and Becca for getting into Teach For America. Its so awesome that you got in (though i didnt have any doubts about you getting in) and am excited you are both going to do it. keep me updated on how its going and what you have to do.
so on to the coup. last Wednesday, which i think was the 17th, MAD had an referendum election for a new constitution. key changes were the lowing of the age to be president (the current one is 36 and you are supposed to be 40. he took control during the last coup so of course he wants to be eligible to actually run for president when there are elections) and the 6 month rule, which means you have to live in the country for 6 months prior to the election (which makes the former pres, the one ousted in the coup, ineligible cause he isnt here and if he comes back, he will be arrested and serve the rest of his life in prison). anyhoo a group of soldiers decided that they didnt like the new constitution so they hold up in an army barrack by the airport and stated that they had taken over the governement, were dissolving/halting government institutions and forming a military committee to run the government for now. what happened next you ask? nothing. absolutly nothing from a operational standpoint. people in my town had no idea there was a coup, or if they did, dismissed it as a little coup that was all tanas problem. I still had school to teach and everything ran smoothly. The end result of the coup? the 20 military people were arrested after other military stormed the barracks and at no time was I in danger. it was basically a lot of smoke. boring! hehehe
that was the big event since last time I blogged. teaching is going ok. i love my 2nde class and 2 out of my 3 6eme classes. I think the third 6eme class is actively trying to give me an ulcer. They are never quiet, goof around all the time, and love to tattletale on each other. my angry voice has come out more times then I would have liked and next semester had better be better or they are really not going to like me. i will start moving kids around, sending them to the office and docking points from their tests. shits about to get real for them if they dont start listening. They are by oldest 6eme class so maybe that contributes. who knows. i just know that i dread teach there class cause it takes so much out of me.
I did give all my classes a quiz recently, which was fun. I caught 10 cheaters in my 6eme classes but none in my 2nde. my 2nde students did pretty well, for the most part. Here its just passing or failing. ABCD doesnt matter, at least as far as I can tell, and more people passed then failed in my 2nde class. the same can not be said for my 6eme. most of them failed and i gave them that test on a silver platter. i had a review the class before where i gave them the entire test and more then 50% still failed. they really just dont care. at least thats the theory Im going with, since i hand feed them the test. I have to give the 6eme kids their final next week (which i didnt know till this last thusrday. the last day of school in dec 18, according to the MAD govt and we are ending 2 weeks early. absolutely no idea why) so we shall see how that goes. thay donùt have that much material to review so they should do ok. SHOULD being the key word. im not holding my breath. I give my 2nde kids their final next week, since i have to miss the last week of school for out IST (inter service training).
I am getting excited about IST. i cant wait to see everyone and trade stories. also to just chill with other Americans. i am supposed to be going to the beach for xmas, so that will be fun. it will be a good chance to even out the tan lines i have from my socks. nothing else is really going on right now, besides school. I am tutoring 2 different woman. ones a teacher at a private school and we usually just chat. the 2nd is a university student on break right now, who really isnt that good. i am tutoring her as a favor to my counterpart. we spend a lot of time on vocab and things like that. i made pancakes for the doctors family one friday and they loved it. it was really fun to cook american food for them. ummmm been on a lot of walks, cooked a lot of food, and planned out a lot of lessons. thats it!
i will be coming back into town on Dec 9th so if you have news send it by then. i will be checking my email and hanging out. I miss you all (and america) and will talk to you soon!
Happy Thanksgiving all my American Friends! i hope you ate some turkey and drank some beer for me. i had to work so no Turkey for me. plus I wouldnt even know where to go to find turkey in my town. im not even sure if there is turkey. so instead I went italian and had pasta. what can you do?
Next CONGRATULATIONS to my Eric, my bro, and Becca for getting into Teach For America. Its so awesome that you got in (though i didnt have any doubts about you getting in) and am excited you are both going to do it. keep me updated on how its going and what you have to do.
so on to the coup. last Wednesday, which i think was the 17th, MAD had an referendum election for a new constitution. key changes were the lowing of the age to be president (the current one is 36 and you are supposed to be 40. he took control during the last coup so of course he wants to be eligible to actually run for president when there are elections) and the 6 month rule, which means you have to live in the country for 6 months prior to the election (which makes the former pres, the one ousted in the coup, ineligible cause he isnt here and if he comes back, he will be arrested and serve the rest of his life in prison). anyhoo a group of soldiers decided that they didnt like the new constitution so they hold up in an army barrack by the airport and stated that they had taken over the governement, were dissolving/halting government institutions and forming a military committee to run the government for now. what happened next you ask? nothing. absolutly nothing from a operational standpoint. people in my town had no idea there was a coup, or if they did, dismissed it as a little coup that was all tanas problem. I still had school to teach and everything ran smoothly. The end result of the coup? the 20 military people were arrested after other military stormed the barracks and at no time was I in danger. it was basically a lot of smoke. boring! hehehe
that was the big event since last time I blogged. teaching is going ok. i love my 2nde class and 2 out of my 3 6eme classes. I think the third 6eme class is actively trying to give me an ulcer. They are never quiet, goof around all the time, and love to tattletale on each other. my angry voice has come out more times then I would have liked and next semester had better be better or they are really not going to like me. i will start moving kids around, sending them to the office and docking points from their tests. shits about to get real for them if they dont start listening. They are by oldest 6eme class so maybe that contributes. who knows. i just know that i dread teach there class cause it takes so much out of me.
I did give all my classes a quiz recently, which was fun. I caught 10 cheaters in my 6eme classes but none in my 2nde. my 2nde students did pretty well, for the most part. Here its just passing or failing. ABCD doesnt matter, at least as far as I can tell, and more people passed then failed in my 2nde class. the same can not be said for my 6eme. most of them failed and i gave them that test on a silver platter. i had a review the class before where i gave them the entire test and more then 50% still failed. they really just dont care. at least thats the theory Im going with, since i hand feed them the test. I have to give the 6eme kids their final next week (which i didnt know till this last thusrday. the last day of school in dec 18, according to the MAD govt and we are ending 2 weeks early. absolutely no idea why) so we shall see how that goes. thay donùt have that much material to review so they should do ok. SHOULD being the key word. im not holding my breath. I give my 2nde kids their final next week, since i have to miss the last week of school for out IST (inter service training).
I am getting excited about IST. i cant wait to see everyone and trade stories. also to just chill with other Americans. i am supposed to be going to the beach for xmas, so that will be fun. it will be a good chance to even out the tan lines i have from my socks. nothing else is really going on right now, besides school. I am tutoring 2 different woman. ones a teacher at a private school and we usually just chat. the 2nd is a university student on break right now, who really isnt that good. i am tutoring her as a favor to my counterpart. we spend a lot of time on vocab and things like that. i made pancakes for the doctors family one friday and they loved it. it was really fun to cook american food for them. ummmm been on a lot of walks, cooked a lot of food, and planned out a lot of lessons. thats it!
i will be coming back into town on Dec 9th so if you have news send it by then. i will be checking my email and hanging out. I miss you all (and america) and will talk to you soon!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Kids be fightin already. Oi Vey
FaratsihoGreetings one and all! and no you didnt read that title wrong. I have already had one incident of hitting in my 6eme class. FML. anyway more on that in a second...
so I am in Antsirabe for the night to bank. I thought i was going to be able to get my debit card today but nooooooo. i have to get it in Tana, since thats where i signed up, even though PC had told us we would get it at our sites. so know i have to deal with the stupid checkbook, which i have to do all in french, for another 6 weeks til i go back to Tana. yuck. it takes forever to get out money with the checks. good thing i always have reading ,aterial on me or i may have lost it. then it was off to the post office, lunch (which took a ridiculously long time. they must have had a turtle making the food) and then to our hotel for some R&R. after this, its off to the grocery store. so exciting i know :)so this was my first full week of teaching and i would have to say it went well, minus the hitting thing. I love my 2nde class. they are smart, laugh along aith me when i goof up, and are willing to try new things. I think we are going to get along well. right now, we are reviewing the simple present grammer tense, greetings, and question words. fun times. my 6eme classes on the otherhand, are very hit or miss, depending on the class, the time of day, and what stage the moon is in. I consitently have to tell them to be quiet and I have my fair share of jokers who like to repeat everything i say, especially ahen i say things like 'silence' or 'be quiet'. one kid likes to say 'fermer la brouche' which means close your mouth in french (though i may have misspelled that). the classes are split roughly along age and the class with the joker is the oldest class. they cause me the most trouble, but not that much more. and we are only in week one so we will see what happens. my angry voice has made an apperance multiple times already. these kids are going to shave years off my life i swear. oh not to mention the CEG switched my schedule again so mow i teach there Tues morns from 730-1130, wed morn 930-1130 and kept the thurs 130-430. they are so disorganized. so the hitting....
The CEG
The Lycee
so I am in Antsirabe for the night to bank. I thought i was going to be able to get my debit card today but nooooooo. i have to get it in Tana, since thats where i signed up, even though PC had told us we would get it at our sites. so know i have to deal with the stupid checkbook, which i have to do all in french, for another 6 weeks til i go back to Tana. yuck. it takes forever to get out money with the checks. good thing i always have reading ,aterial on me or i may have lost it. then it was off to the post office, lunch (which took a ridiculously long time. they must have had a turtle making the food) and then to our hotel for some R&R. after this, its off to the grocery store. so exciting i know :)so this was my first full week of teaching and i would have to say it went well, minus the hitting thing. I love my 2nde class. they are smart, laugh along aith me when i goof up, and are willing to try new things. I think we are going to get along well. right now, we are reviewing the simple present grammer tense, greetings, and question words. fun times. my 6eme classes on the otherhand, are very hit or miss, depending on the class, the time of day, and what stage the moon is in. I consitently have to tell them to be quiet and I have my fair share of jokers who like to repeat everything i say, especially ahen i say things like 'silence' or 'be quiet'. one kid likes to say 'fermer la brouche' which means close your mouth in french (though i may have misspelled that). the classes are split roughly along age and the class with the joker is the oldest class. they cause me the most trouble, but not that much more. and we are only in week one so we will see what happens. my angry voice has made an apperance multiple times already. these kids are going to shave years off my life i swear. oh not to mention the CEG switched my schedule again so mow i teach there Tues morns from 730-1130, wed morn 930-1130 and kept the thurs 130-430. they are so disorganized. so the hitting....
The CEGThe hitting incident happened in my middle class, which is just a little bit older then they should be for the grade. I didnt see it happen, unfortunatly. i always walk around the room, to see how they are doing and the boy hit the girl when i was passed his row and was looking at the people across from him. i start to go down his row and i see this commotion so i go up and ask what happened. i got that the girl had been hit (in the face with a ruler if i understood correctly) but they pointed at 2 different boys, so i took both of them, plus the girl, to the office, cause my malagasy is not good enough to deal with that. plus the school has a lady whos job it is to discipline people. the girl and one of the boys eventually came back, but the one boy was still sitting in the office over an hour later when i finished teaching.
The LyceeThis week i also did a lot of cooking, making my english muffins and pasta a lot. and
looked through bridal mags! (thanks Jenn)! if anyone else wants to send me some bridal mags i am having a blast planning and thinking about different things (dont worry brian we will talk it all out. i just have ideas.) also any PB m&ms anyone wants to send my way would be much appreciated. oh and brown sugar. theres none here and my oatmeal just deosnt taste the same! well thats it for now. i will be checking my e-mail and posting again Turkey day weekend. Miss everyone!
Friday, October 22, 2010
A few updates till next week
so i have a few minutes of internet and i wanted to relay a few things
1. i had my first taxi brousse break down yesterday (some tire issue), so a 3 hour ride became like a 5 hour ride. not to mention we sat for an hour in the actually taxi brousse station waiting to leave and then had to stop and pick up dried fish on our way out of town. joy. Anyway I officially do not like the Tana taxi brousse station, not because of the broken taxi brousse but because they are so pushy. They kept trying to grab my bag and hustle me into a car. oh and they tried to swindle me. Not a happy camper by the end.
2. a few more wish list items: Brown sugar (for oatmeal), hand sanitzer, lotion (it is super dry here and i look like an alligator), reeses peanut butter cups, bbq sauce (especially wendys bbq sauce) and thats it for now on the wish list front
3. thank you to everyone who sent me a package or letter. I picked up everything that has arrived yesterday. If you sent a pacakage after Oct 1 i probably didnt get it but everything else i did. I got letters from like oct 5th. Send everything to the new address!
4. Happy birthday to all my OCT bdays: Katie, Kathy, Troy, Kyle, Zach, Blair, Tali, Ryan, Brittany, Sam and anyone else i forgot
5. I will be checking email next fri so if you have something to send do it by thursday night your time!
Peace!
1. i had my first taxi brousse break down yesterday (some tire issue), so a 3 hour ride became like a 5 hour ride. not to mention we sat for an hour in the actually taxi brousse station waiting to leave and then had to stop and pick up dried fish on our way out of town. joy. Anyway I officially do not like the Tana taxi brousse station, not because of the broken taxi brousse but because they are so pushy. They kept trying to grab my bag and hustle me into a car. oh and they tried to swindle me. Not a happy camper by the end.
2. a few more wish list items: Brown sugar (for oatmeal), hand sanitzer, lotion (it is super dry here and i look like an alligator), reeses peanut butter cups, bbq sauce (especially wendys bbq sauce) and thats it for now on the wish list front
3. thank you to everyone who sent me a package or letter. I picked up everything that has arrived yesterday. If you sent a pacakage after Oct 1 i probably didnt get it but everything else i did. I got letters from like oct 5th. Send everything to the new address!
4. Happy birthday to all my OCT bdays: Katie, Kathy, Troy, Kyle, Zach, Blair, Tali, Ryan, Brittany, Sam and anyone else i forgot
5. I will be checking email next fri so if you have something to send do it by thursday night your time!
Peace!
so 2 MAD army get in my taxi brousse with AK-47's....
Yep thats right. 2 army men rode in my taxi brousse for about 30 minutes and they were fully equipped with the weaponry. on the plus side, no one messed with us, but no one had been messing with us so really its a moot point. kathy, another PCV with me, hearts skipped a beat but she later recovered. and that was my morning. on to other news...
I have been at site now for basically month and I am still not fully used to everything. I am still getting into the routine of early mornings and early evenings, bargaining for food, not going outside after its dark and peeing in a hole (which, when your kabone [bathroom in Malagasy] hole is as small as mine, presents some difficulty in the aiming department), though it is nice to be able to go to the bathroom in my kabone at night, since mines close by, as in its in my backyard.
My house is slowly starting to come together. I have a couch and a love seat, though they are not American sized. People are smaller here so my couch and love seat are smaller. I have to get cushions/foam for them, so they are comfy to sit on, but they aren’t too bad right now. I have 3 tables, one I use as a table, one as a desk and one to put all my dishes etc on. I have a nifty cooking stand, with shelves underneath for food, which I love. It’s the perfect height for me and makes life so much easier. I have a bed (duh) and shelves built into the wall for my clothes. I have an indoor ladosy (shower), which now has a shower curtain up. Yay! The carpenter had to come and make a frame to hold the curtain but it was worth it (the carpenter was a hassle though. He was a week and a half late on the shower, couch and sofa. Good thing it wasn’t essential). I also have 4 chairs and 2 paintings. Plus a partridge in a pear tree. Syke! My house is big, nice, has electricity and I love it. It will be just fine for the next 2 years.
The outside of my house with my new fence
The front room of my house
The front room of my house
my bedroom/second room
I have become quite a cook since I’ve been here (pretty much because I’ve had to or starve) and I really enjoy cooking. I have made pancakes, English muffins, spaghetti (I made the sauce from scratch too. Im the next Guy Fieri), home fries, scrambled eggs, fried rice, mac and cheese, “reeses” peanut butter balls, tuna burgers, fries, pounded my own peanut butter and coffee, and have made multiple times a delicious banana/pineapple fruit salad. I am going to buy enough ingredients to make more dessert things, like fudge, oatmeal, no bake cookies and lots of other stuff. PC gave us a cookbook which is how I know how to make all this stuff, though the spaghetti sauce was created with the cookbook and trial and error. Brian and I will not be lacking in the food department when we finally live together, since he’s learning how to make different foods too. I haven’t tried anything that an oven, cause I don’t have one, nor have I tried anything with a long ingredient list, but that will come. I do know that I will never not make pancakes from scratch again. They are just too good when you make them yourself. Plus, I love adding a splash of vanilla to them. Makes them even more nummy! Also fun fact I now like yogurt. In fact I have a yogurt lady! I go to her pretty much every day, cause then I don’t have to worry out not getting my calcium. If anyone knows of any good recipes that you make in a frying pan and that’s easy send them my way!
So from the time I got to site (which was September 23rd, though my first full day alone wasn’t until sept 26th) till October 18th I had nothing to do but cook and read and watch movies and take 2 hour walks (yep that’s right. I literally had nothing to do/was so bored that I voluntarily took 2 hour walks, which happened about 5 times a week. And the real crazy part is that I want to continue to take 2 hour or longer walks once school starts cause it’s the only way I get exercise. Plus I eat a lot of peanut butter and nutella and I have to work that off somehow). I have made it through 2 seasons of Friends, countless movies, and have explored all the major roads leading in and out of town. I have found some beautiful views and I lost my watch, which is a bummer, but my mom is going to send me a new one. Kathy and I hung out a lot, going back and forth between our sites and my site mate showed up a week after I got there. Its been going pretty well, better than I expected. Its nice to have someone to speak English with and to share the stares. Though some days I just like being by myself. I have read quite a few books since I last posted and here they are…
The Wild Things
Bacchus and Me
The #1 Ladies Detective Agency, book 1
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Chuck Klosterman IV (which I forgot to put on my list last time)
The Last Templar
Cutting for Stone
Sh*t My Dad Says
The Immortal Life of Henreitta Lacks
Bite Me: A Love Story
School was supposed to start on Oct 11th, or so I thought, but no, I was wrong. Well it did sorta start on the 11th, but more on that in a second. I am teaching mostly 6eme, 3 classes worth, on Mon, Tues and Thurs from 1:30-5:30, but I am also teaching a class of 2nde (which is 10th grade) Mon 9-11 and Wed 7-8 (also fun story. They originally told me that I was teaching 4 classes of 6eme, which is why I am only teaching one class of 2nde. I only found out there was 3 classes of 6eme, not 4, when I went to find out where the 4th 6eme class met and they told me that there wasn’t a 4th class of 6eme. Needless to say I was really confused for about 5min then was like oh well. I do feel a wee bit bad, since I know that the lycee wanted me to teach another class of 2nde, which I couldn’t do when I thought I had 4 classes of 6eme. Now its too late, since school already stared). I had to go to the CEG (the middle school) at 7:30am on Monday the 11th, for what I wasn’t sure. I showed up and was stared at by all the kids. That was to be expected though. I could not tell you for the life of me what happened for the first 2 hours I was there. The kids eventually started to move around, out of there lines, and around 8:45 these 3 girls came over to talk to me and ask me questions. They were 3eme students, so they knew a little English. They would ask me questions in English and I would answer in Malagasy. Well, their coming over to talk to me was the straw that broke the camels back. All of a sudden, a stampede of kids rushed over to where I was standing, not to talk to me, but to stare at me. For an hour this went on, with them staring and me smiling uncomfortably, with the occasional brave soul piping up to ask me the same set of questions: whats your name, where are you from, do you have any brothers, how old are you. Yada yada yada. None of the teachers came to rescue me, even though they were standing 10 feet from me. Finally, at 9:45am, all the teachers got called into a teachers meeting so I got to make my escape. Then, for the next 90min, I once again had no idea what was going on, since it was all in Malagasy. I introduced myself then whoosh, incomprehension.
I had to go to the high school, the Lycee, on the 12th, which went a wee bit better. I actually talked to the teachers more, and one guy, Mister Eddy, spoke very good English, which was a plus. I had to introduce myself again and then the teachers talked for awhile, then all of a sudden, there was a rush for the blackboard. I sat there, trying to figure it out and finally it hit me; they were making the schedule for the year. My principle did mine so I just sat there for 90min, writing a letter to Brian/staring out the window. My lycee is a 40min walk from my house, so I get my exercise every time I go. Yah
On the 14th I had to go back to the CEG for I had no idea (it was nice that I got my b-day off, which wasn’t planned. Thanks for all the b-day wishes everyone!). I was there from 7:30-11:30 and did 2 things for a grand total of 20 mins. That’s it. I introduced myself to one class of 6eme and watched while they elected a head student then had about a ten minute teacher meeting about something. I did talk to more teachers, which was cool. And later that afternoon another English teacher from a private school came by and asked if I could speak English with her. Now so far I have had 4 people, including her, ask me to tutor/speak English with them and I turned down all of them but the teacher. The other 3 were students and I told them that I wasn’t allowed to do anything besides teach my classes for the first 3 months (which is true, though there is some flexibility in that, but I didn’t feel like using it with the 3 students. 2 came and talked to me while I was washing my clothes. Not the best time to ask me for help). I said yes to the teacher cause she’s a) a fellow English teacher b) she already speaks good English and c) she was nice and accommodating when I said I didn’t want to start till November. We shall see how that goes.
So I finally made it through the first week and was ready to start teaching. My first class was the 2nde students and I was just giving them an assessment the first week, to see where they were at. So I took attendance, read my classroom rules and went straight into the assessment. When I saw them again on Wednesday they still had 3 more exercises to do and once class ended I collected all their copybooks and brought them home with me so I could look them over. There were definitely exercises that few people did (even though all my exercises came from the curriculum guide for troiseme, the grade before and one girl wrote on the first page of her copybook that she doesn’t like speaking English and wants to just speak Malagasy. What I thought was interesting about that is she didn’t do half bad on the assessment. I have a lot to go over with them next week, but that’s ok. Almost no one got the advice exercise I gave so good thing there is unit on advice this year. The kids seem like they will be fine. The CEG is a different story, however.
So I get there on Monday at 1:30 ready to go. I had a lesson all planned out (hi, how are you, goodbye etc) and I was curious to see how these students would be compared to the 2nde kids. Well apparently the schedule wasn’t set yet so for the first 30-40 minutes the teachers had to create the schedule (even though they had already given me my schedule the week and a half before, no one else got theirs. Apparently). Anyway then they tell me that this first week of school I wasn’t supposed to teach, just introduce the class and myself. Well that does not take up 2 hours so I sorta started to panic. So I introduced myself, went around and made each person introduce themselves (for the 2nd and 3rd class I taught they also had to tell me how many siblings they have and how old they are. I have quite the range of ages. I have anywhere from 10yr olds to a 17ys old. I know. Crazy!). I read the classroom rules in my limited Malagasy and then I taught them the ABC’s cause I couldn’t think of anything else to do. They have a hard time with H-K. not sure why, but that section really trips them up. After that, I went over the difference between good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. I still had time left so I played a game with them. I asked them yes or no questions and if their answers were yes, then they raised their hands. Some kids raised their hands every time but oh well. That kept them occupied (for my 2nd and 3rd class I ended up letting them out an hour early, though in my defense I only did that cause other teachers were doing it too). I have a joker in one of my classes and he’s the head student (at the 6eme level its an elected position. Afterwards, it’s the top student, grade-wise, how is the head student). He is going to be a pain in my butt I can already tell. He kept yelling the words I asked them to repeat and making jokes on the sly. I have already had to tell him multiple times to stop doing something. Oi vey. I am going to have to be really stern in that class since any wiggle room there it this kid will take it. He is ruining it for everyone.
So my CEG still doesn’t have a schedule. I found that out yesterday when I was supposed to show up for what I thought was my first day of teaching (even though they had told me not to teach the first week what else was I supposed to do with them for an hour?) and they said it was ok if I didn’t come. I think they were going to clean the school, which I thought happened last week, since most of the students were carrying branches of leaves. Basically I am still real confused when it comes to the CEG, but I will show up on Monday at the time I think I’m supposed to and that will have to do.
So thank you to everyone who has sent me letters and packages and facebook messages. I really appreciate it. And just to repeat, my new address is Megan Van Aelstyn, BP 26, 114 Faratsiho, Madagascar. Write to me everyone! I LOVE mail and I haven’t gotten any at my new site yet. Miss everyone and hugs and kisses to all!!!!!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
My New Address!!! (If I was Megan and living halfway across the world!!)
Hey West Coasters, NGPers, ex-Buffaloes and More,
This is Brian. As always, I am happy to serve as the conduit between Megan and the States. She wanted me to pass on her new address:
Megan Van Aelstyn
BP 26
114 Faratsiho
Madagascar
However, if you are going to send a large package, you still want to use the previous Tana address. Hope all is well.
B
This is Brian. As always, I am happy to serve as the conduit between Megan and the States. She wanted me to pass on her new address:
Megan Van Aelstyn
BP 26
114 Faratsiho
Madagascar
However, if you are going to send a large package, you still want to use the previous Tana address. Hope all is well.
B
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I am an unofficial American
My host mom and I at the host family party one of the last days of training
half of the group
I AM NOW AN OFFICIAL PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER!!!!!!!!
(im using the word official a lot. sorry bout that). I swore in this morning in a ceremony that was short, sweet and to the point. loved it. we had to dress up so we all looked fancy. because the ceremony was in Tana, we had to get up at like 530 this morning to make it into Tana by the 10am ceremony. it was brutal, especially since we all stayed up late the night before to be together one last time. we had a reception right after the swear in and then it was off to get my mail and my money! i had a lot of mail (once again, from just brian and my parents so people PLEASE step it up!) and i got the next 9 days living allowance. i then headed off to the cookie shop, which is basically an American coffee ship that has delicious food. its kinda embarrassing how much money i spent there so im not going to say how much it really was. i did have an amazing bbq chicken sandwich and a brownie sundae so i was supremely happy. then it was off to jumbo, a big target-like store, to pick up a gas stove and other essentials for the next 2 years. then back to the MEVA for some r & r. i think we are headed out to dinner later, though i am running low on funds after the cookie shop.
the fact i am going to be here for 2 years is hitting me hard. i can't believe that i haven't even started my countdown yet, since my COS date is sept 29. so I have another week to go before its 2 years. crazy! I am starting to be realize i really must be crazy for coming halfway around the world (cause i am literally halfway around the world) to work for free for 2 years in a country where i don't know the language and won't know anyone. im nuts. so send me food so i don't go crazy. and books, and dvds and anything form america. my friend katie had a great idea, which was to write down all the books she will read here so she knows. i am going to steal that idea and post it all on here, so you can see the ones i have already read and know not to get those books. so here they are!
East of Eden
The Sun Also Rises
The Inheritance of Loss
A Walk in the Woods
a trashy romance novel whose name i can't remember and i have passed on the book so oh well
Drink, Play, F***
The English Patient
Brazil
I think theres more but im blanking. i will fill it in later if i remember. ok well i guess thats all i have to say right now. i will post my new address as soon as i have it! miss everyone!
Madagascar: The Hufflepuff of Peace Corps
Dear everyone!
long time no post I know. A lot has happened but also a little. A lot, in that I have been in Mantasoa for a month and have had stuff to do everyday but a little because I have basically been doing the same thing for the last month. So first I am going to post my wish list, since that to me is the most important thing right now. There are a lot of things, both big and small, that I want so everyone can send me stuff, if they want. If you send something, post what it is in the comment section so I don’t get duplicate books or movies. Really, the food can be duplicated so if someone says they have sent me a pack of Orbitz gum, feel free to send me another pack. So without further ado, heres my list!!!
Peanut butter or plain m&m’s
Granola bars
Brown sugar pop tarts (or any that sound like they should be dessert, not breakfast)
Beef Jerky (there is brown sugar beef jerky but its very tricky to find, but if you find it…..)
Cake/cookies/brownie mixes
Orbitz gum – sweet mint, strawberry mint, bubblemint etc.
Movies (hit up the $5 dollar section at target. Would love new movies too though)
Magazines (Time, People, US Weekly, anything trashy really, Newsweek, the Economist, Vanity Fair etc)
Rainbow Chip Frosting (This one is for Katie, to take you back to our cabin days, though I actually do want it)
Old Navy Flip Flops
Target Leggings
Anything cheap and cute, clotheswise
A plain baseball cap, any color but orange
Instant Quaker oatmeal (brown sugar. notice a theme?)
Condiment packages: Ketchup, maple syrup, mayo, taco bell fire sauce, teriyaki)
Johnnys seasoning salt
Gorilla pod
Mac and cheese cheese packs from King Arthur. You can find it online somewhere. White cheddar too!
Easy Mac
Nail polish
Baby wipes
Sudoku and crossword books
Cds (I have a dvd player that also plays cds so I would love new music or any type of mix you want to send. Dad, would you burn a copy of the last 3 glee cds [Madonna, showstoppers, journey to regionals] and send me them?)
Books: Crime and Punishment, wuthering heights, jane eyre, the namesake, the book thief, the old man and the sea, listening to Duran Duran, one flew over the cuckoos nest, the shining, thunderstruck, it, Cinderella (from the guy who wrote Wicked), don’t wake me at doyles, my friend leonard, the mists of Avalon, the blind assassin, handmaidens tale, west with the night, out of Africa, the last king of Scotland, kiss the girls, along came a spider, fried green tomatoes, fear and loathing in las vegas, fist stick knife guns, northanger abbey, guns germs and steel, angela’s ashes, david copperfield, oliver twist, collapse, John Irving books (not cider house rules), anything interesting and good. Joe, if you could send any old paperbacks you don’t want anymore that would be great. Go to used bookstores to find these, since that will be real cheap
Send all of this in PADDED ENVELOPES. They have a better chance of going all to my site then a boxed package, which will get stopped in my banking town and I will have to go there and pick it up. Or, for the next 2 months, you can still send padded envelopes and packages to the Tana address (which if you really want to send me a boxed package, always send it to tana) Send anything to the Tana address no later than NOVEMBER 1, 2010. After that, all padded envelopes/letters to my new address if you haven’t started doing that already, which I will have within the next week.
Ok so that’s the wish list. I hope that this helps people decide what they want to send me, if you are sending me anything. Speaking of sending me things, brian is in the lead with letter (surprise surprise ;)) with my parents and Diana pretty much tied in 2nd. And that’s it. So friends and family of mine, please send me mail. I really really like when I get it. It makes me feel loved (Selena and Brenna, you have a get out of jail free card right now in letter writing, since you are both leaving the US of A soon. But as soon as you get back, the card is lifted). And when you send stuff, if you could throw in a news story or a sudoku/crossword that would be amazing.
So my life here in MAD. For the last month I have had training, which has had its ups and downs. I had Practicum for 2 weeks, which meant that I taught willing children from Mantasoa English in every grade level. I don’t know why the volunteered, cause lets be real I never would have, especially to take a test, which they did do at the end cause we (PC-ers) made it, but a lot of people did. I had to teach all sorts of things and was scared each and every time. I have so much more respect now for teachers in America. Making lesson plans is hard work, harder than I thought it would be. I still am not sure what grade I’m teaching at site, but I am like 75% sure its sixeme, which it basically our 6th grade, so they will just be starting English, which is the best thing for me since everything will be basic and I don’t know English grammer. That also means I have to deal with 11 and 12 year olds every day. I plan on being quite strict, especially at the beginning, otherwise they will eat me alive. There is a girl in our group who is super nice and has accepted that the kids are going to destroy her cause she’s so nice. I am lucky cause I think I am only going to be teaching one grade, which means one lesson plan for the week, instead of 2 so yay! Still though 6th graders. They scare me.
Every day was real long and tiring. We were go go go all day long. In addition to teaching, we had language every day, some days more than others. Some days, I was in language for like 5 hours. It was awful, but necessary. We had to take a language exam a few days ago and I passed, which I know I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t had so much language. And I needed to pass. If you didn’t pass, you couldn’t swear in as a PC volunteer. I am writing this on my friend James computer and few days before we swear-in, so Im not sure what that will all entail, but I will keep you updated. We have to swear in saying the official government oath, which will be fun. We did find out that the ceremony was televised and like 350 people will be there. I know nuts!
Right now we have a free weekend at the PCTC, where we can do laundry (check), read (check), watch movies (another check), eat till we burst (semi-check, haven’t burst yet) and just relax (real big check). We had one 45min session sat morn and have been free since then. We have some sessions tomorrow but im not really sure about what or when or why. Really I don’t know anything. I just go with the flow. I do know I am leaving on Wednesday to go to my site, which I am semi-glad/semi-terrified to do. Glad, cause there are a lot of people I want to kick off the island and I don’t like being stuck with (though this weekend people have really only been hanging out with their friends, so that’s been nice) and terrified cause I don’t want to leave my friends and the people I do like. I am really nervous to be by myself in Faratsiho with no one around (and yes, that girl really did switch into my site, but I want to pretend like shes not there for the first month so I have the PC experience I thought I was going to have). I already told Brian I was going to call him crying every night for awhile so lucky him! Oh that reminds me. B-day shoutout! Happy birthday to Brian, Gabe, Selena, and Grandpa. If I forgot you, im sorry. My brain is a little unclear at the moment cause im real sleepy while I type this but those are who I remember at this point. Also hello Mrs. Janz! I really like your daughter! And hello to everyone else who reads my blog who I don’t know. I hope no ones offended by anything I write.
I have already started to make a list of things I want from the USA when my parents/brian/eric/anyone else comes out and visits. If anyone is going to come, let me know and I will give you a list and send you money. I would literally give up my dvd player without a chord for a Chipotle burrito right now. You never realize how good we have it in America, food wise, until you leave. Plus I love the USA’s electricity and appliances and stores that are open 24hours and movie theaters and real beds. I feel like if anyone is pissed off at American commercialism go to a non western euro country for awhile. you will grow to appreciate you washing machine and sit down flush toilets real fast. Or clean water for that matter. It sucks having to filter your water and then add chlorine to it. It can sometimes taste like a pool.
In case you’re wondering what the title of this blog meant fear not! I will explain. We were listening to the political/econ guy from the US mission (there is no embassy here in MAD right now. The ambassador hasn’t come back since the coup, since the US govt doesn’t recognize the current govt. yet we’re still here. Go figure) and he was telling us how he is an RPCV (returned PC volunteer) from Morocco. Basically, though his talking, we discovered that morocco was the Gryffindor of PC (the cool, brave, house that gets all the good people and wins) and that MAD was the hufflepuff b/c we are the loser country cause we are in a country that has the talent/ capability/potential financing to not have PC in it but just cant get its act together (his words, not mine). And I really can’t take credit for saying that, since my friend Katie (who is from b-more and goes to the same chipotle that brian and I go to) said it. Im just stealing it. Hufflepuff had been popping up a lot in my life cause I won a $20 bet with hufflepuff. My friend Amber and I were discussing harry potter and somehow the question came up “what house was cedric diggory in” and I said Hufflepuff (cause that’s what he was in) and she said Gryffindor (which is obvi wrong, at least to me) and I said I would bet $20 on it, thinking she wouldn’t do it and she did. I called Eric and made him google it at 9pm at night his time and she got her sister to google it later, so we would see who won. I did! That $20 will be my water heater and I am really excited about it. Wow just looked at my skin and it is really dry. Not attractive
In other non MAD news, just essential news about my life, Brian and I have picked a date!!! YAY!!!! The date makes it so much more real. We are getting married August 11th, 2013. Yay! In Puerto Rico though we don’t know where yet. Those details haven’t been worked out yet, though I think we may have some time. We have our colors (Black, Cream and Plum, with silver if need be) our save the dates, our venue list, our guest list, our honeymoon spot (a year later, so august of 2014, in the south pacific. We need time to save up money but more importantly for me to save up vaca time from my job so that we can go for 2 weeks), our basic outline of the way the nigh will go, our bachelor/bachelorette parties and I have my spa day all planned. The only thing we need is our first song and I am open to suggestions from the peanut gallery. Yay! I love planning this wedding and talking about it and pretty much anything that has to do with it. But its not just cause I want to get married, its because I really want to get married to brian. Awwwwww I know we are so cute J. And in love. And I probably just grossed people out but whatever.
Ok well that’s all for now. My fingers hurt and I need to shower. Its been awhile. Over and out!
long time no post I know. A lot has happened but also a little. A lot, in that I have been in Mantasoa for a month and have had stuff to do everyday but a little because I have basically been doing the same thing for the last month. So first I am going to post my wish list, since that to me is the most important thing right now. There are a lot of things, both big and small, that I want so everyone can send me stuff, if they want. If you send something, post what it is in the comment section so I don’t get duplicate books or movies. Really, the food can be duplicated so if someone says they have sent me a pack of Orbitz gum, feel free to send me another pack. So without further ado, heres my list!!!
Peanut butter or plain m&m’s
Granola bars
Brown sugar pop tarts (or any that sound like they should be dessert, not breakfast)
Beef Jerky (there is brown sugar beef jerky but its very tricky to find, but if you find it…..)
Cake/cookies/brownie mixes
Orbitz gum – sweet mint, strawberry mint, bubblemint etc.
Movies (hit up the $5 dollar section at target. Would love new movies too though)
Magazines (Time, People, US Weekly, anything trashy really, Newsweek, the Economist, Vanity Fair etc)
Rainbow Chip Frosting (This one is for Katie, to take you back to our cabin days, though I actually do want it)
Old Navy Flip Flops
Target Leggings
Anything cheap and cute, clotheswise
A plain baseball cap, any color but orange
Instant Quaker oatmeal (brown sugar. notice a theme?)
Condiment packages: Ketchup, maple syrup, mayo, taco bell fire sauce, teriyaki)
Johnnys seasoning salt
Gorilla pod
Mac and cheese cheese packs from King Arthur. You can find it online somewhere. White cheddar too!
Easy Mac
Nail polish
Baby wipes
Sudoku and crossword books
Cds (I have a dvd player that also plays cds so I would love new music or any type of mix you want to send. Dad, would you burn a copy of the last 3 glee cds [Madonna, showstoppers, journey to regionals] and send me them?)
Books: Crime and Punishment, wuthering heights, jane eyre, the namesake, the book thief, the old man and the sea, listening to Duran Duran, one flew over the cuckoos nest, the shining, thunderstruck, it, Cinderella (from the guy who wrote Wicked), don’t wake me at doyles, my friend leonard, the mists of Avalon, the blind assassin, handmaidens tale, west with the night, out of Africa, the last king of Scotland, kiss the girls, along came a spider, fried green tomatoes, fear and loathing in las vegas, fist stick knife guns, northanger abbey, guns germs and steel, angela’s ashes, david copperfield, oliver twist, collapse, John Irving books (not cider house rules), anything interesting and good. Joe, if you could send any old paperbacks you don’t want anymore that would be great. Go to used bookstores to find these, since that will be real cheap
Send all of this in PADDED ENVELOPES. They have a better chance of going all to my site then a boxed package, which will get stopped in my banking town and I will have to go there and pick it up. Or, for the next 2 months, you can still send padded envelopes and packages to the Tana address (which if you really want to send me a boxed package, always send it to tana) Send anything to the Tana address no later than NOVEMBER 1, 2010. After that, all padded envelopes/letters to my new address if you haven’t started doing that already, which I will have within the next week.
Ok so that’s the wish list. I hope that this helps people decide what they want to send me, if you are sending me anything. Speaking of sending me things, brian is in the lead with letter (surprise surprise ;)) with my parents and Diana pretty much tied in 2nd. And that’s it. So friends and family of mine, please send me mail. I really really like when I get it. It makes me feel loved (Selena and Brenna, you have a get out of jail free card right now in letter writing, since you are both leaving the US of A soon. But as soon as you get back, the card is lifted). And when you send stuff, if you could throw in a news story or a sudoku/crossword that would be amazing.
So my life here in MAD. For the last month I have had training, which has had its ups and downs. I had Practicum for 2 weeks, which meant that I taught willing children from Mantasoa English in every grade level. I don’t know why the volunteered, cause lets be real I never would have, especially to take a test, which they did do at the end cause we (PC-ers) made it, but a lot of people did. I had to teach all sorts of things and was scared each and every time. I have so much more respect now for teachers in America. Making lesson plans is hard work, harder than I thought it would be. I still am not sure what grade I’m teaching at site, but I am like 75% sure its sixeme, which it basically our 6th grade, so they will just be starting English, which is the best thing for me since everything will be basic and I don’t know English grammer. That also means I have to deal with 11 and 12 year olds every day. I plan on being quite strict, especially at the beginning, otherwise they will eat me alive. There is a girl in our group who is super nice and has accepted that the kids are going to destroy her cause she’s so nice. I am lucky cause I think I am only going to be teaching one grade, which means one lesson plan for the week, instead of 2 so yay! Still though 6th graders. They scare me.
Every day was real long and tiring. We were go go go all day long. In addition to teaching, we had language every day, some days more than others. Some days, I was in language for like 5 hours. It was awful, but necessary. We had to take a language exam a few days ago and I passed, which I know I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t had so much language. And I needed to pass. If you didn’t pass, you couldn’t swear in as a PC volunteer. I am writing this on my friend James computer and few days before we swear-in, so Im not sure what that will all entail, but I will keep you updated. We have to swear in saying the official government oath, which will be fun. We did find out that the ceremony was televised and like 350 people will be there. I know nuts!
Right now we have a free weekend at the PCTC, where we can do laundry (check), read (check), watch movies (another check), eat till we burst (semi-check, haven’t burst yet) and just relax (real big check). We had one 45min session sat morn and have been free since then. We have some sessions tomorrow but im not really sure about what or when or why. Really I don’t know anything. I just go with the flow. I do know I am leaving on Wednesday to go to my site, which I am semi-glad/semi-terrified to do. Glad, cause there are a lot of people I want to kick off the island and I don’t like being stuck with (though this weekend people have really only been hanging out with their friends, so that’s been nice) and terrified cause I don’t want to leave my friends and the people I do like. I am really nervous to be by myself in Faratsiho with no one around (and yes, that girl really did switch into my site, but I want to pretend like shes not there for the first month so I have the PC experience I thought I was going to have). I already told Brian I was going to call him crying every night for awhile so lucky him! Oh that reminds me. B-day shoutout! Happy birthday to Brian, Gabe, Selena, and Grandpa. If I forgot you, im sorry. My brain is a little unclear at the moment cause im real sleepy while I type this but those are who I remember at this point. Also hello Mrs. Janz! I really like your daughter! And hello to everyone else who reads my blog who I don’t know. I hope no ones offended by anything I write.
I have already started to make a list of things I want from the USA when my parents/brian/eric/anyone else comes out and visits. If anyone is going to come, let me know and I will give you a list and send you money. I would literally give up my dvd player without a chord for a Chipotle burrito right now. You never realize how good we have it in America, food wise, until you leave. Plus I love the USA’s electricity and appliances and stores that are open 24hours and movie theaters and real beds. I feel like if anyone is pissed off at American commercialism go to a non western euro country for awhile. you will grow to appreciate you washing machine and sit down flush toilets real fast. Or clean water for that matter. It sucks having to filter your water and then add chlorine to it. It can sometimes taste like a pool.
In case you’re wondering what the title of this blog meant fear not! I will explain. We were listening to the political/econ guy from the US mission (there is no embassy here in MAD right now. The ambassador hasn’t come back since the coup, since the US govt doesn’t recognize the current govt. yet we’re still here. Go figure) and he was telling us how he is an RPCV (returned PC volunteer) from Morocco. Basically, though his talking, we discovered that morocco was the Gryffindor of PC (the cool, brave, house that gets all the good people and wins) and that MAD was the hufflepuff b/c we are the loser country cause we are in a country that has the talent/ capability/potential financing to not have PC in it but just cant get its act together (his words, not mine). And I really can’t take credit for saying that, since my friend Katie (who is from b-more and goes to the same chipotle that brian and I go to) said it. Im just stealing it. Hufflepuff had been popping up a lot in my life cause I won a $20 bet with hufflepuff. My friend Amber and I were discussing harry potter and somehow the question came up “what house was cedric diggory in” and I said Hufflepuff (cause that’s what he was in) and she said Gryffindor (which is obvi wrong, at least to me) and I said I would bet $20 on it, thinking she wouldn’t do it and she did. I called Eric and made him google it at 9pm at night his time and she got her sister to google it later, so we would see who won. I did! That $20 will be my water heater and I am really excited about it. Wow just looked at my skin and it is really dry. Not attractive
In other non MAD news, just essential news about my life, Brian and I have picked a date!!! YAY!!!! The date makes it so much more real. We are getting married August 11th, 2013. Yay! In Puerto Rico though we don’t know where yet. Those details haven’t been worked out yet, though I think we may have some time. We have our colors (Black, Cream and Plum, with silver if need be) our save the dates, our venue list, our guest list, our honeymoon spot (a year later, so august of 2014, in the south pacific. We need time to save up money but more importantly for me to save up vaca time from my job so that we can go for 2 weeks), our basic outline of the way the nigh will go, our bachelor/bachelorette parties and I have my spa day all planned. The only thing we need is our first song and I am open to suggestions from the peanut gallery. Yay! I love planning this wedding and talking about it and pretty much anything that has to do with it. But its not just cause I want to get married, its because I really want to get married to brian. Awwwwww I know we are so cute J. And in love. And I probably just grossed people out but whatever.
Ok well that’s all for now. My fingers hurt and I need to shower. Its been awhile. Over and out!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Back inTana
Hello again! I figured I would post again since the MEVA house (the PC house in Tana) has internet and there is basically no one here right now. I know come this afternoon that a ton of people will try and use the internet and it will jam it up real bad. The internet is slow even when there are only 2 people on it (like now). anyways I made it back to Tana alive and well. It was another 5am taxi brousse ride so I had to get up at 4:20am. ugh I hate early mornings. the one good thing about this early morning is that the hotel we stayed at in Antsirabe makes AMAZING banana juice and they made us a huge batch before we left. it is so freakin good. I had to stop typing for a second and take a swig of it. I still have about a liter left but I know that won't last long. Pretty much everyone is coming back to Tana today, so I am excited to hear about their sites. I just re-read my blog post from the day before and there is a lot I left out about my site. oops.
So Faratsiho (far-a-SEE-ooo) is in the central highlands of MAD, on the plateau. it is a huge veggie and fruit producing area so food is cheap (just the way i like it). I am actaully very excited about that cause now I can save some money for travelling to visit other PCV's (well, hopefully. My sweet tooth might interfer with that dream). I am about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from Antsirabe and about 3-4 hours from Tana. I am glad I am close to Tana cause that makes it easy to travel! Right now its winter, so it was very dead and brown looking, but you can tell that some summer, it will be so beautiful and green. Faratsiho is also pretty big. there is a gas station, a hotel, a huge market every sat and there is a pretty busy taxi brousse station. my sheet of paper with all my site details said there were only 8000 people there but I think thats wrong. I think there are more like 15000-20000 people there. It is the seat of the edu district so its got to be the largest town in the area. and the dirt road to get there isn't half bad. Waaaaaaaaay better then the dirt road to Mantasoa, which I am not looking forward to (BTW I think i may have misspelled Mantasoa wrong in early posts. its definitely MA, not MO). I was only in Faratsiho for about 12 hours, but I felt like I saw a lot. Plus I wanted to really get the feel of my banking town, since I will only be there for short amounts of time and i will have to get a lot accomplished. Even though I was only in Faratsiho for 12 hours, I still managed to tweak my ankle. You know me and my Wankle. Nothing bad came of it, I just stepped wrong on a rock, but my ankle swelled a little bit. any little misstep and BOOM swelling. oh well. Note to self: wear brace when hiking.
Speaking of hiking, there are apperently a lot of trails in the Faratsiho area and I intend to utilize them. I need to get some exercise in cause I have been eating way too many mofo balls and chocolate. once we get back to Mantasoa I am locking all my money up and very touching it again. I just cant have it on me or I will go nuts and buy all this junk I don't need. Anyway, we found out its a 2 hour walk to Kathy's (the other PCV who is 10km away) site, but if its 2 hours based on the way MAD people walk it will take me an hour and fifteen minutes. People were walking so slow in Faratsiho its was crazy! and it has been confirmed, there is another PCV at my site. I think it will be fine. She is not someone I hate, but she is not one of my best friends. IT will work out fine. I hope. Kathy is really chill and we have already made plans to visit each other a lot. thats a really good workout for the day, if I walk to her house. It will be through rice paddies but thats how I like walking in MAD. There are beautiful sunrises and sunsets here so it will never be an awful walk.
Overall I am adjusting well. I have made friends, come to accept the amount of rice I will be eating for the next 2 years, and only had a minor freak out when I got to my site. I am doing ok. Most everyone that I have talked to so far got at least a tad overwhelmed at their sites. I just met so many people and had to do so many things on a little amount of sleep that my emotions were on the fritz. I am fine now and excited to live in my community. I don't really want to go back to Mantasoa, cause it was cold and muddy when we left and I have to do so much laundry when I get back. all by hand. ehhhhhhh. I am excited to see everyone though. Most people are coming back later today but there were people that had to fly to their site and they won't be back till tomorrow or sunday. One group may not be back till the middle of the week. MAD likes to change domestic flights a lot, so everyone who was flying flights changed about 2 days before we all left. you just have to roll with things here. and be positive.
When we get back to Mantasoa it is mostly technical training from here on out. We shall see how that goes. we had some before we left but it left much to be desired. its a combo of a lotof factors but a big one is people asking stupid questions. I know, you're thinking 'but Megan there is no such thing as a stupid question'. WRONG. there are a man oh man, people have been going through them all. You can tell who has looked at the material we were given and who hasn't, which also holds true for any sessions we have where we go other things period. We were all given a Volunteer Handbook that has most everything we would ever need to know about MAD in it and I think maybe 4 people read it. Which is fine, just don't ask questions until you have read the document. Its really starting to get on my nerves. another factor is that some people really like to hear themselves talk. very long winded. I am all for having presentations, but please, short and sweet. There Im done. thats my rant for the day. I don't want to seem too negative, cause Im not. I look at these irritations as good training for future jobs/endeavors. well I am not sure what else to say. a few things to individuals
Erin: Sorry my internet cut off when I was chatting with you. I hope soccer went well and that you aren't dreading school too much.
D: I saw your comment that you were sending me a letter. I haven't gotten it yet (its probably here but all the mail they took up to the training site already, even though we are all in Tana where the mail comes), but as soon as I get it i will respond. I already have the paper I am going to write your letter on all ready to go.
Eric: I put on your FB when you should call me so check there.
Dad: while the FedEx package isn't in my hands yet, I know that PC here has it. I got confirmation from them so no worries about that.
Brian: I love you.
Thats all for now folks. tune in again to see what else has happened in my crazy MAD life.
ps. one month in and no lemurs. I have a feeling I am not going to see them for awhile.
So Faratsiho (far-a-SEE-ooo) is in the central highlands of MAD, on the plateau. it is a huge veggie and fruit producing area so food is cheap (just the way i like it). I am actaully very excited about that cause now I can save some money for travelling to visit other PCV's (well, hopefully. My sweet tooth might interfer with that dream). I am about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from Antsirabe and about 3-4 hours from Tana. I am glad I am close to Tana cause that makes it easy to travel! Right now its winter, so it was very dead and brown looking, but you can tell that some summer, it will be so beautiful and green. Faratsiho is also pretty big. there is a gas station, a hotel, a huge market every sat and there is a pretty busy taxi brousse station. my sheet of paper with all my site details said there were only 8000 people there but I think thats wrong. I think there are more like 15000-20000 people there. It is the seat of the edu district so its got to be the largest town in the area. and the dirt road to get there isn't half bad. Waaaaaaaaay better then the dirt road to Mantasoa, which I am not looking forward to (BTW I think i may have misspelled Mantasoa wrong in early posts. its definitely MA, not MO). I was only in Faratsiho for about 12 hours, but I felt like I saw a lot. Plus I wanted to really get the feel of my banking town, since I will only be there for short amounts of time and i will have to get a lot accomplished. Even though I was only in Faratsiho for 12 hours, I still managed to tweak my ankle. You know me and my Wankle. Nothing bad came of it, I just stepped wrong on a rock, but my ankle swelled a little bit. any little misstep and BOOM swelling. oh well. Note to self: wear brace when hiking.
Speaking of hiking, there are apperently a lot of trails in the Faratsiho area and I intend to utilize them. I need to get some exercise in cause I have been eating way too many mofo balls and chocolate. once we get back to Mantasoa I am locking all my money up and very touching it again. I just cant have it on me or I will go nuts and buy all this junk I don't need. Anyway, we found out its a 2 hour walk to Kathy's (the other PCV who is 10km away) site, but if its 2 hours based on the way MAD people walk it will take me an hour and fifteen minutes. People were walking so slow in Faratsiho its was crazy! and it has been confirmed, there is another PCV at my site. I think it will be fine. She is not someone I hate, but she is not one of my best friends. IT will work out fine. I hope. Kathy is really chill and we have already made plans to visit each other a lot. thats a really good workout for the day, if I walk to her house. It will be through rice paddies but thats how I like walking in MAD. There are beautiful sunrises and sunsets here so it will never be an awful walk.
Overall I am adjusting well. I have made friends, come to accept the amount of rice I will be eating for the next 2 years, and only had a minor freak out when I got to my site. I am doing ok. Most everyone that I have talked to so far got at least a tad overwhelmed at their sites. I just met so many people and had to do so many things on a little amount of sleep that my emotions were on the fritz. I am fine now and excited to live in my community. I don't really want to go back to Mantasoa, cause it was cold and muddy when we left and I have to do so much laundry when I get back. all by hand. ehhhhhhh. I am excited to see everyone though. Most people are coming back later today but there were people that had to fly to their site and they won't be back till tomorrow or sunday. One group may not be back till the middle of the week. MAD likes to change domestic flights a lot, so everyone who was flying flights changed about 2 days before we all left. you just have to roll with things here. and be positive.
When we get back to Mantasoa it is mostly technical training from here on out. We shall see how that goes. we had some before we left but it left much to be desired. its a combo of a lotof factors but a big one is people asking stupid questions. I know, you're thinking 'but Megan there is no such thing as a stupid question'. WRONG. there are a man oh man, people have been going through them all. You can tell who has looked at the material we were given and who hasn't, which also holds true for any sessions we have where we go other things period. We were all given a Volunteer Handbook that has most everything we would ever need to know about MAD in it and I think maybe 4 people read it. Which is fine, just don't ask questions until you have read the document. Its really starting to get on my nerves. another factor is that some people really like to hear themselves talk. very long winded. I am all for having presentations, but please, short and sweet. There Im done. thats my rant for the day. I don't want to seem too negative, cause Im not. I look at these irritations as good training for future jobs/endeavors. well I am not sure what else to say. a few things to individuals
Erin: Sorry my internet cut off when I was chatting with you. I hope soccer went well and that you aren't dreading school too much.
D: I saw your comment that you were sending me a letter. I haven't gotten it yet (its probably here but all the mail they took up to the training site already, even though we are all in Tana where the mail comes), but as soon as I get it i will respond. I already have the paper I am going to write your letter on all ready to go.
Eric: I put on your FB when you should call me so check there.
Dad: while the FedEx package isn't in my hands yet, I know that PC here has it. I got confirmation from them so no worries about that.
Brian: I love you.
Thats all for now folks. tune in again to see what else has happened in my crazy MAD life.
ps. one month in and no lemurs. I have a feeling I am not going to see them for awhile.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Site Visit!
The inside of my future house
The outside of the CISCO cuilding
My front door
My front yard and my broken fence, which they will replaceso this blog post might take awhile, as the keyboard is different but i wanted to post real quick about my site visit. I went to Faratsiho and, while I was a little overwhelmed at first, grow to really love it. It will be perfect. I have a big house, with 2 rooms, though they do have a lot of work to do before my arrival. right now there is a ton of extra stuff in my house. I think they have been using it as storage and a classroom. I couldnt get a super clear picture of what it will look like but i am excited to see it again in a month. Right now I am in my banking town, Antsirabe, which is where i will come about once a month to get money, processed food, meet other PCs and do internet. I had thought I might have internet in Farastiho but alas i do not. Thats ok though, but starting in Oct I will only be posting about once a month. There is another PC who is 6 miles away so hopefully I will get to see her about twice a month. The newest news is that a PC in health gt switched into my site as well, but we will see if this is true. I think it is but I havent talked to her yet to get teh reason behind the switch. I am not sure how I feel about it but I think it will be fine. We wont see each other everyday so it should be fine.
I am here in Antsirabe till friday morn this its back to tana i go. On sat we head back to Montasoa and training. I have discovered i need to learn more malagasy so i will need to get my study on. i have taken a ton of taxi brousse rides in the last few days so i am super happy that i dont have to take one tomorrow. I can just chill. taxi brousses are the main form of transportation in MAD and they are crazy. they jam a ton of people into them and then set off over mostly dirt roads (MAD didnt get the memo from the Romans that good roads are pretty essential when establishing a country and commerce) that are full of holes, dips, and wash outs. you had better have a strong butt and pee before you leave cause you may never move again till your destination. every time i leave one i always wish for more paved roads.
I am tired and cant really think (I got up at 4 this morning and it is 11) so this will be all. Just a few more personal shoutouts. Brian: thank you for the email. I loved it. would you print it out and send it to me? I want to be able to look at it always. Eric: write me b:c I want to hear all about you new apt and life. Everyone else, I miss and love you all. Check back soon to see what will happen next in my crazy MAD life!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
one month down, 26 to go
Greetings,
So I have almost made it through my first MONTH here in Madagascar. I can't believe it. it seems very very surreal. I am sitting in the MEVA house right now, which is the PC transit house in Tana, hanging out until I leave tomorrow morning to go visit my site. YAY!!! I can't wait to see what it looks like. My site is Faratsiho (that may not be exactly how you spell it, but its close enough), which is in the central highlands and about 5 hours, i think, from Tana. I will blog about my trip there as soon as possible, since thats where I will be for the next 2 years!
the last few days we have been at the PC training center in Mantasoa, where we have been experiencing what other PCers before us dubbed "Camp Peace Corps". the site is huge, with dorms, a mess hall, a tv room, a library and canoes, which yes I did go out on, though we are not allowed to swim in the lake, due to these foot snail things that can give you a clubfoot if you don't treat it fast enough. We have gotten great meals, from fried chicken to lasagna to, of course, rice, though all the PCers steered clear of the rice. I have pretty much lounged around for the last 2 days, since people have been going to Tana in stages and I was in the last car of people going. its been great. I got to talk to Brian for an hour, watched a few movies, played my first game of hearts not on a computer, played scrabble and took long walks. its been a great few days and a nice break after all the training we have had. We do always go to the training center on Thursdays, so we will get to return there sooner rather then later. on that note, every time I go to the PCTC I have to get a shot. I have gotten 3 rabies shots, a southern hemisphere flu shot, a meningitis shot, a typhoid shot and other things that I can even remember right now. and I was one of the people with the most complete vaccine records. others are getting yellow fever and polio boosters and hep A & B and tetanus shots. its madness!
Language class has been moving along. I took my first assessment the other day and I am at novice high, which is right where I should be. I have to get to intermediate mid before training is over so I have some studying to do. My EDU tech sessions have only been ok. There are people in EDU that ask a lot of unnecessary questions and talk way to much and its very frustrating. Also the tech sessions have not been going as I would have liked, in terms of what im learning, so thats also been a little frustrating as well. I am hoping they get better once we get back from site visits, since we will actually be starting to mock teach, which is really scary but very useful. from what i've heard, PC host families are the people we are going to be doing all our mock teaching in front of, so it will be a lot more nerve wrecking that way.
I am doing well, health-wise. I have only had one cold so far, which I think was brought on by my typhoid shot, since i got a fever from that. no weird stomach bugs yet, knock on wood, though a lot of people have had those stomach bugs and i am praying i don't catch any, though i know at some point i will. "double dragon" is our new term for real bad stomach issues that require both ends of your body to be used as exit points. a little graphic for this blog i know, but i just wanted to let everyone know. I miss everyone, of course, but i know that each day that goes by brings me closer to seeing everyone again. I have NOT received any letters from anyone yet (though in fairness I know that brian has sent me 3 and my parents at least 2 they just haven't arrived yet) so get on that! If you want to get a piece of mail from me, send me something with your address clearly visible so i can write back.
I definitely have a lot of stories, some appropriate to blog about, others not so much, but do know that I am having fun. Mantasoa has been a muddy hole since we got here, which has lead to lots of falling in rice paddies and into muddy roads, but it looks like summer is coming so that will be good. A fire broke out at the PCTC this week while we were there, which caused a lot of excitement. the fire started in chimney, while a bunch of us were in a big room doing our nails and cutting hair, and we were all told to run toward the fire, which we thought was odd till it was brought to out attention that there isn't a fire dept and everyone has to help put fires out. I didn't contribute anything, since it was a little fire and there were boys dealing with it already, but it was interesting to watch. I also went canoeing, like I mentioned earlier, which was a ton of fun. I didn't really have to paddle, since i was in the middle seat, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the boat ride. thats how I like to canoe. we also went to a famindhana, which is a turning of the bones. basically once every like, 7 years a family breaks into their ancestors tombs and takes the bones out, dances with them, then re-wraps them and puts them back in the tomb. this is all accompanied by lots of drinking and dancing. 2 girls from the village passed out, though to be fair im not sure if it was b/c of the alcohol or the emotions of the event, since women really aren't supposed to drink here (and no I haven't been really following that culture norm). it was really interesting to see. there is a big party at night, which we couldn't go to, but i saw them take the bodies out and dance with them. never thought I would see that, but they do it to celebrate those who've died, which is cool.
I don't really have much else to say right now. life is good and everything is going well with my host family. My oldest sister had her 16th bday on monday, and boy are those different. they didn't really do anything special or different. i bought a big coke for all of us to share and my host mom made some bread thing we had never had before and thats it. I didn't see any presents and she still had to do all the normal chores and things. It wasn't a big deal, her birthday. let me see anything else...... I want to thank Brian for typing out my last blog. I had a horrible time getting on the Internet the last time we were in Tana and I had to send my blog post to him as an attachment to post and then, of course, it wouldn't copy and paste so he had to type the whole thing. Thank you so much sweetie! my dog can now swim, which is good, and my bro just moved to West Hollywood, just to give you an update on family life (so bro, send me a letter with your new address). I have been eating mofo (bread) and chocolate like its nobodies business. they have these great mofo balls, doughnut-y things, and i eat them all the time. not to mention my phone is sucking up my ariary ariary like mad (thats the money) with my texting to the USA. (I am only texting Brian and my parents so send me texts all you like just don't expect me to text back, though little texts about the world and whats going on would be much appreciated). all in all thats my life. Veloma!!!!!!
PS. Still no lemurs. boo!!!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
My town
The high school where we had practicumHello everyone from Madagascar! I have now been here 2 weeks and I am still in shock that I am halfway around the world from the West Coast. And Madagascar is literally halfway around the world. Sorry that i haven't posted sooner, but this is the first chance that I have had to use the internet. In the interest of time (mainly mine since I don't have that long) I am goingto copy and paste my last 2 weeks from my friend James email to his friends and family. Don't you worry, I will add little Megan-isms as I go, which I will put in parentheses so you kow it's me. First though, I am doing fine. I did get a cold, which I partly blame no the typhoid vaccine I got the day before and partly on the five other people around me, including my host mom, who were sick. I am better now and have just a few last sniffles to get out. Speaking of my host mom, my whole host family is great. There are six people in my family; a mom, a dad, a 19-year-old brother and three sisters, age 16, 10 and 7. They have been super nice and accomodating with me, which I definitely need. They only speak Malagasy with me, which means I have had to learn at least a little bit of Malagasy fast! I know my brother can speak a little English and a little French, but it's a no-go when I am around. In terms of food, I have been eating a ton of rice. Like ridiculous amounts of rice. There is rice at every meal and sometimes there are also noodles. I am in a carb overload place. I do get some veggies, some meat and great pineapple, but it will be nice to eventually cook on my own and cut down on the rice. Peace Corps diet my ass. That is not hapening for at least the next 8 weeks I am with my host family. Those are the basics, so on to my journey here.
My Host FamilyYay! Let's begin the day I left the US of A. the next part will be all me BTW. Leaving the USA was one of the hardest things to do. Brian was able to be at the hotel to say goodbye to me and leaving his arms took every ounce of strength I had. I couldn't look back at him or else I would have cracked and never made it back to the hotel. I am so thankful that my staging miraculously happened to be in DC. I needed those two extra days with Brian in order to say goodbye for a year. After Brian left, I went back in and started talking to the other people in my group. There are 42 of us, 21 education volunteers and 21 health volunteers. It was crazy trying to get us all to the airport, checked in and through security. I was gradually making friends and figuring out what the hell was going on. Then we got to the actual flight. Oi vey that was a long flight! It was something like 20 hours. Around hour 12, I lost track. I just know we were delayed an extra tw
o hours in DC and then an extra hour in Dakar so we pulled into Jo'burg behind schedule. Now I will start copying and pasting from James' email, so unless it is in (), it is all him. We had a one night layover in South Africa which was also slightly a debacle because they had told us that the hotel was part of the airport and we wuoldn't have to go through customs, which we most certainly did have to do. Whatever, if you had to let 40 people into a country, I guess the best people to let in would be us. The hotel bar was fun, though. More hanging out and getting to know the other volunteers (I dropped $30 on a buffet at our hotel in South Africa and it was so worth it. One last night of American-ish food--it was heavenly.)
We spent the first night in madagascar in Antananarivo (abbreviated Tana), going through some basic language training and pre-oreintation things like vaccines, basic health requirements, etc. (I had to get shots in both arms and they gave us this comprehensive medical kit, which I am hoping I only use a fourth of. Also that night, 16 of us had to stay in a hotel in Tana, which I volunteered for, since I wanted to see more of the city). the next day, we left for Mantasoa, where the Peace Corps training center is located. It's probably not more than 40 miles or so from the capital, but the roads here are not the best, so it took us about 2.5 hours.
A few notes on the roads in Madagascar: First, there are no stop signs, street signs, street lights or any other type of traffic control (there is no way I would want to drive anywhere, at least not any time soon, so I'm glad I'm not allowed to. Makes it easy for me). Most roads are also dirt (and since it is now the winter here, mud) and cars get stuck frequently. The main type of transportation is something called a taxi-brousse, which is basicaly a bigvan that fits 14-17 people, depending on how big the people are, and goes from city-to-city or to different parts of a city. The main road in Mantasoa is dirt and has holes and dips. Because there is no way for drivers to tell how deep the holes are, most of the time spent in the taxi-brousse is spent weaving back and forth and from one side of the road to the other. So far, only three of the volunteers have puked in the vans, and I've managed to avoid all of those cars, luckily (so far James and I have managed to be in the same cars, so I have also avoided the puking people. Even for someone who has a strong stomach, it is rough. I'd like to think my stomach is fairly tough and I am getting sick on these roads).
Anyway, after the 2.5 hour trek to Mantasoa, we finally arrived, tired and car-sick. Of course it was pouring (I'll get back to the weather later. Just an FYI, right now it's cold and rainy), and of course all of our host families had been waiting there for an hour or so. they were good sports about it though, and welcomed us warmly. We wanted a few minutes to collect ourselves before going inside the local elementary school for the host family ceremony, but it was not to be. Normally I'm a pretty confident person when it comes to awkward situations, but when they asked for a volunteer to go first for their host family to claim them, I didn't budge from my seat (I will forever be impressed with the girl who went first. No way oculd I have done that). Standing up and meeting my host mom for the next three months was definitely one of the most nerve-racking experiences of my life. (Just a quick side note to me for a paragraph while I tell you about my house, since my situation is completely different from James's. My family, and now myself, lives in a two-story house that has no electricity or running water. I get my room, PC requirement, which is nice, but I do feel bad, since the other four kids share a loft area, and my host parents' bedroom is connected to both the kitchen and the dining room, so I walk through it about 20 times a day. My room is also the one with a door, besides the outside doors. My bathroom and shower area are both located outside, and let me tell you, taking a shower has not been my top priority since it is so cold here. Don't worry, I have showered, but only when my host family has heated up water for me and it's waitig for me when I get home from school. Or I'm at the PC training center, which I will get to later. The toilet is a squat one, so the hope is that I will have good aim and strong thighs when I return. This type of environment was what I was expecting and I do have electricity at my site, so I only have to rely on candlelight for eight more weeks. Also, since my family doesn't have running water, they have to get it from a well, which is really a rice paddy 200m away. I only have been once to get water and I would rather not make the journey again, but I will if I have to. It's over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go. I do help my host family out with chores, like washing the dishes and sweeping the floors though. We are supposed to be treated like family members, not guests, so we have to pull our weight. Also, my family has two pigs, some chickens who like to wander in and out of the house, whose name is not Fritz, but that's what I call him. he's really cute and small, but I don't pet him too much because he's def not vaccinated and I'm not trying to get worms).
My Family's house
My Room at my host family's(on to the weather) The weather here is terrible. Mantasoa is right at the beginning of the high plateau of Madagascar, which basically comprises the entore middle part of the island. As a result, a ton of clouds roll in every day from the Indian Ocean and make it just over this city and then get stopped by all the higher mountains a little farther inland. It may rain here four or five completely separate times every day, with completely clear weather for 20 min intervals. This means that (1) our clothes take about three days to dry and (2) we're always cold and wet, since heating hasn't quite made it here yet. I've been assured that this is the worst weather all year, so I'm looking forward to a nice, long hot tropical summer.
My typical day begins around 6:30am, getting ready for the 7am breakfast of.....guess what? Rice. (My family loves coffee, so we usually have that every morning, which I love). We clean every day because a ton of mud ends up getting trekked into the house, and after that, I leave for elementary schoo for four hours of Malagasy language lessons. I'm learning quickly and it's a pretty easy language other than the fact that all of the verbs start with the letter 'm,' which makes them very hard to keep straight, and that the subject goes at the end of the sentence. There's a two-hour siesta for lunch and relaxation, followed by another three hours of technical training, which for me is learning abou the Malagasy education system and the English curriculum they use in the schools here. Afterwards, I usually hang out with a couple of friends and then head home for dinner and then bed. There is absolutely no night life here to speak of (and I am home by 6pm, in bed no later than 7:30pm. I go to sleep between 8 and 9. I am rockin out I know).
Last Thursday was exciting, though, because we found out already where we're going to be stationed for the next two years. (I'll be in Faratshio, which is a town in the middle of Madagascar, southwest of Tana. I'll be living in the district minister of education's compound, right behind the middle school I will most likely be teahcing at. Yay!!). I visit my site in two weeks, so I'll have more details about where I'm living pretty soon.
By the way, I have a cell phone here. It's pretty expensive for me to call home, but it is possible for people back home to get an international calling card. skype or google voice and use it to call me if anyone's interested....it doesn't cost anything for me if someone calls my phone. My phone number is 261346059184. Just remember there's a 7-hour time difference from the east coast (and 10 hours from the west coast. And yes, that's my phone number. I changed it from James's).
One more funny thing, the Malagasy people are all incredibly short (My host brother is my height, which is on the tall end). I literally hit my head two or three times a day on a door frame or something else. One of the volunteers is 6'4 and can't stand up anywhere indoors. That, coupled with the fact that these people don't see many white people, means that when we walk around town, people stare at us and say hi literally non-stop...There's also some differences in culture when it comes to interactions between boys and girls, so when I'm walking with a friend hwo happens to be (male), we tend to get a lot of cat calls or "knowing" looks even though we're just walking to class.
So that's the ends of James' email, so from here on out, it's me. A few things to add on. Please please send me letters. I so far haven't gotten any (and I know there are two in the mail. Thank you Brian and Mom and Dad) and other people have and I have gotten jealous of their letters, not going to lie. Please write to me, even if it's short and sweet, just so I feel loved. I know that sounds ridiculous and petty, but I want mail! Also, anytime you write, say one thing that's going on inthe world in one category. I have been very news deprived, and if anyone wants to send me some old Times (dad....), I would really appreciate it. I miss everyone like crazy and wish you all could be here with me in Madagascar. The dollar is strong and we could eat $.25 pineapple 'til the cows come home. I love you all and I have no idea when I can write again, so be on the lookout.
Hugs and Kisses,
Megan
PS: I have made friends, so no worries about me being lonely. We have already made xmas plans so we do not have to be alone. And since I get off all the holidays that Malagasy teachers have off, I can travel to see everyone. Yay!!! First stop, the west coast to see the avenue of baoboails (that's not how you spell them, but I have no idea how) and some lemurs.
PPS: I haven't seen one lemur yet. I've seen spiders, cows, stick bugs and pigs, but no lemurs. Boo!
Friday, July 16, 2010
A few more things
My suitcase
This is how my room looked while I was packingHello again. I am kinda excited that I am posting again in such a short time. hopefully this means that I will keep blogging while I am gone. I have a few more things, as you can see from my title, that I need to pass along. so lets just jump right in!
1) if you are sending a package, be very vague on what your sending. Don't write down, for example, 3 dvds, 2 cds and a dvd player. just say entertainment items. I have to pay the tax to get the packages and its all based on whats in it and the value. that being said, aim low in price. I found this info out reading another persons blog, so I figured if they said it to thier people, I would say it to mine.
2) that being said, if you ever buy mags and when you are done think, oh I should throw these out now, STOP! and instead, send them to me! I would love to get mags and read them, especially vanity fair and people. oh and time. so send them my way if you want. and PS Katie (hoseit) I know you are obsessed with Perez like I am, so would you send me regular updates on whats going on in the entertainment world? like if Lindsay lohan actually goes to jail for the full 90 days etc. thanks girl!
3) I should have asked for this earlier, but if you want to bring pics for me tomorrow or send me pics that would be great! pics of you, pics of you and me, pics of us and friends in social situations etc. I want to be able to look at people from home and miss you. also, if you are coming to teh party tomorrow I may Flip you so I have a video recording for you and what you look like. you have been warned......
4) please also send dvd's, snack foods, Emergen-C, peanut butter, fiber one bars, anything else you can think of to me. Ken B, since you know a guy, I would really really like the second season of Glee as soon as you can get it in the winter and any other dvd's you can get (incepetion, despicable me, salt etc.).
I think thats all for now. knowing me, I will have forgotten something so I will post again in like 2 hours, but I do need to keep packing. one bag down, 2 to go, but I think I have to re-arrange so really I am back at square one. Ciao for now!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Things to know
Hello Everybody......
On Sunday, July 18th, 2010, I will get on a plane and head to Washington DC, where I will officially begin my Peace Corps service. I am just really glad that it's in DC, so I can see my fiance one more time before I go. I will then get on a plane bound for Jo'burg at 5:30pm on Tuesday, July 20 and make my way to Madagascar. My plane makes a pit stop in Dakar before I get to Jo'burg, where I will change planes and head to Madagascar. I am not anticipating getting to MAD, my new shorthand for Madagascar cause lets be honest, its a really long word, till Thursday night. Very, very long flight. I need to get some sleep aids. I have so much to do till then. I just finished cleaning out my e-mail accounts, typing up all my reciepts for my taxes, filling out forms for the Peace Corps etc. Tomorrow, I need to pack. I need to figure out what I'm taking then pack. and do laundry. the list never ends I feel like. Oh and talk with my dad about Power of Attorney, health care directives and all the other legal documents that make my head spin. I have a lot of stuff to cover on this post though, so time to move on to more important things.
I just got back from a 3 week vaca to my future home on the East Coast to see my fiance. We had crabs 3 times (YES!!! Thank you baby!) and boy oh boy do I love crab, drenched in butter with a hint of Old Bay (for those of you like me 7 months ago that have no idea what Old Bay is, its a seasoning. its like Johnny's). We also went to Ocean City for a 6 days, which was amazing. Played acarade games, mini golf, tanned and burned, mostly burned the first day but I stopped burning by the 4th day, ate lots of food both in and out, and played in the waves. The best part was my fiance's children came with us, though I was not prepared for the sort of tantrums a 3 year old throws. Lets just say you should never let them lose at Candyland. or not have Key Lime Pie yogurt readily available. or not letting them go first at mini golf. Ahhhhh memories. hehehehe. Balitmore and Ocean City was so much fun. I can't wait to go back to the beach and the city. Though by the time I get back, my fiance won't be living in Balitmore anymore. sadness. It was a great 3 weeks and I just wish I could re-live them again.
A couple of admin things before I continue.
1) I have to mention that the contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.
2) I am an ok typer but I don't always look back at what I write to see if there are any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. so please forgive me and my errors. I just get going to fast. hopefully you will be able to decipher what I wrote!
3) I will be able to get mail while I am at training so please send me some! I want updates on everybody's lives, from the mundune to engagements. I mean it too! I want to stay in contact and connected with everybody. it takes 2-3 weeks to get mail to me, so plan accordingly. please make sure to number your letters and include "Airmail" or "Par Avion" on the envelope. I will also gladly accept packages if you want to send them.....,.. my address for training will be
Megan Van Aelstyn, PCT Peace Corps
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 12091
Post Zoom Ankorondrano
101 Antananarivo
Madagascar
4) letters are the best bet, cause I have no idea what my internet will be like. I will update this as much as possible. Please feel free to e-mail me though. I am not sure about my phone service, but it would be really expensive so probably not an option. my e-mail in madagascar will be pcvmeganvmg@yahoo.com, so send it to this e-mail address.
5) If you have an emergency and need to get a hold of me, you can contact Brian (my fiance) or John (my dad). they will know the best ways to get ahold of me. Brian's email is bburden1721@hotmail.com and my dads is jlv333@gmail.com . yay!!!!
I guess thats all I have for now. I will add more as I think of it and I will have a final USA post before I leave. I won't be able to post on this for at least a week after I leave (so a week from Tuesday July 20) but I will try and post as soon as I can. See everyone on this thing later!
On Sunday, July 18th, 2010, I will get on a plane and head to Washington DC, where I will officially begin my Peace Corps service. I am just really glad that it's in DC, so I can see my fiance one more time before I go. I will then get on a plane bound for Jo'burg at 5:30pm on Tuesday, July 20 and make my way to Madagascar. My plane makes a pit stop in Dakar before I get to Jo'burg, where I will change planes and head to Madagascar. I am not anticipating getting to MAD, my new shorthand for Madagascar cause lets be honest, its a really long word, till Thursday night. Very, very long flight. I need to get some sleep aids. I have so much to do till then. I just finished cleaning out my e-mail accounts, typing up all my reciepts for my taxes, filling out forms for the Peace Corps etc. Tomorrow, I need to pack. I need to figure out what I'm taking then pack. and do laundry. the list never ends I feel like. Oh and talk with my dad about Power of Attorney, health care directives and all the other legal documents that make my head spin. I have a lot of stuff to cover on this post though, so time to move on to more important things.
I just got back from a 3 week vaca to my future home on the East Coast to see my fiance. We had crabs 3 times (YES!!! Thank you baby!) and boy oh boy do I love crab, drenched in butter with a hint of Old Bay (for those of you like me 7 months ago that have no idea what Old Bay is, its a seasoning. its like Johnny's). We also went to Ocean City for a 6 days, which was amazing. Played acarade games, mini golf, tanned and burned, mostly burned the first day but I stopped burning by the 4th day, ate lots of food both in and out, and played in the waves. The best part was my fiance's children came with us, though I was not prepared for the sort of tantrums a 3 year old throws. Lets just say you should never let them lose at Candyland. or not have Key Lime Pie yogurt readily available. or not letting them go first at mini golf. Ahhhhh memories. hehehehe. Balitmore and Ocean City was so much fun. I can't wait to go back to the beach and the city. Though by the time I get back, my fiance won't be living in Balitmore anymore. sadness. It was a great 3 weeks and I just wish I could re-live them again.
A couple of admin things before I continue.
1) I have to mention that the contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.
2) I am an ok typer but I don't always look back at what I write to see if there are any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. so please forgive me and my errors. I just get going to fast. hopefully you will be able to decipher what I wrote!
3) I will be able to get mail while I am at training so please send me some! I want updates on everybody's lives, from the mundune to engagements. I mean it too! I want to stay in contact and connected with everybody. it takes 2-3 weeks to get mail to me, so plan accordingly. please make sure to number your letters and include "Airmail" or "Par Avion" on the envelope. I will also gladly accept packages if you want to send them.....,.. my address for training will be
Megan Van Aelstyn, PCT Peace Corps
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 12091
Post Zoom Ankorondrano
101 Antananarivo
Madagascar
4) letters are the best bet, cause I have no idea what my internet will be like. I will update this as much as possible. Please feel free to e-mail me though. I am not sure about my phone service, but it would be really expensive so probably not an option. my e-mail in madagascar will be pcvmeganvmg@yahoo.com, so send it to this e-mail address.
5) If you have an emergency and need to get a hold of me, you can contact Brian (my fiance) or John (my dad). they will know the best ways to get ahold of me. Brian's email is bburden1721@hotmail.com and my dads is jlv333@gmail.com . yay!!!!
I guess thats all I have for now. I will add more as I think of it and I will have a final USA post before I leave. I won't be able to post on this for at least a week after I leave (so a week from Tuesday July 20) but I will try and post as soon as I can. See everyone on this thing later!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Dear Friends,
This is my first blog of what I hope will be an actually blog. I have a horrible track record with things like this and I am hopin that this time I will actually follow through. If you don't already know I am leaving in 3 WEEKS from today to go to Madagascar for 27 MONTHS to teach english to middle/high school students. I should be back in September of 2012. Everyone start plannin my coming back party! hehehe. I will post more info on how to get in touch with me while I am literally halfway around the world (I seriously think that Madagascar is the furthest possible place from Seattle before you start getting closer again) when I get back to Seattle in 2 weeks so watch out for those instructions. I do know the best way to get ahold of me is through mail, so start savin stamps! I will post my address for my months of training and then once I get to my official teaching site I will post my permanent 2 year address. Just a reminder if you are in the Seattle area, on Saturday July 17th my parents are having a "Peace Out to the Peace Corps" party for me. It will be very casual and feel free to stop by anytime between 2-6pm. They wrote on thier e-vites no presents, but if you feel compelled I did just buy a Kindle...... syke you don't have to get me anything. Well this is all I have for now. I will post again soon!
This is my first blog of what I hope will be an actually blog. I have a horrible track record with things like this and I am hopin that this time I will actually follow through. If you don't already know I am leaving in 3 WEEKS from today to go to Madagascar for 27 MONTHS to teach english to middle/high school students. I should be back in September of 2012. Everyone start plannin my coming back party! hehehe. I will post more info on how to get in touch with me while I am literally halfway around the world (I seriously think that Madagascar is the furthest possible place from Seattle before you start getting closer again) when I get back to Seattle in 2 weeks so watch out for those instructions. I do know the best way to get ahold of me is through mail, so start savin stamps! I will post my address for my months of training and then once I get to my official teaching site I will post my permanent 2 year address. Just a reminder if you are in the Seattle area, on Saturday July 17th my parents are having a "Peace Out to the Peace Corps" party for me. It will be very casual and feel free to stop by anytime between 2-6pm. They wrote on thier e-vites no presents, but if you feel compelled I did just buy a Kindle...... syke you don't have to get me anything. Well this is all I have for now. I will post again soon!
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