I feel like, once again, I have nothing new to report. I just chug along out here, teaching, reading, walking and watching movies. I have to say I have been very good about my movie watching. I only watch movies when its dark out and I haven’t cracked. I have read a lot of books, which I will post at the end of this blog. Lets see, what are a few new things I could tell you.
First, I gave my 6eme kids a test and, surprise surprise, 95% of them failed. What a shocker. Not. These kids just don’t care. I took to giving out little prizes to the top tester, hoping that would motivate people but no. I gave a test to my 2nde students and only about 45% of them failed, so I count that as a success. There is no impetus to learn here. Parents aren’t pushing their kids to do better (at least, it doesn’t seem like they are) and the kids don’t have any desire to do better for themselves. I have a few standout students who work hard and do well, but they are few and far between. A lot of kids (about 15-20) in total from all 4 of my classes have dropped out of school. I don’t know why and no one has said why. One guy who dropped out was one of my troublemakers and since he left class has been a lot calmer.
I have to give my final for my 6eme classes in just under 2 weeks, on April 1st. I am very confused why we are ending 2 weeks early (class is supposed to end on April 15th) but I have learned to just go with it. At least this time I wasn’t surprised since I decided to ask last week about the finals. I had a feeling they were going to do them early again. Maybe people just really don’t like teaching. I don’t like that I am losing 2 weeks from my curriculum. I have lost a month so far and by the time the school year is over it will 6 weeks. I could have done a lot in 6 weeks.
We had our VAC (volunteer action committee) meeting at the end of February and it was a lot of fun. These meetings are a chance for us all to get together, talk out any problems we have, and get information from our VAC rep about whats going on with PC. It was good to see a lot of other volunteers, from our stage and other stages. We have these meetings every 4 months so the nest one is in June. Yay!
So a new group has arrived in MAD. They are all environment and SED (small biz) people and they arrived March 2, if I’m remembering correctly. I will actually be hosting 4 or 6 them in a week and a half (well me and my site mate) so they can see how we live. We are going to cook them our tomato pasta sauce and garlic bread (our oven has a toast function and we made garlic bread the other day and it was sooooo good). I don’t have that many details yet but I am excited to meet some of the new people. No one will be in my VAC region so I may never see them again, but that’s ok. Its still fun to meet new people.
March Madness is going on right now and I filled out a bracket. I have no idea what happened this year so I pretty much picked by who I know from there, whose name I liked, ya know, typical girl stuff. I am glad I sent with my gut and didn’t pick Villanova. They broke my heart last year so I couldn’t support them and they last this year too. At least my heart is still in one piece, though Georgetown put a crack in it. I am curious to see how I do. I had so much fun last year and this year is veryyyyyy different.
I am all set on going coming back to the States in April. I will be in DC from April 13th to April 29th, with a 3 day cameo appearance in Seattle from April 18th-22nd. If you are interested in booking time with me in either of those 2 locations please contact Brian for DC and my Dad for Seattle (I am that classy that I need two different event planners. Hehehe). Priority will be given to those people who have made an effort to stay in touch with me while I am halfway around the world. J.
Well I think I am done right now. I will post again sometime in the future. I will be back in the US of A in less then a month and I can’t wait. Chipotle here I come!
Here are the books I’ve read:
Tortilla Flat
Black Friday
How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Plainsong
Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
The Lonely Polygamist (Brian and I read this one together, though he may not be quite done with it yet)
One for the Money
About a Boy
My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-up
The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman, and the Destruction of Hitler’s Germany 1941-1945Eeeee eee eeee (DO NOT READ. It was horrible)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Just call me the Muffin Lady
Happy February! hope everyone had a nice VDay (I, unfortunatly, had to spend my away from my valentine) and presidents day. its the same old same old here. I have been teaching, sleeping, watching movies, reading up a strom; and just hanging out with myself. my site mate and I did buy an oven so we are now official bakers. i have made 2 batches of peanut butter cookies and ly site mate has made like 11 batches of chocolate chip cookies. i htink my cookie quota was reached for february.
Teaching has been interesting. i dont think my 6eme kids had ever seen an analog clock before last week when i taught them. i was a wee bit caught off guard by that, since i thought i would just have to teach them the number in english, but no. wrong. I had my older kids write a dialogue for their last test and some people wrote really good dialogues, but didnt include any of the things i asked for so they failed. i felt bad but they didnt do what i asked. then another girl wrote/i know copied a dialogue about yearbooks for the assignment and i know they dont know what a yearbook is. i have to give my little ones another test this week, so it will be another round of grading tests where most people fail. I literally cant make my tests any easier. they just dont study.
So this last week i lived through a cyclone which was pretty cool. very wet, wind, and cold. its lasted like 4 days, cause it came through once then boom-a-ranged back once more. so now i have lived through a coup and a cyclone. wonder what other C events I can live through? Cattle stampede? Collapsing building? Car accident? Corruption scandal? so many possibilites! i have been cooking a lot recently and have perfected a tomatoe spaghetti sauce. its so yummy. its spicy and has got a kick to it. i am going to make imitation tacos this week so Im hopin those turn out ok. not that I have the oven I am going to make banana bread and other delicious things. i have read a lot but i am going to put up that list next time I blog, which will be the first weekend of march madness. gots to check how my teams are doing. plus by then I will need money.
wow im kinda boring. sorry my life isnt more exciting to read about. let me try and think of a few more things to tell yall.... Im coming back to teh states in April! i am very excited. i will be mostly in DC with brian but I will be making a 3 day cameo apperance in seattle. I wont have a lot of time but enough to see those people that really matter. i cant wait to get my grub on. chipotle, CPK; Wendys; 5 Guys, Matchbox, Panda Express here I come! plus a host of other places. I am going to ea till i burst. my tummy will be happy while im eating but probably not too much a few hours later but if will be totally worth it. PCs 50th anniversary is coming up so there will be some sort of party here for that so that will be fun. god I really dont have much else. i know I will get back to my site and say ugh i forgot to say that but cest la vie. I miss everyone and i hope everything in the states is peachy keen. I am going to post my predictions now, which i made back in august, for my 2 years here. I have been meaning to post it and i finally remembered to bring the sheet this time! if there is a name in parenthesis after the prediction it is that person own specific prediction. all the rest were general consensus
1. Lindsey Lohan dies
2. Prince William gets married- holla got that right!
3. Angelina Jolie has another kid, natural or adopted
4. Major natural disaster in usa, hurrican katrina sized
5. USA sends troops to another country
6. A USA political figure gets assassinated
7. Bill Clinton dies (katie)
8. Attempted, but failed, attempt on Obamas life
9. Pope dies
10. Fidel Castro dies
11. Terrorist attack in France (katie)
12. Major terrorist attack in the USA
13. Earthquake high than 6.0 in Cali (josh)
14. A horse will win the triple crown
15. New major social networking site will make it big (james)
16. Mt Rainer blows up
17. Jennifer Aniston has a baby
18. A Seattle sports team will win their respective sports championship
Teaching has been interesting. i dont think my 6eme kids had ever seen an analog clock before last week when i taught them. i was a wee bit caught off guard by that, since i thought i would just have to teach them the number in english, but no. wrong. I had my older kids write a dialogue for their last test and some people wrote really good dialogues, but didnt include any of the things i asked for so they failed. i felt bad but they didnt do what i asked. then another girl wrote/i know copied a dialogue about yearbooks for the assignment and i know they dont know what a yearbook is. i have to give my little ones another test this week, so it will be another round of grading tests where most people fail. I literally cant make my tests any easier. they just dont study.
So this last week i lived through a cyclone which was pretty cool. very wet, wind, and cold. its lasted like 4 days, cause it came through once then boom-a-ranged back once more. so now i have lived through a coup and a cyclone. wonder what other C events I can live through? Cattle stampede? Collapsing building? Car accident? Corruption scandal? so many possibilites! i have been cooking a lot recently and have perfected a tomatoe spaghetti sauce. its so yummy. its spicy and has got a kick to it. i am going to make imitation tacos this week so Im hopin those turn out ok. not that I have the oven I am going to make banana bread and other delicious things. i have read a lot but i am going to put up that list next time I blog, which will be the first weekend of march madness. gots to check how my teams are doing. plus by then I will need money.
wow im kinda boring. sorry my life isnt more exciting to read about. let me try and think of a few more things to tell yall.... Im coming back to teh states in April! i am very excited. i will be mostly in DC with brian but I will be making a 3 day cameo apperance in seattle. I wont have a lot of time but enough to see those people that really matter. i cant wait to get my grub on. chipotle, CPK; Wendys; 5 Guys, Matchbox, Panda Express here I come! plus a host of other places. I am going to ea till i burst. my tummy will be happy while im eating but probably not too much a few hours later but if will be totally worth it. PCs 50th anniversary is coming up so there will be some sort of party here for that so that will be fun. god I really dont have much else. i know I will get back to my site and say ugh i forgot to say that but cest la vie. I miss everyone and i hope everything in the states is peachy keen. I am going to post my predictions now, which i made back in august, for my 2 years here. I have been meaning to post it and i finally remembered to bring the sheet this time! if there is a name in parenthesis after the prediction it is that person own specific prediction. all the rest were general consensus
1. Lindsey Lohan dies
2. Prince William gets married- holla got that right!
3. Angelina Jolie has another kid, natural or adopted
4. Major natural disaster in usa, hurrican katrina sized
5. USA sends troops to another country
6. A USA political figure gets assassinated
7. Bill Clinton dies (katie)
8. Attempted, but failed, attempt on Obamas life
9. Pope dies
10. Fidel Castro dies
11. Terrorist attack in France (katie)
12. Major terrorist attack in the USA
13. Earthquake high than 6.0 in Cali (josh)
14. A horse will win the triple crown
15. New major social networking site will make it big (james)
16. Mt Rainer blows up
17. Jennifer Aniston has a baby
18. A Seattle sports team will win their respective sports championship
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
New PC Volunteers, this ones for you!
hello new March Stage! You only have a few more weeks til you leave the USA to come to good ol MAD. please eat lots of Chipotle for me! Here is a list of things to bring, things that are your choice, and what not to bring. I hope this helps and see you in MAD!
BRING
Deodorant: you can only get the rolling kind in country, which I personally hate and dont think works
Sweatshirt: it gets cold, especially in Mantasoa and in the highlands
Sleeping Bag: doubles as a blanket and very very useful
Jeans: at least a pair
Tie (boys): for swearing in
Solar Charger: make sure its compatible with the electronics your bringing
Digital Camera: kinda a no brainier
Headlamp (2): you WILL need this, even if you have electricty. I do and I still use mine every night. they are just so practical. i recommend 2 just in case yours breaks
Books: you will have lots of free time
E-Reader: ditto above
Rain Jacket: it rains a lot here, especially in the highlands. there is a rainy season
Dri Quick Towel: good for trips to visit friends. you can get bath towels in country
Double FItted Sheet: no fitted sheets in country, unless you want to pay out the nose for it. bring one and you will be so happy. regular sheets are easier to find and cheaper. I brought one from home but not a must
Favorite things from home: cause you will be homesick
Batteries (AAA): not easy to find here
ONe NIce Outfit: for swearing in and any other special occasion
FLat, nice, closed toe shoes: practical and then you dont have to bring heels!
Duct Tape: also good to have
Flash Drive/External Hard drive: to move documents etc? most important you bring the external hard drive if you have a computer cause there is a lot of movie sharing
Hair Control Devices: you will not be washing your hair a lot fo you need something to keep it tamed
Travel Mirror: so you can look at yourself
Travel Alarm Clock: to wake up for events
Sewing Kit: to repair clothes. I already have clothes with holes I have had to sew
Lots and Lots of Underwear: take whatever you were going to bring and double it at least. I would even say triple it
Ziplock Bags: to keep out bugs from food
YOUR CHOICE
Computer: I dont have on and I have gotten along fine. I am, however, going to get one to bring back here because they are useful to have. you wont die without one though
Make-up: i never wear any, some people wear a little everyday here. its up to you
Rain Boots: i like having mine
Umbrella: you can buy here, but if you have a small one already you might as well bring it
Diva Cup (girls): now these freak me out so i dont have one but people who do swear by them.
Pads (girls): very very hard to find so if thats you thing, bring a supply
Tape/Glue: cheap and small, so easy to pack if you have space
Gum: love me some gum and really dont like the gum in MAD
Food: like bars, powered drink mixes stuff like that. comfort food
Pens: you will get some but not right away so bring a few to get started
Jewelry: just a few pieces for formal occasions
Pillow: i love my pillow so i brought it but I was one of the few who did. bring if you are really attached, like me!
DONT BRING
Bike Helmet: PC will give you one
Lots of CLothes: you can buy stuff here thats funny and cheap.
High Heels: everythings a dirt road. nuff said
Cell Phones: you will get one here for cheap
Short Shorts: shoulders are ok to bare but knees not so much. i have not felt comfy wearing short shorts anywhere. that being said, bring a pair of running shorts for loungin around you house or working out inside your house
Mosquito net: you will get one from PC
Lots of 1st Aid: you will get from PC
Lots of hygiene products: you will get from PC/ easy to buy
Hope this helps!
BRING
Deodorant: you can only get the rolling kind in country, which I personally hate and dont think works
Sweatshirt: it gets cold, especially in Mantasoa and in the highlands
Sleeping Bag: doubles as a blanket and very very useful
Jeans: at least a pair
Tie (boys): for swearing in
Solar Charger: make sure its compatible with the electronics your bringing
Digital Camera: kinda a no brainier
Headlamp (2): you WILL need this, even if you have electricty. I do and I still use mine every night. they are just so practical. i recommend 2 just in case yours breaks
Books: you will have lots of free time
E-Reader: ditto above
Rain Jacket: it rains a lot here, especially in the highlands. there is a rainy season
Dri Quick Towel: good for trips to visit friends. you can get bath towels in country
Double FItted Sheet: no fitted sheets in country, unless you want to pay out the nose for it. bring one and you will be so happy. regular sheets are easier to find and cheaper. I brought one from home but not a must
Favorite things from home: cause you will be homesick
Batteries (AAA): not easy to find here
ONe NIce Outfit: for swearing in and any other special occasion
FLat, nice, closed toe shoes: practical and then you dont have to bring heels!
Duct Tape: also good to have
Flash Drive/External Hard drive: to move documents etc? most important you bring the external hard drive if you have a computer cause there is a lot of movie sharing
Hair Control Devices: you will not be washing your hair a lot fo you need something to keep it tamed
Travel Mirror: so you can look at yourself
Travel Alarm Clock: to wake up for events
Sewing Kit: to repair clothes. I already have clothes with holes I have had to sew
Lots and Lots of Underwear: take whatever you were going to bring and double it at least. I would even say triple it
Ziplock Bags: to keep out bugs from food
YOUR CHOICE
Computer: I dont have on and I have gotten along fine. I am, however, going to get one to bring back here because they are useful to have. you wont die without one though
Make-up: i never wear any, some people wear a little everyday here. its up to you
Rain Boots: i like having mine
Umbrella: you can buy here, but if you have a small one already you might as well bring it
Diva Cup (girls): now these freak me out so i dont have one but people who do swear by them.
Pads (girls): very very hard to find so if thats you thing, bring a supply
Tape/Glue: cheap and small, so easy to pack if you have space
Gum: love me some gum and really dont like the gum in MAD
Food: like bars, powered drink mixes stuff like that. comfort food
Pens: you will get some but not right away so bring a few to get started
Jewelry: just a few pieces for formal occasions
Pillow: i love my pillow so i brought it but I was one of the few who did. bring if you are really attached, like me!
DONT BRING
Bike Helmet: PC will give you one
Lots of CLothes: you can buy stuff here thats funny and cheap.
High Heels: everythings a dirt road. nuff said
Cell Phones: you will get one here for cheap
Short Shorts: shoulders are ok to bare but knees not so much. i have not felt comfy wearing short shorts anywhere. that being said, bring a pair of running shorts for loungin around you house or working out inside your house
Mosquito net: you will get one from PC
Lots of 1st Aid: you will get from PC
Lots of hygiene products: you will get from PC/ easy to buy
Hope this helps!
They changed the Zodiac signs? Im not a Libra anymore? but my tattoos for life!
Hello family and friends! this will be a real short blog post cause i am only in town for a few hours to pick up stuff then its back to my site. It will be a real long day by the time I get back!
First, the mail. Apparently, there was a delay for some reason but I called PC today and they said the issue, whatever it was, just got resolved, so mail should be going to the USA this week. incoming mail was affected too, but not packages, which i found strange but Im not the leader. so I got aunt danas and moms packages today (thank you!) and no letters. the following people have letters coming (this is on top of the people I wrote on my last blog): Hanna, Erin, Erin, Diana, Laurie, and Brian. hopefully everything will get to you, but we shall see
Second i forgot to write down the books ive read so here it goes!
Handle With Care
Matterhorn
Dead Until Dark
River Town
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Magicians Assistant
A Gate at the Stairs
White Tiger
Peony in Love
No Place Left to Bury the Dead
Bitter is the New Black
Unlikely Destinations: the Lonely Planet Story
The Emperors Children
Where the Heart Is
The Secret Life of Bees
Seabiscuit
Nine Hills to Nambonkaha
The Rossetti Letter
Never Let Me Go
School is going fine. just cruisin along. I will write more about it next time. I will post again the weekend of Feb 25 so come back and check then! miss everyone!
First, the mail. Apparently, there was a delay for some reason but I called PC today and they said the issue, whatever it was, just got resolved, so mail should be going to the USA this week. incoming mail was affected too, but not packages, which i found strange but Im not the leader. so I got aunt danas and moms packages today (thank you!) and no letters. the following people have letters coming (this is on top of the people I wrote on my last blog): Hanna, Erin, Erin, Diana, Laurie, and Brian. hopefully everything will get to you, but we shall see
Second i forgot to write down the books ive read so here it goes!
Handle With Care
Matterhorn
Dead Until Dark
River Town
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Magicians Assistant
A Gate at the Stairs
White Tiger
Peony in Love
No Place Left to Bury the Dead
Bitter is the New Black
Unlikely Destinations: the Lonely Planet Story
The Emperors Children
Where the Heart Is
The Secret Life of Bees
Seabiscuit
Nine Hills to Nambonkaha
The Rossetti Letter
Never Let Me Go
School is going fine. just cruisin along. I will write more about it next time. I will post again the weekend of Feb 25 so come back and check then! miss everyone!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Friends and Family Beware: Peace Corps taught me how to pickpocket this month.You have been warned
A lot has happened since I last blogged so this could take awhil. Then again, I am feeling really lazy right now so I might not be able to make it that far. Here I go!
I got to Tana on Dec 9th, where I stayed in a hotel for 2 days cause there wasn't enough room in the MEVA. I ate a lot of hamburgers, at a place called Speedy burger, which is like burger King. it was so good. Well not really, if I compare it to America, but I try not to do that cause then everything is worse. I also went to the Cookie Shop, which is the American bakery here in Tana. They have bomb brownie sundeas. i get one everytime, though they are really expensive. good thing I dont make it Tana that much, otherwise I would be broke. We also all went out to the club in Tana, called Le Bus, which looks like an American club in Seattle. There was virtually no one there but PCV's, which was fun. The few Malagasy people who were there all crowded around the mirror, watching themselves dance. It was funny to watch them, watching themselves. I got a hoot out of it.
We left Sunday morn for IST (In-service Training). It was 6ish days long. There were a lot of seminars, half of which I didn't go to (dont worry we weren't required to) and lots of eating to be had. It was great to get some pseudo american food, but it made a lot of tummies a little rumbly. There was a lot of reading/hanging out to do, since I hadn't seen all my friends since Sept. There were a lot of stories to catch up on, a lot of horror stories to here. IST pretty much ended on Thursday night, since Friday morn we headed out to Tana to take a tour of teh Embassy. Its brand new and looks like America. It was so exciting to see it and hear different speeched from the different departments. All the embassy people were really cool and they all want to help us out however they can. I got all the info I need to take the State dept exam next summer. well this summer, since its now 2011. (PS Happy New Year!). and the best part? we got to swim in the Embassy pool! It was so nice. I actually felt like I was back home at an outdoor swimming pool (though technically the embassy is america so i was there).
Sat morn a group of 10 of us headed out for our vaca/biz trip. We hired a private taxi brousse to take us to Fianar, which is about 9 hours south of tana. Private is the way to go. you can have them make stops whereever you want, or not have them make stops (regular taxi Bs stop all the time. drives me nuts). you have way more room and you dont have to worry about anyone stealing anything. its magaical. so we spent the night in fianar and then headed to ranomafana, to hit up a rainforest. We meet up with another PCV who lives in ranomafana and he took us to this awesome waterfall. we hiked up onto the actually waterfall and it was so beautiful. then, since its was raining and actually a trifle cold, we went to the hot springs, which is somthing else Ranomafana is known for. it was nice and toasty and we stayed for about an hour. then it was off to dinner and then bed, cause we had an early morning wake up call to go to the rainforest where we ended up seeing.....
LEMURS! yes ladies and gentleman, i finally saw a lemur. more then one, actually, and 2 different types, the golden bamboo lemur and another one that was red/brown. we had to hike up far and wide to see them, but it was worth it. we also had a lemur spotter, as well as a guide, who ran ahead to try and spot the lemurs. hence the name lemur spotter. it was so exciting to finally see a lemur. I felt like my experience wasn't complete/official till I saw one. we were in teh park for about 2 hours cause we though thats how long we had, cause our brousse to farafangana was supposed to come pick us up. 2 hours after the car was supposed to come it finally showed up. this one wasnt a private brousse, but it was mostly us so thats nice. Though no space since we were all squished. thast ok though. i did feel a little bad for the people around us, since we probably smelled from our trek through the jungle. oh well what can you do.
we finally made it to farafangana, where we had our biz. we got in late, so we went straight to the bungalows to stay. now my friend James, who lives in farafangana, told us they were nice and that everyone stayed there when they came. we should have known not to listen to a boy. They were fine bungalows, if i was only staying there one night, but we were going to be there 7 and this place was not acceptable. there was no running water, which wasn't that big of a deal, but the bathrooms were gross and really far away, the mosquito net did not cover the bed, it was dirty, you couldn't hang out there, and there were no outlets. now i know that last sentence may make me sound really prissy, but i would have stayed there if i was only there a night. one night vs 7 is a big difference. oh and there was no fan and its hot hot hot in farafangana. so us girls made an executive decision the next morning to change hotels so off we went (this decision didn't sit too well with teh boys, but they were staying at James house, where there was a fan, outlets, running water, and a decent bathroom). the reason this was a tiny issues was the new place was more expensive but like $10usd more expensive. a fan is worth that to me.
We had monday to relax and hang out in farafangana and then tuesday-thursday we had english club. not as many people came as James had expected (he set it up, what with it being his town and all) so we were able to do individual lessons. it was fun. my girl who I tutored the whole time was the most mahay (best, knowledgeable etc), though she wasnt that good. I'd liek to think I helped her out, at least a little. the boys went up to another PCV's site about 2 hours away for a night to install handwashing stations and give health presentations. since english club was in teh evening we had all day to tan and hang out, which was nice and fun to do. I did get a sunburn, even though i was real good about putting on sunscreen. probably the best I have ever been about it. the sun is just so strong here. on the plus side I am now real tan, which I like because I no longer have funky tan lines. we had a lot of good meals (though the buirgers we had were not tasty and did not sit well), a few laughs, and lots of sleep. 2 of the days we didn't even leave our hotel room to go to teh beach, since we were so burned and hot.
On christmas, which we called Day X since we were all sad panda bears, was ok. definitely very different then being in the states. that was one of the days we didn't leave the hotel, since we know that that night we were going to have a bonfire on the beach. we ate at the hotel as a xmas treat (which then turned into eating our breakfast there every morning) and read in our rooms. I also opened presents from my mom that she had sent, that i had carted all the way from my site just so I could have something to open on Day X. that night we did go and have a bonfire. Abe, the PCv whose site people had gone too, had come down the day before so he hung out with us too. my friend shayla and i left at about 2 but everyone else stayed to watch the sunrise (when they came back they said it wasn't that good so im glad i missed it).
we headed out of farafangana on teh 28th to go to montakara, another beach town about 3 hours north. we spent the night there and then caught the train to fianar. that train is the only passenger train in MAD and it was really fun to take it. It took us about 12 hours to get to Fianar (and if we had broussed it would have only taken us 5-6hours), but it was so much better. we had tons of space, food we could buy at every stop, a bathroom on the train (which is just like Indias system where you do your biz on the tracks) and a beer guy who would bring us cold beers when we wanted them. it was the life. i will never take a brouse back that way. i will always train it, though the chances of me coming back down this way aren't the highest, since there are a lot of other places to see.
so right now I am in fianar, which is where I spent new years. A lot of the poeple I went to the beach went actually headed back to tana early. 2 b/cthey had to fly back to their site, one b/c her house got broken into and all her stuff stolen so she has to deal with that (I feel really bad for her cause she had xmas packages waiting for her at her house. PC should be moving her though, cause who would want to stay there after all the stuff gets stolen), 1 had a med thing and 1 was already supossed to be going. the group quickly dwindledm but thats ok cause other people showed up. there were about 12 people together for new years. we went to a brothel for samosas and brochettes, which are little meat sticks. the brothel is the only place close by to go so off we went. I was back at the MEVA, where I am staying, by like 1130 cause we want to put our pjs on and countdown to the new year with youtubed music videos. i know i am so hardcore. things werent that hoppin here so it was no loss. the last 2 days i have been reading, using the internet and watching season 3 of true blood (everyone in that show has lost their minds. ppl be nuts).
I leave tomorrow to head back to site. I do and dont want to go back to site. I do cause i want to cook for myself and have my own space and not live out of a bag. I eat way healthier at site, cause i actually eat fruits and veggies there and i haven't been walking as much, what with all the sitting around and poor eating. i dont want to go back cause i will be alone at site again, and i will have to teach. My one class is about to get a rude awakening if they dont shape up. should be fun. my english club is going to start this month too and I need to find a malagasy tutor. I have realized that my malagasy is not up to par, which is probably b/c i haven't been studying. that all has to change. i need to step it up. well thats been my last month. next month I will have more stuff and hopefully I will have some good stories from class. I miss everyone and keep sending me things/letter! Mail makes my week!
and the title of this blog? totally true
I got to Tana on Dec 9th, where I stayed in a hotel for 2 days cause there wasn't enough room in the MEVA. I ate a lot of hamburgers, at a place called Speedy burger, which is like burger King. it was so good. Well not really, if I compare it to America, but I try not to do that cause then everything is worse. I also went to the Cookie Shop, which is the American bakery here in Tana. They have bomb brownie sundeas. i get one everytime, though they are really expensive. good thing I dont make it Tana that much, otherwise I would be broke. We also all went out to the club in Tana, called Le Bus, which looks like an American club in Seattle. There was virtually no one there but PCV's, which was fun. The few Malagasy people who were there all crowded around the mirror, watching themselves dance. It was funny to watch them, watching themselves. I got a hoot out of it.
We left Sunday morn for IST (In-service Training). It was 6ish days long. There were a lot of seminars, half of which I didn't go to (dont worry we weren't required to) and lots of eating to be had. It was great to get some pseudo american food, but it made a lot of tummies a little rumbly. There was a lot of reading/hanging out to do, since I hadn't seen all my friends since Sept. There were a lot of stories to catch up on, a lot of horror stories to here. IST pretty much ended on Thursday night, since Friday morn we headed out to Tana to take a tour of teh Embassy. Its brand new and looks like America. It was so exciting to see it and hear different speeched from the different departments. All the embassy people were really cool and they all want to help us out however they can. I got all the info I need to take the State dept exam next summer. well this summer, since its now 2011. (PS Happy New Year!). and the best part? we got to swim in the Embassy pool! It was so nice. I actually felt like I was back home at an outdoor swimming pool (though technically the embassy is america so i was there).
Sat morn a group of 10 of us headed out for our vaca/biz trip. We hired a private taxi brousse to take us to Fianar, which is about 9 hours south of tana. Private is the way to go. you can have them make stops whereever you want, or not have them make stops (regular taxi Bs stop all the time. drives me nuts). you have way more room and you dont have to worry about anyone stealing anything. its magaical. so we spent the night in fianar and then headed to ranomafana, to hit up a rainforest. We meet up with another PCV who lives in ranomafana and he took us to this awesome waterfall. we hiked up onto the actually waterfall and it was so beautiful. then, since its was raining and actually a trifle cold, we went to the hot springs, which is somthing else Ranomafana is known for. it was nice and toasty and we stayed for about an hour. then it was off to dinner and then bed, cause we had an early morning wake up call to go to the rainforest where we ended up seeing.....
LEMURS! yes ladies and gentleman, i finally saw a lemur. more then one, actually, and 2 different types, the golden bamboo lemur and another one that was red/brown. we had to hike up far and wide to see them, but it was worth it. we also had a lemur spotter, as well as a guide, who ran ahead to try and spot the lemurs. hence the name lemur spotter. it was so exciting to finally see a lemur. I felt like my experience wasn't complete/official till I saw one. we were in teh park for about 2 hours cause we though thats how long we had, cause our brousse to farafangana was supposed to come pick us up. 2 hours after the car was supposed to come it finally showed up. this one wasnt a private brousse, but it was mostly us so thats nice. Though no space since we were all squished. thast ok though. i did feel a little bad for the people around us, since we probably smelled from our trek through the jungle. oh well what can you do.
we finally made it to farafangana, where we had our biz. we got in late, so we went straight to the bungalows to stay. now my friend James, who lives in farafangana, told us they were nice and that everyone stayed there when they came. we should have known not to listen to a boy. They were fine bungalows, if i was only staying there one night, but we were going to be there 7 and this place was not acceptable. there was no running water, which wasn't that big of a deal, but the bathrooms were gross and really far away, the mosquito net did not cover the bed, it was dirty, you couldn't hang out there, and there were no outlets. now i know that last sentence may make me sound really prissy, but i would have stayed there if i was only there a night. one night vs 7 is a big difference. oh and there was no fan and its hot hot hot in farafangana. so us girls made an executive decision the next morning to change hotels so off we went (this decision didn't sit too well with teh boys, but they were staying at James house, where there was a fan, outlets, running water, and a decent bathroom). the reason this was a tiny issues was the new place was more expensive but like $10usd more expensive. a fan is worth that to me.
We had monday to relax and hang out in farafangana and then tuesday-thursday we had english club. not as many people came as James had expected (he set it up, what with it being his town and all) so we were able to do individual lessons. it was fun. my girl who I tutored the whole time was the most mahay (best, knowledgeable etc), though she wasnt that good. I'd liek to think I helped her out, at least a little. the boys went up to another PCV's site about 2 hours away for a night to install handwashing stations and give health presentations. since english club was in teh evening we had all day to tan and hang out, which was nice and fun to do. I did get a sunburn, even though i was real good about putting on sunscreen. probably the best I have ever been about it. the sun is just so strong here. on the plus side I am now real tan, which I like because I no longer have funky tan lines. we had a lot of good meals (though the buirgers we had were not tasty and did not sit well), a few laughs, and lots of sleep. 2 of the days we didn't even leave our hotel room to go to teh beach, since we were so burned and hot.
On christmas, which we called Day X since we were all sad panda bears, was ok. definitely very different then being in the states. that was one of the days we didn't leave the hotel, since we know that that night we were going to have a bonfire on the beach. we ate at the hotel as a xmas treat (which then turned into eating our breakfast there every morning) and read in our rooms. I also opened presents from my mom that she had sent, that i had carted all the way from my site just so I could have something to open on Day X. that night we did go and have a bonfire. Abe, the PCv whose site people had gone too, had come down the day before so he hung out with us too. my friend shayla and i left at about 2 but everyone else stayed to watch the sunrise (when they came back they said it wasn't that good so im glad i missed it).
we headed out of farafangana on teh 28th to go to montakara, another beach town about 3 hours north. we spent the night there and then caught the train to fianar. that train is the only passenger train in MAD and it was really fun to take it. It took us about 12 hours to get to Fianar (and if we had broussed it would have only taken us 5-6hours), but it was so much better. we had tons of space, food we could buy at every stop, a bathroom on the train (which is just like Indias system where you do your biz on the tracks) and a beer guy who would bring us cold beers when we wanted them. it was the life. i will never take a brouse back that way. i will always train it, though the chances of me coming back down this way aren't the highest, since there are a lot of other places to see.
so right now I am in fianar, which is where I spent new years. A lot of the poeple I went to the beach went actually headed back to tana early. 2 b/cthey had to fly back to their site, one b/c her house got broken into and all her stuff stolen so she has to deal with that (I feel really bad for her cause she had xmas packages waiting for her at her house. PC should be moving her though, cause who would want to stay there after all the stuff gets stolen), 1 had a med thing and 1 was already supossed to be going. the group quickly dwindledm but thats ok cause other people showed up. there were about 12 people together for new years. we went to a brothel for samosas and brochettes, which are little meat sticks. the brothel is the only place close by to go so off we went. I was back at the MEVA, where I am staying, by like 1130 cause we want to put our pjs on and countdown to the new year with youtubed music videos. i know i am so hardcore. things werent that hoppin here so it was no loss. the last 2 days i have been reading, using the internet and watching season 3 of true blood (everyone in that show has lost their minds. ppl be nuts).
I leave tomorrow to head back to site. I do and dont want to go back to site. I do cause i want to cook for myself and have my own space and not live out of a bag. I eat way healthier at site, cause i actually eat fruits and veggies there and i haven't been walking as much, what with all the sitting around and poor eating. i dont want to go back cause i will be alone at site again, and i will have to teach. My one class is about to get a rude awakening if they dont shape up. should be fun. my english club is going to start this month too and I need to find a malagasy tutor. I have realized that my malagasy is not up to par, which is probably b/c i haven't been studying. that all has to change. i need to step it up. well thats been my last month. next month I will have more stuff and hopefully I will have some good stories from class. I miss everyone and keep sending me things/letter! Mail makes my week!
and the title of this blog? totally true
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Just discovered the grocery store in my banking town makes brownie cakes. Jackpot
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!
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)