So I figured I'd put the wish list into a more concise and sensible format. So here it is:
-Michael Jackson music: folks ask me about it all the time and I am just not knowledgable enough about the world's most famous pop star. Also, not everyone knows that he died in 2009. And even some of those who know that he "died", don't think he actually did but MAYBE he's living on the moon now. You be the judge.
-Books: this is absolutely key. Books about real people and events are great, as well as books about imaginary people and events. Also, I read a lot stuff in college that either I read an excerpt from just to do well on an exam or didn't appreciate at the time. Send me the classics (ie: the Bhagavad Gita, The Prince, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc).
-Books: that's right, it made the list twice. Books with lots of pictures are great for me to show the folks in my town who don't know English or don't know how to read at all (ie: kids). Particularly, books of American scenery, cities, wildlife, people, everything, would be great since people ask me what it's like all the time and the most descriptive adjective I have for them is "great".
-Seeds: flowers and vegetables. My mom already sent me some and they made it fine. Don't worry.
-Pilot G-2 Clicky Pens
-Burt's Bees Lip Balm: I'm addicted, I know. And I don't mean the kind with the sunblock in it. The original is just fine.
Drink mixes: Kool-Aid, Gatorade, Crystal Light, Mio, etc. The water I drink it my site comes from the river. Where people wash their clothes, dishes, and bathe themselves. I run this water through my handy-dandy, Peace Corps issued water filter. I then add Sûr Eau to it to purify it. Sûr Eau tastes like bleach. Drink mixes would greatly improve my enjoyment of drinking water.
Old Spice Deodorant: of the Pure Sport kind. I know, that's a real particular request. But it' what I like, and it's not on this island, and I stink. So there.
Seasonings: whatever ya got, send it my way. For those folks who have it in your local grocery store, I'm a big fan of Cavender's seasoning and the Rendezvous (for you West Tennessee people, you know who you are).
Earplugs: for folks who have never lived in a house that has zero sound proofing and in a town where there are approximately 40 roosters, try the Peace Corps. The roosters start around 3am. When one crows, they all gotta get a word in.
Anything you feel that I might like or that you like and would like for me to like, send it my way.
Also, in order to prevent tampering of the package or out right theft, mark the package as religious material. Put a big ole cross on it. Write "God Loves You" on it. Or you could even get clever and write "Jesosy Mamonjy" on it, which is "Jesus Saves" in Malagasy.
You guys are amazing. Thanks very much for thinking of me so far away over here on the other side of this weird world we live in.
James
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Ela ela!
Ela ela! Been a while! This is what the folks in my town tell me when I've been away for even just two days. I went to Tamatave (yes, again) a few weeks ago to meet with a professor of sustainable agriculture from Appalachian State University named Christoff. He comes to Madagascar once a year to work with the Ivoloina Zoological Park and the University of Toamasina (Tamatave). The plan was this: get to Ivoloina to meet with the gentleman early on a Saturday morning, have lunch, then head to the beach. Unfortunately, as often happens on this island, plans don't always work out the way you think they will. Dr. Christoff was not at Ivoloina that day until 4:30 in the afternoon so we were only able to meet for about an hour, when I had to head to the PCV Beth's house, who lives close to Ivoloina Park, where she made the best pizza and cake I have had on this island in her cob oven. Tena mahay.
Rat update: I have killed two in my house with my walking stick. I have found they are able to climb up the outside posts of my house, get it on the ceiling crossbeams, and go down my stairs into my kitchen where they love to eat whatever remnants of dinner is left in my pans (and leave their poop in them). The battle continues...
Last week was my stage's In-Service Training (IST). All the folks that I came to country with and I reported back to the training center in Mantasoa for a series of more in depth trainings on PC business (ie: funding, rice farming, chicken raising, and the like). It was fantastic to see everyone from the stage and get to hear everyone's experiences from site. One of the most interesting things was hearing how everyone had developed their Malagasy into the local dialects. Some folks I couldn't even understand when they spoke (you know who you are Tsy Mihety!!!). After IST, spent a couple of days in the capitol eating some amazingly good food.
This week, I'm hitching a ride with Jody, the Canadian researcher in my forest, down to Fianarantsoa to join a farewell party for some volunteers who are COSing soon. Then it's time for trainings again with CI in Moramanga! Where I'll be serving as a trainer for using GPS out in the forest and we'll be doing transects in Andasibe! Damn right.
Lastly, and most certainly not leastly, I have compiled a wish list for those who would like to put together a little something to send me here on this island halfway round the world. Much thanks:
Books (all kinds, good ones are preferred to bad ones, ones I may have read in college that I might like to revisit), picture books of American scenery and wildlife, oatmeal, Starburst, drink mixes, Old Spice Pure Sport Deodorant (whatever), magazines (sports, music, and the Economist are cool), wool socks and wool shirts (it rains here), music, AAA and AA batteries, Cavender's seasoning, Rendezvous seasoning, a flash drive (big wish, I know), external hardrive (even bigger haha)...
I'll try to update this list continually, but there ain't a whole lot this guy needs. Thanks in advance!!
Much love to everyone back home!
James
Rat update: I have killed two in my house with my walking stick. I have found they are able to climb up the outside posts of my house, get it on the ceiling crossbeams, and go down my stairs into my kitchen where they love to eat whatever remnants of dinner is left in my pans (and leave their poop in them). The battle continues...
Last week was my stage's In-Service Training (IST). All the folks that I came to country with and I reported back to the training center in Mantasoa for a series of more in depth trainings on PC business (ie: funding, rice farming, chicken raising, and the like). It was fantastic to see everyone from the stage and get to hear everyone's experiences from site. One of the most interesting things was hearing how everyone had developed their Malagasy into the local dialects. Some folks I couldn't even understand when they spoke (you know who you are Tsy Mihety!!!). After IST, spent a couple of days in the capitol eating some amazingly good food.
This week, I'm hitching a ride with Jody, the Canadian researcher in my forest, down to Fianarantsoa to join a farewell party for some volunteers who are COSing soon. Then it's time for trainings again with CI in Moramanga! Where I'll be serving as a trainer for using GPS out in the forest and we'll be doing transects in Andasibe! Damn right.
Lastly, and most certainly not leastly, I have compiled a wish list for those who would like to put together a little something to send me here on this island halfway round the world. Much thanks:
Books (all kinds, good ones are preferred to bad ones, ones I may have read in college that I might like to revisit), picture books of American scenery and wildlife, oatmeal, Starburst, drink mixes, Old Spice Pure Sport Deodorant (whatever), magazines (sports, music, and the Economist are cool), wool socks and wool shirts (it rains here), music, AAA and AA batteries, Cavender's seasoning, Rendezvous seasoning, a flash drive (big wish, I know), external hardrive (even bigger haha)...
I'll try to update this list continually, but there ain't a whole lot this guy needs. Thanks in advance!!
Much love to everyone back home!
James
Saturday, July 14, 2012
I love Indris
After my last trip to Tamatave for meetings with Conservation International, I returned to my site/bungalow for one night and then headed up to Moramanga again to watch the Euro Cup final with a fellow volunteer. Austin Rios, very sorry about Italy but they need to leave the fast-break offense to the pros: the NC Tar Heels. I then returned back to site and began preparing a 4th of July presentation for my local community. On Wednesday, July 4th, I had it all ready. Posters with interesting facts about the States and some good ole American playing. About 30 minutes after the time I said the presentation would start, about 50 people come walking down the road to my house. 50! That's about 48 more than I expected to show up. It went surprisingly well. Especially since I had learned most of the Malagasy vocabulary for the presentation only during the two days before actually giving it. Though it wasn't so much a presentation but a question and answer session. Mark it down as a small success for PC service.
I finally moved into my house! After living in my touristic bungalow for 2 months where nobody else lives and it's way too calm and quite (lame), I have finally moved into my PC site house and town. Now, in order to get all my stuff up to my house, we had to use what the Malagasy call a "kalesy". There is no English equivalent. A kalesy is cart made of wood, three roller skate wheels (two in the back, one on a swivel axel in the front for steering), some rope for turning the front axel, and a hunk of tire rubber nailed on the back which is stepped on as a break when going downhill. I have moved many times in my life and I consider myself to be fairly well experienced in it. But this was like no other. Pushing this kalesy up Route National 2, with ALL of my stuff packed high upon it, with semi-trucks and taxi-brousses flying by, and three very nice Malagasy guys to help me, we got it the 1.5km uphill to my town and house. My shower area and WC are not done yet, however. This is no problem as there is a WC at the elementary school (a 3 minute walk) and it's been just too cold for me to even want to take a shower. I actually took my first shower last night for the first time in almost two weeks. And I didn't even smell THAT bad.
My house: a two story structure built of pine wood and a roof made of ravinala (traveler's palm). Probably one of the biggest houses in town. The downstairs consists of what will be a office/meeting room for me and the local NGOs and community organizations to use. The downstairs also has my kitchen, where I use a propane gas stove to cook my food. Though, a very nice lady in town cooks my rice every evening for my dinner (more about Mama Helene later). Upstairs above all of this, is my living/sleeping area and my porch, which overlooks banana trees, bamboo, RN2, and the river. I think I've gotten pretty lucky with my living situation as far as many Peace Corps houses go. I thank the guys that built my house everyday for the great job they did.
Rats: one of the most common problems Peace Corps volunteers deal with. They tend to just be a fact of life for most of us that we just have to accept and get used. There are many things about my service here that I've learned to accept and deal with and just get along with life as it is. But...I. Hate. Rats. In my bungalow, I had a few of them (I killed three with a trap). Moving into my new house, I was so excited to be getting into a place where there would be no rats to keep me up at night and rummage through my stuff and food. Oh, how wrong I was. My first night in my new house, I wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of those nasty, disgusting, devilish creatures running around my house. I open my eyes to find one staring right into my face on my bedside table. I scream at it. Not from fear, but just plain anger. He scurries away and leaves. I don't sleep very much the rest of night as I can hear them rustling around my walls and ceiling. The next day, I go to Moramanga and buy some materials to plug up the holes in my house that they were coming in through. This works!...for a few days. They continue to find ways of getting into my house during the night even though I've plugged every visible entry point that I can see. This is one of those things that I can't "just get used to". This is one of those things where "I declare war upon thee, foul rodent!!!". The first stake-out is tonight. If I had a Batman mask, I would wear it.
Since moving into my house, I've also had the opportunity to go out into the Maromizaha Forest (the rainforest that I live adjacent to) and help the local research guides with Indri observation. There are approximately 100 individual Indris in Maromizaha. Of which about 20 (comprising 4 family groupes) have been habituated to human presence, allowing the researchers and I to get VERY close to them for observation (check my Facebook page for great Indri pictures, as well as other photos). Also, here's a link to a video I took of some Indri Vocalizations. I went out twice this week, and I cannot wait to get out there all the time. The Indri are not the only species of lemur in Maromizaha, there are 11 different other kinds: 6 total diurnal, 6 nocturnal. There are also diademed sifakas, which sport an orangey kind of color to the time and are absolutely beautiful (though I'm yet to see them in Maromizaha). There is also a researcher named Jody Weir from Canada doing studies on the Indri and diadamed sifakas and their infants' development. Check out her video blog. She is here at Maromizaha with her husband until September this year and I look to forward to talking to them more about possible collaborative efforts that we can put together.
Today, I sit here in Moramanga again, about to head back to site and go to a party with the Maromizaha guides this afternoon out in the forest where Jody and her husband, Alastaire, are staying.
Much love to everyone and do keep in touch!
James
Monday, July 2, 2012
June
I have a new address (send me stuff)!!!
James Shelton, PCV Peace Corps
BP 73
514 Moramanga
Madagascar
During the trainings with Conservation International (CI) that I attended a couple of weeks ago here in Moramanga, I happened to meet several Sri Lankan gem miners who were staying at the same hotel as me. I was in my room blasting some Bruce Springsteen on my laptop when a knock came on my door. I opened it to find what I thought was a Malagasy person because he looked like one and when I began speaking to him in Malagasy, he responded in Gasy as well that he was looking for a friend of his and that he had found the wrong room. I wound up hanging out with this fellow and several of his friends for about an hour and a half that night, speaking only in Malagasy because we had no other common language. Who would have thought in my life that I would meet Sri Lankans and the only common language we had would be Malagasy? Hooray for the world!
Also, during the same training sessions with CI, we went out in the rain forest to practice what we had learned (what I had taught) about using GPS. What I wasn't told is that we would be doing a "transect", a forest survey where you pick two points in the woods, 2 kilometers apart, and go and map it with the GPS and see what you see. This was quite likely the most difficult 2 kilometers I have ever walked in my life. Not because it was an uphill/downhill sort of trek, but because the rainforest here is some of the thickest, most dense forest I have ever tried to walk through. You fight the vines (many with thorns), the ground and forest is completely soaked, the trail (haha there wasn't one) is extremely slippery. I came out of the rainforest, transect accomplished (which took 4 hours) and I was completely drenched, dehydrated, hands and feet cut to shreds thanks to the vines, and utterly exhausted. And SOMEHOW, all of the Malagasy folks came out totally dry, not thirsty at all (they didn't even bring water out there with them and I had had a liter of it), no scrapes, cuts, or bruises, and remarking that tomorrow we would be doing the same thing again. I did not join them for Round 2 of the Death March.
The following Sunday (June 24th), I went to Andasibe again to join some fellow volunteers to celebrate another volunteer's birthday. Her parent's were in-country on vacation and they took us out to dinner that night to one of the finest restaurants Madagascar has to offer at the Vakona Lodge (thank you again Hoggards!!!, if you ever happen to read this). But earlier that day, we went to the Vakona Lodge's "Lemur Island". Yes, this is one of the most touristy places one could go here in Madagascar, but I didn't care, I wanted to see lemurs up close and personal. And that we did, climbing all over us, jumping from shoulder to shoulder, following the park operators offering of bananas. (There are some cool photos on the Facebook page). One of the most ridiculous things about Lemur Island is you have to take a canoe to cross about a 3 meter stretch of water that's only about 6 inches deep. Peace Corps volunteers would much rather trek through the mud, but we were tourists that day and took the canoe.
Myself and 3 other volunteers left Andasibe for Moramanga on June 25th, the day before Madagascar Independence Day and were joined by two more later that day. There was a parade at night with people carrying candle lanterns and LED glow sticks and laser pointers. Plenty of drunks as well. Kids were throwing firecrackers in the streets, they particularly liked throwing them at semi-trucks. The day of the 26th of June (Independence Day), the town fell quiet. Apparently, we had all missed the memo that the party is on the 25th and the 26th is used as a family/recuperation day. Ah well.
On the 27th, as I was getting ready to head back to site, I get a text from my counterpart saying that he'd forgotten to tell me but there were some more trainings starting the next day in Tamatave and that I should go. An hour later, I was on a brousse heading for the coast...again. I attended another round of meetings with CI (quite similar to the meetings I attended about a month ago). But I can't complain, I like these free trips to the coast.
It's very hard to believe that I've been at site now for almost two months, though I don't actually live in my house yet cause it is STILL not done. Such is the manner of things here on this island. But time seems to fly here, though everything seems to move along quite slowly. I have my in-service training (IST) beginning the 4th of August for a week back in Mantasoa with all of the other volunteers from my stage. When I was installed on May 9th, it felt like 3 months would drag along and that it would take forever to get to IST, but it's 5 weeks away now and I realize that that's going go by very quickly. Can't wait to see everyone again back at the ole training center for some Tranobe time!
If you folks have any specific questions about my goings on here or about Madagascar, feel free to send me an email at jwshelto@gmail.com, and I'll try to answer as honestly and quickly as I can.
Amin'ny manaraka indray!
J
James Shelton, PCV Peace Corps
BP 73
514 Moramanga
Madagascar
During the trainings with Conservation International (CI) that I attended a couple of weeks ago here in Moramanga, I happened to meet several Sri Lankan gem miners who were staying at the same hotel as me. I was in my room blasting some Bruce Springsteen on my laptop when a knock came on my door. I opened it to find what I thought was a Malagasy person because he looked like one and when I began speaking to him in Malagasy, he responded in Gasy as well that he was looking for a friend of his and that he had found the wrong room. I wound up hanging out with this fellow and several of his friends for about an hour and a half that night, speaking only in Malagasy because we had no other common language. Who would have thought in my life that I would meet Sri Lankans and the only common language we had would be Malagasy? Hooray for the world!
Also, during the same training sessions with CI, we went out in the rain forest to practice what we had learned (what I had taught) about using GPS. What I wasn't told is that we would be doing a "transect", a forest survey where you pick two points in the woods, 2 kilometers apart, and go and map it with the GPS and see what you see. This was quite likely the most difficult 2 kilometers I have ever walked in my life. Not because it was an uphill/downhill sort of trek, but because the rainforest here is some of the thickest, most dense forest I have ever tried to walk through. You fight the vines (many with thorns), the ground and forest is completely soaked, the trail (haha there wasn't one) is extremely slippery. I came out of the rainforest, transect accomplished (which took 4 hours) and I was completely drenched, dehydrated, hands and feet cut to shreds thanks to the vines, and utterly exhausted. And SOMEHOW, all of the Malagasy folks came out totally dry, not thirsty at all (they didn't even bring water out there with them and I had had a liter of it), no scrapes, cuts, or bruises, and remarking that tomorrow we would be doing the same thing again. I did not join them for Round 2 of the Death March.
The following Sunday (June 24th), I went to Andasibe again to join some fellow volunteers to celebrate another volunteer's birthday. Her parent's were in-country on vacation and they took us out to dinner that night to one of the finest restaurants Madagascar has to offer at the Vakona Lodge (thank you again Hoggards!!!, if you ever happen to read this). But earlier that day, we went to the Vakona Lodge's "Lemur Island". Yes, this is one of the most touristy places one could go here in Madagascar, but I didn't care, I wanted to see lemurs up close and personal. And that we did, climbing all over us, jumping from shoulder to shoulder, following the park operators offering of bananas. (There are some cool photos on the Facebook page). One of the most ridiculous things about Lemur Island is you have to take a canoe to cross about a 3 meter stretch of water that's only about 6 inches deep. Peace Corps volunteers would much rather trek through the mud, but we were tourists that day and took the canoe.
Myself and 3 other volunteers left Andasibe for Moramanga on June 25th, the day before Madagascar Independence Day and were joined by two more later that day. There was a parade at night with people carrying candle lanterns and LED glow sticks and laser pointers. Plenty of drunks as well. Kids were throwing firecrackers in the streets, they particularly liked throwing them at semi-trucks. The day of the 26th of June (Independence Day), the town fell quiet. Apparently, we had all missed the memo that the party is on the 25th and the 26th is used as a family/recuperation day. Ah well.
On the 27th, as I was getting ready to head back to site, I get a text from my counterpart saying that he'd forgotten to tell me but there were some more trainings starting the next day in Tamatave and that I should go. An hour later, I was on a brousse heading for the coast...again. I attended another round of meetings with CI (quite similar to the meetings I attended about a month ago). But I can't complain, I like these free trips to the coast.
It's very hard to believe that I've been at site now for almost two months, though I don't actually live in my house yet cause it is STILL not done. Such is the manner of things here on this island. But time seems to fly here, though everything seems to move along quite slowly. I have my in-service training (IST) beginning the 4th of August for a week back in Mantasoa with all of the other volunteers from my stage. When I was installed on May 9th, it felt like 3 months would drag along and that it would take forever to get to IST, but it's 5 weeks away now and I realize that that's going go by very quickly. Can't wait to see everyone again back at the ole training center for some Tranobe time!
If you folks have any specific questions about my goings on here or about Madagascar, feel free to send me an email at jwshelto@gmail.com, and I'll try to answer as honestly and quickly as I can.
Amin'ny manaraka indray!
J
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
A day in the life
So I feel I have to make the ubiquitous post of what it's like to walk the streets of Madagascar as a big, white person. This post is more tailored towards folks back home than my fellow PCVs here in Madaland. In Malagasy, the term for anyone who is white is vazaha (pronounced: vah-ZAH). It literally translates as "foreigner". You pass people on the street and you can hear them as you pass say to one another, "That's a big vazaha that one." That's if they're being shy. "Bonjour vazaha!" is much more common, particularly amongst school children. Or sometimes they'll just yell "VAZAHA!", with a big smile on their face. Imagine, walking the streets of America as a foreigner and you can't go 20 paces without someone yelling at you, "Hey! Foreigner!". The idea that not every white person in Madagascar is NOT French is a difficult concept for the Malagasy because of the very strong French influence and presence throughout their history. It sometimes blows peoples minds when they throw a "Bonjour vazaha!" at you and you can respond in their language with, "Manakory! Tsy mahay teny fransay aho fa afaka miteny Malagasy. Amerikanina aho. Inona no vaovao?". Also, when younger children happen to look up and be standing below a vazaha, they often turn, screaming in terror, and run away. This is a response that is most likely due to the fact that many Malagasy parents tell their children that they'll sell them to the vazaha if they don't behave. Walking through my local market, vendors will often ask me if I want to buy their misbehaving children so that the kids will quit acting up. I'll joke back with them sometimes and say, "How much?". However, I've learned that you often HAVE to tell Malagasy when you're being sarcastic and just joking with them. Yeah, that's easy...
Now, I'm not really complaining. At times, it is quite annoying for people to yell "FOREIGNER!" at you all the time. But it also provides a lot of opportunities for me to see the surprised look on their faces when I come back at them in their own tongue and we can actually have a decent conversation about both of our lives. It is true that at my site people have stopped yelling it at me for the most part (though the "Bonjours" still come quite often, little by little though). Kids that I don't even know will yell "Manakory James!" at me now.
Here's a social experiment for you folks back in the States if you're feeling up to it: if you ever happen to be walking down your local city/small town streets and see someone who doesn't look like you and who could quite possibly not be from the United States, yell "FOREIGNER!" at them. Not in a mean or abrasive way. But loud and smiling! I would really be interested to see what this person's the reaction would be. Thank you very much.
In another news, I've been attending another round of training sessions with Conservation International (CI) this week in market town (Moramanga). This time, though, it's been much more interesting than the previous round in Tamatave. We've been doing sessions on how to systematically record data from forest research in a comprehensive manner. Today, we had a session on how to use GPS devices. However, I found myself being the trainer of the trainers and wound up leading the session. Now, this was likely not due to me having great expertise using GPS. But it was more likely due to my experience playing Grand Theft Auto on the XBOX with the Mugs back at the Manor and the Lodge hunting down Russian mafia. One can apply all kinds of skills as a Peace Corps volunteer.
We also had our regional Volunteer Action Committee (VAC) meeting in Moramanga this past weekend where most volunteers who live my area came to town. There were about 10 of us. Much less a meeting (which we did have and discussed in thorough detail the plans for our regional t-shirts) than an excuse to get to see and get to know fellow regional volunteers. We went to karaoke!! Folks, you know I don't like Neil Diamond, but I sang the hell out of "Sweet Caroline". And I also sang "Thriller" cause I found a shirt in the market earlier in the day with a series of zombies doing all the moves to the dance. Best $2 I've spent in Mada.
I miss y'all!
Take care folks!
J
Now, I'm not really complaining. At times, it is quite annoying for people to yell "FOREIGNER!" at you all the time. But it also provides a lot of opportunities for me to see the surprised look on their faces when I come back at them in their own tongue and we can actually have a decent conversation about both of our lives. It is true that at my site people have stopped yelling it at me for the most part (though the "Bonjours" still come quite often, little by little though). Kids that I don't even know will yell "Manakory James!" at me now.
Here's a social experiment for you folks back in the States if you're feeling up to it: if you ever happen to be walking down your local city/small town streets and see someone who doesn't look like you and who could quite possibly not be from the United States, yell "FOREIGNER!" at them. Not in a mean or abrasive way. But loud and smiling! I would really be interested to see what this person's the reaction would be. Thank you very much.
In another news, I've been attending another round of training sessions with Conservation International (CI) this week in market town (Moramanga). This time, though, it's been much more interesting than the previous round in Tamatave. We've been doing sessions on how to systematically record data from forest research in a comprehensive manner. Today, we had a session on how to use GPS devices. However, I found myself being the trainer of the trainers and wound up leading the session. Now, this was likely not due to me having great expertise using GPS. But it was more likely due to my experience playing Grand Theft Auto on the XBOX with the Mugs back at the Manor and the Lodge hunting down Russian mafia. One can apply all kinds of skills as a Peace Corps volunteer.
We also had our regional Volunteer Action Committee (VAC) meeting in Moramanga this past weekend where most volunteers who live my area came to town. There were about 10 of us. Much less a meeting (which we did have and discussed in thorough detail the plans for our regional t-shirts) than an excuse to get to see and get to know fellow regional volunteers. We went to karaoke!! Folks, you know I don't like Neil Diamond, but I sang the hell out of "Sweet Caroline". And I also sang "Thriller" cause I found a shirt in the market earlier in the day with a series of zombies doing all the moves to the dance. Best $2 I've spent in Mada.
I miss y'all!
Take care folks!
J
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Time, Communication, Wives, Cows, Drunks, and Stones
I woke up late several weeks ago when I was in Tamatave. I had asked the gentleman who I was traveling with what time I should be ready to leave and catch a taxi-brousse home in the morning. "Early", he said. A knock came on my door at 6:30am from Kara, the other volunteer traveling with us in Tamatave, waking me up from a beer and brouchettes induced slumber, saying that it was time to go. (Since when were people ever in a hurry on this island and since when did early actually mean EARLY?). I scrambled out of bed, showered, and ran downstairs to get out of town. We left the hotel in hurry to get to the brousse station when my VOI Federation President (who apparently had arrived, unbeknownst to me, during the night) calls for us from the hotel that he needs to talk to us. We go back, he invites me to COME BACK to Tamatave in a few days to go the environment festival in Fenoarivo Est. I say, "Sure, sounds great, call me, we'll work it out, I gotta go, thanks!". Three days later, I leave site again and I travel to Moramanga (my banking, market, travel, and otherwise get'r'dun place) with the expectancy of possibly going to Fenoarivo that morning. However, no word whatsoever from Mr. President. I called his wife, Mrs. President, and asked if she would have him call me. No problem, she says. I don't hear a word from the man all day. I say forget it, and wind up spending the night in Moramanga eating delicious food. (Delicious food is a rarity in my life of rice. Mary Lois, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed Italy and its cuisine.) Anyway, such is the way that "time" and "plans" work on this beautiful island.
I was sitting in my town one Sunday afternoon, trying to explain to the people in my town that I did not need or want to go to church with them (I've been to Gasy church, I know what it's like, no need for round 2). One of the older ladies came and sat next to me and explained that a gentleman from out of town had come the day before to buy some cows. I asked her why he had come here to buy cows. She explained that he didn't have a wife. At this point, I remember my PC cultural training that in some areas of Madagascar, it's standard practice to present the bride-to-be's family with a cow/cows. I ignored my training. I said to the older lady, "So if you can't get a wife than you better buy some cows?". She, and everyone else sitting on the porch, found this to be the funniest thing they'd heard all month. Since then, when the people in my town ask me if I'm still looking for a wife and I say no, they find it very funny to tell me to go buy some cows. If you don't find this funny, sorry, guess you had to be there. :)
I came to the capitol on Monday this week because I couldn't hear out of my right ear for almost 2 weeks. Got that fixed. No problems. Used my coming to Tana as an excuse to go see a fellow volunteer to the west of Tana about 50km in Arivonimamo. Arivonimamo literally translates as "thousand the drunk", in other words, "the land of a thousand drunks". Don't worry, I didn't see one drunk person, including myself and Eric, the volunteer who lives in Arivonimamo. I did see Eric's Posh Corps house, running hot water, electricity, tile kitchen, the works. The night I was there, we went down the street from Eric's house to watch the European Cup match between Greece and the Czech Republic in a tiny room filled with church pews and a very small television. We payed the equivalant of 10cents to watch. We also went on a fantastic hike through the mountains around Arivonimamo (check the Facebook for pictures because I'm too lazy to upload twice). It was absolutely beautiful. The landscape and environment of Madagascar changes with every kilometer you hike or drive. Where I live, the land is steep, rolling hills with the occasional rock face and is a vibrant green in color thanks to year-round rains that fall in the easter rainforest corridor. In the central highland plateau (around Arivonimamo), the color is greenish-brown with shrub grass, pines, eucalyptus, and many many gigantic rock faces. The hilltops allow you to see for miles and miles. We saw what the Malagasy call "mitsangambato", standing stones. These are used to mark where people either died, are buried, or are simply remembered. I don't think this practice is very common here in the highlands anymore. Above ground family tombs tend to be the standard practice but, from what I've learned, mitsangambato are still fairly commonly used in the south of the island. The pictures I took will never do the landscape justice. Eric and his Gasy friend, Jean-Claude, brought their bikes along in the hopes of us being able to find a bike I could use in the town we were walking to. After 3 hours of walking, we came to the town we were trying to reach where Jean-Claude had a meeting with a newly formed cooperative that he was a member of. Held the meeting in the local elementary school which was vacant thanks to the ongoing teacher's strike throughout the island. After the meeting, had lunch at an hotely (the word for a restaurant the serves typical Gasy fair) for a very reasonable 50cents. We found a bike for me to ride and took the main road back to Arivonimamo. We got back to town in 1 hour after what had taken us 3 hours previously.
I'm currently in Tana and heading to Moramanga tomorrow for my regional volunteer meeting which is on Saturday. About 10 other volunteers in my region will be coming so it will be great to everyone (and meet everyone) that lives in my area.
Until next time, tsara ny fiainana (life is good),
J
I was sitting in my town one Sunday afternoon, trying to explain to the people in my town that I did not need or want to go to church with them (I've been to Gasy church, I know what it's like, no need for round 2). One of the older ladies came and sat next to me and explained that a gentleman from out of town had come the day before to buy some cows. I asked her why he had come here to buy cows. She explained that he didn't have a wife. At this point, I remember my PC cultural training that in some areas of Madagascar, it's standard practice to present the bride-to-be's family with a cow/cows. I ignored my training. I said to the older lady, "So if you can't get a wife than you better buy some cows?". She, and everyone else sitting on the porch, found this to be the funniest thing they'd heard all month. Since then, when the people in my town ask me if I'm still looking for a wife and I say no, they find it very funny to tell me to go buy some cows. If you don't find this funny, sorry, guess you had to be there. :)
I came to the capitol on Monday this week because I couldn't hear out of my right ear for almost 2 weeks. Got that fixed. No problems. Used my coming to Tana as an excuse to go see a fellow volunteer to the west of Tana about 50km in Arivonimamo. Arivonimamo literally translates as "thousand the drunk", in other words, "the land of a thousand drunks". Don't worry, I didn't see one drunk person, including myself and Eric, the volunteer who lives in Arivonimamo. I did see Eric's Posh Corps house, running hot water, electricity, tile kitchen, the works. The night I was there, we went down the street from Eric's house to watch the European Cup match between Greece and the Czech Republic in a tiny room filled with church pews and a very small television. We payed the equivalant of 10cents to watch. We also went on a fantastic hike through the mountains around Arivonimamo (check the Facebook for pictures because I'm too lazy to upload twice). It was absolutely beautiful. The landscape and environment of Madagascar changes with every kilometer you hike or drive. Where I live, the land is steep, rolling hills with the occasional rock face and is a vibrant green in color thanks to year-round rains that fall in the easter rainforest corridor. In the central highland plateau (around Arivonimamo), the color is greenish-brown with shrub grass, pines, eucalyptus, and many many gigantic rock faces. The hilltops allow you to see for miles and miles. We saw what the Malagasy call "mitsangambato", standing stones. These are used to mark where people either died, are buried, or are simply remembered. I don't think this practice is very common here in the highlands anymore. Above ground family tombs tend to be the standard practice but, from what I've learned, mitsangambato are still fairly commonly used in the south of the island. The pictures I took will never do the landscape justice. Eric and his Gasy friend, Jean-Claude, brought their bikes along in the hopes of us being able to find a bike I could use in the town we were walking to. After 3 hours of walking, we came to the town we were trying to reach where Jean-Claude had a meeting with a newly formed cooperative that he was a member of. Held the meeting in the local elementary school which was vacant thanks to the ongoing teacher's strike throughout the island. After the meeting, had lunch at an hotely (the word for a restaurant the serves typical Gasy fair) for a very reasonable 50cents. We found a bike for me to ride and took the main road back to Arivonimamo. We got back to town in 1 hour after what had taken us 3 hours previously.
I'm currently in Tana and heading to Moramanga tomorrow for my regional volunteer meeting which is on Saturday. About 10 other volunteers in my region will be coming so it will be great to everyone (and meet everyone) that lives in my area.
Until next time, tsara ny fiainana (life is good),
J
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Forest Rangers and Toamasina
I went out last week with the Polisin'y Ala (Volunteer Forest Rangers) into the Maromizaha Forest to scout out illegal tavy (slash and burn agriculture) and sarbon (Gasy charcoal) projects. We found plenty (see my Facebook page for pictures).
Last weekend, I attended my first Gasy "ball" on Saturday night in Andasibe. A "ball" is a drunken dance party. Loud music, sweaty people, bright flashy lights. I came, I saw, I did not conquer. Most Gasy stay till 5 or 6 am. After being there for 6 hours at 2am, I was finished and went to sleep at a Gasy friend's house, only to be awoken at 5am to the horrible, screetching, hollering sound that only a damned goose can make. If eating goose everyday in this country were affordable, I would happily do it in order to decrease their population.
I was lucky enough to be able to go to Tamatave/Toamasina (same city, different names) last week for four days. I went with representatives from my VOI federation to some training sessions with Conservation International (CI). It was all in Gasy. Another volunteer who also lives close to Moramanga, Kara, was there as well. Eighty percent of the time, we had no clue what anyone was saying. We knew they were discussing global warming, basic accounting, VOI inner-workings, CI projects, etc., but specifics?, yeah right! We sat patiently through 3 days of excruciatingly boring sessions but were left with little room to complain, since CI was paying for our hotel room, food, and transportation costs. I'll take it, mmk? Four nights in Toamasina was quite nice, especially since I had beer and brouchettes (steak kabobs) for dinner every night. Upon returning from Toamasina, I went to Andasibe again to meet up with some other volunteers to just take a load off for the night. We cooked dinner at a German friend's house and met a couple of traveler's from Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands. I arrived back at site on Sunday, my official Peace Corps house is mbola tsy vita (still not done). More bungalow time for me.
Take care,
J
Last weekend, I attended my first Gasy "ball" on Saturday night in Andasibe. A "ball" is a drunken dance party. Loud music, sweaty people, bright flashy lights. I came, I saw, I did not conquer. Most Gasy stay till 5 or 6 am. After being there for 6 hours at 2am, I was finished and went to sleep at a Gasy friend's house, only to be awoken at 5am to the horrible, screetching, hollering sound that only a damned goose can make. If eating goose everyday in this country were affordable, I would happily do it in order to decrease their population.
I was lucky enough to be able to go to Tamatave/Toamasina (same city, different names) last week for four days. I went with representatives from my VOI federation to some training sessions with Conservation International (CI). It was all in Gasy. Another volunteer who also lives close to Moramanga, Kara, was there as well. Eighty percent of the time, we had no clue what anyone was saying. We knew they were discussing global warming, basic accounting, VOI inner-workings, CI projects, etc., but specifics?, yeah right! We sat patiently through 3 days of excruciatingly boring sessions but were left with little room to complain, since CI was paying for our hotel room, food, and transportation costs. I'll take it, mmk? Four nights in Toamasina was quite nice, especially since I had beer and brouchettes (steak kabobs) for dinner every night. Upon returning from Toamasina, I went to Andasibe again to meet up with some other volunteers to just take a load off for the night. We cooked dinner at a German friend's house and met a couple of traveler's from Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands. I arrived back at site on Sunday, my official Peace Corps house is mbola tsy vita (still not done). More bungalow time for me.
Take care,
J
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