Good morning,
In case you've been following Africa news over the past week, just wanted to let you all know that I am perfectly safe here in Madagascar.
News coverage is still not very prominent, so if you're thinking I'm talking about the cyclones last week, here is an update:
Starting on Saturday, demonstrations led by the capitol's mayor against the nation's president were held in Tana. The mayor and his supporters are upset with the president's increasing monopoly on the M/car market, his misspending of public funds, and a recent land lease to South Korea (half of M/car's arable land). On Sunday, the demonstrations turned into more active rioting. Monday, the mayor spoke again in Tana, which was then followed by protestors rioting and burning down the president's news and radio stations. Tuesday, political unrest in Madagascar spread and escalated.
I was in the capitol already for a training workshop and have been staying put safely at the PC house. Both Wednesday and Thursday were relatively calm here in Tana and throughout the country. My banking town, Mahajanga, was very hard hit, but friends there are safe. And I’ve heard things are normal back home in Katsepy, and my Malagasy ‘family’ is just as anxious for my return as I am. Most small villages probably have very little idea of what is going on. It’s just rice farming as usual.
Experiencing house arrest in the very upscale ‘vahaza’ part of Tana has been somewhat surreal. It’s sunny, birds are chirping, we’ve have plenty of food delivered and have even been able to go out to eat, and stuck with a great group, we’re laughing a lot. But I still can’t help but feel completely shocked...all Malagasy I know are happy, passive and hardworking people...I had no idea that this unhappiness and dissatisfaction with the gov't was so strong and could propel people to such destructive and even violent acts. I feel safe, but sadden and disappointed by this. All PCV's in country are safe and accounted for. I will have internet today and possibly tomorrow and will try to keep all informed as best as possible. If no news, nothing’s changed. :) Please no worries, we are all very safe, and PC is handling the situation incredibly well. Hopefully I've be home in my Katsepy tin and stick hut in no time, eating coconuts like nothing happened. :)
Love you all very much!
Staying safe and positive,
Tara
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dagu Diaries
Hello all!
Just a quick reminder to check the blog shared by the PC Madagascar Environment '08 Stage at dagudiaries.blogspot.com - I've recently posted about Muslim Sakalava funeral traditions, and many other thought-provoking, witty, descriptive and downright hilarious posts reside there, serving as yet another window into the often surreal life of Madagascar's PCV's and my closest friends on the island. Enjoy and have a lovely Christmas! Jingle Bells or omby (cow) bells...take your pick...and all that holiday cheer. Love you!
~Tara Magnolia
Just a quick reminder to check the blog shared by the PC Madagascar Environment '08 Stage at dagudiaries.blogspot.com - I've recently posted about Muslim Sakalava funeral traditions, and many other thought-provoking, witty, descriptive and downright hilarious posts reside there, serving as yet another window into the often surreal life of Madagascar's PCV's and my closest friends on the island. Enjoy and have a lovely Christmas! Jingle Bells or omby (cow) bells...take your pick...and all that holiday cheer. Love you!
~Tara Magnolia
Monday, December 8, 2008
Trees and Turning of Bones
Hello! It's a picture post! Things are cruising right along in Katsepy...in summary...last month...sweatiest of my life (December, really?) and totally fun diving head-first into environmental education in the schools, including a rocking environment club tree nursery project. On my way home from the eastern rainforest after an undescribably awesome 'New Cranksgiving' holiday festivity with friends and a turkey that we killed and then cooked underground, I've got the fast internet and will let the pictures share my last month and a half at site. Enjoy!
Kids in the tree nursery on the first day of planting...already have some baby trees now.
Local lemurs...a baby lemur!
Possibly my best friend at site playing our favorite game...bump!
Okay this picture and the picture of the bones are from a 'Fahamadiana' or traditional Malagasy 'turning of the bones' ceremony. An honor to attend, but really too wild to describe, let me just say that if 10 years or so after I die, you (my friends and family) decide to dig my bones up, dress me up in a new white cloth, dance through the woods with a brass band as you carry what's left of my body to a shared feast, then re-bury me in a brand new tomb (still dancing), that is totally cool with me.
Super sweet canyon from Elise and my visit to Ankarafantsika National Park.
This awesome picture from Elise took pretty much sums up why my community is so wonderful...take the energy and happiness in this group of my neighborhood kids and apply it to just about everyone in town. How can I not be having fun?
Loads and loads of love to you. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is in the full holiday season swing. I do miss you all tremendously, especially right now, but think of you often and am always sending my love. Have fun and share hugs from me. Veloma-o!
Peace,
Tara Magnolia
Kids in the tree nursery on the first day of planting...already have some baby trees now.
Local lemurs...a baby lemur!
Possibly my best friend at site playing our favorite game...bump!
Okay this picture and the picture of the bones are from a 'Fahamadiana' or traditional Malagasy 'turning of the bones' ceremony. An honor to attend, but really too wild to describe, let me just say that if 10 years or so after I die, you (my friends and family) decide to dig my bones up, dress me up in a new white cloth, dance through the woods with a brass band as you carry what's left of my body to a shared feast, then re-bury me in a brand new tomb (still dancing), that is totally cool with me. 
Super sweet canyon from Elise and my visit to Ankarafantsika National Park. 
This awesome picture from Elise took pretty much sums up why my community is so wonderful...take the energy and happiness in this group of my neighborhood kids and apply it to just about everyone in town. How can I not be having fun?Loads and loads of love to you. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is in the full holiday season swing. I do miss you all tremendously, especially right now, but think of you often and am always sending my love. Have fun and share hugs from me. Veloma-o!
Peace,
Tara Magnolia
Friday, October 17, 2008
Fasting, Friends and Farming
Has is only been five weeks? It feels like so much has happened, I’m not sure where to start. I guess there was that one time when…
I fasted for two weeks of Ramadan with the Muslim majority of my community and was reminded that although not religious myself, sharing an important religious practice can be an incredible way to absorb the local culture, a chance to learn how to cook delicious Katsepy Muslim dishes, to eat and converse with more families, be dressed up and send to the mosque, and to become a connected part of an extended family. Unexpected things to share: Fasting during the daylight hours of Ramadan, Katsepy style, actually means saving as much room in your stomach for the feast you’re going to have each night, complete with many coconut specialties. Arabic songs shared during Islamic mass are beautiful and soulful, and the traditional hand-shaking ritual is one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had in a church setting. The women’s finest robes come out for Friday mass, even though they pray in a separate room from the men.
A friend from Seattle, Elise, came to visit and hung out with me in Katsepy for a week. And we had a wonderful time climbing coconut and mango trees, tending the garden, transplanting rice, taking pictures to create a Katsepy photo journal, fossil hunting on the beach, and an amazing day spent walking to the lighthouse and hanging out with those lemurs – I’ve had great views while munching on cheese and crackers (a splurge) before but never one quite so animated or curious or downright cute – we’re talking baby lemur cute, trucking around on mama’s back or just learning how to jump.
I got an awesome care package from friends back home in Seattle via Elise. You all rock! Letters, pictures, friendship bracelets, books, music, games, chocolate and mac and cheese…what else could I ask for?! Thank you all so much! Thinking of you lots and always sending my love.
I spent 24 hours on a bush taxi after a rather wet ‘ferry’ ride in order to make it across the country to the wetter east coast for the annual PC Tamatave Bike Race and AIDS sensitization, where I saw many fellow PCV’s, did condom demos complete with wooden penis in front of groups of truck drivers, acted as water girl to speeding by bike racers, witnessed the combined hilarity and seriousness of the rickshaw race, ate pizza and ice cream, and went out dancing!
Elise and I visited Ankarafanstika National Park, exploring the last of Madagascar’s western dry deciduous forest and a really cool canyon carved out of bright red and orange sandstones. Got to check out loads of lizards, chamelons, turtles, and lemurs – spent a whole morning following the lemur highway from our tent to the turtle nesting grounds. And we suffered ‘only’ two flat tires on the bush taxi ride home.
With five Katsepy families, planted my own plot of rice using improved farming techniques and afterwards threw a transplanting party…complete with coke and cookies and lots of picture taking. And the rice is still alive and growing…harvest expected for December!
I learned the hard way how to properly transplant vegetables in my garden…though I must say I learned more in the one week after approximately 66.6% of my first round of vegetable transplants died than the entire month of lead-up reading. Forced to confess my lack of prior experience and to ask advice from all the farmers around my garden plot, I got a firmer grasp on locally suited techniques. And even better, I now have farmers more frequently visiting my plot, checking up on me and expressing greater interest now that they have invested some time into my garden. Seeing their existing techniques used to successfully plant vegetable crops new to the region has encouraged them to try little experiments in their own gardens. And now I have tasty little bok choi plants, melons, baby tomato and eggplants, and with any luck a few cabbage plants.
I discovered eating more than one mango (read:3-4) a day leads to a minor allergic reaction causing my skin to itch like crazy – can’t have it all I guess…bloody karma. But…jackfruits are freshly in season too…delicious!
I ‘did away’ with the four mice living in my house only to realize that they were very likely the reason I hadn’t seen the gigantic, super scary spiders in my house for a while. An unexpected symbiotic relationship?
It rained in Katsepy…complete with thunder lightening and a pretty wicked sunset.
Woot! Well that is pretty much the update from this side of the world. Hope everyone is doing well back home and not becoming too stressed with the election hoopla in the States. I miss you all very much…always great to receive letters and hear the news. Thanks again to Elise for an awesome visit and for bringing so many fun things from friends back home. Thanks to those who gave donations as well…I’m beginning to teach environment education classes this week and am hoping to have the Environment Ed Club’s first project be a school tree nursery…the amount donated should be more than enough to cover costs plus some! I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the project.
And finally pretty cute story to share…Elise was asked repeatedly how my mom and the rest of my family was doing back in the States, because of course, if she was a good enough friend to come and visit, she must know all of them. :) She was also asked to send Katsepy hello’s back to friends and family in the States. In the off chance you all reading this blog don’t actually know Elise, consider this your hello from Tara’s Katsepy friends and family! Sending much love and positive thoughts to all. Have a great upcoming Halloween celebration, possibly with a lemur costume contribution? :)
Love and Peace,
Tara
I fasted for two weeks of Ramadan with the Muslim majority of my community and was reminded that although not religious myself, sharing an important religious practice can be an incredible way to absorb the local culture, a chance to learn how to cook delicious Katsepy Muslim dishes, to eat and converse with more families, be dressed up and send to the mosque, and to become a connected part of an extended family. Unexpected things to share: Fasting during the daylight hours of Ramadan, Katsepy style, actually means saving as much room in your stomach for the feast you’re going to have each night, complete with many coconut specialties. Arabic songs shared during Islamic mass are beautiful and soulful, and the traditional hand-shaking ritual is one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had in a church setting. The women’s finest robes come out for Friday mass, even though they pray in a separate room from the men.
A friend from Seattle, Elise, came to visit and hung out with me in Katsepy for a week. And we had a wonderful time climbing coconut and mango trees, tending the garden, transplanting rice, taking pictures to create a Katsepy photo journal, fossil hunting on the beach, and an amazing day spent walking to the lighthouse and hanging out with those lemurs – I’ve had great views while munching on cheese and crackers (a splurge) before but never one quite so animated or curious or downright cute – we’re talking baby lemur cute, trucking around on mama’s back or just learning how to jump.
I got an awesome care package from friends back home in Seattle via Elise. You all rock! Letters, pictures, friendship bracelets, books, music, games, chocolate and mac and cheese…what else could I ask for?! Thank you all so much! Thinking of you lots and always sending my love.
I spent 24 hours on a bush taxi after a rather wet ‘ferry’ ride in order to make it across the country to the wetter east coast for the annual PC Tamatave Bike Race and AIDS sensitization, where I saw many fellow PCV’s, did condom demos complete with wooden penis in front of groups of truck drivers, acted as water girl to speeding by bike racers, witnessed the combined hilarity and seriousness of the rickshaw race, ate pizza and ice cream, and went out dancing!
Elise and I visited Ankarafanstika National Park, exploring the last of Madagascar’s western dry deciduous forest and a really cool canyon carved out of bright red and orange sandstones. Got to check out loads of lizards, chamelons, turtles, and lemurs – spent a whole morning following the lemur highway from our tent to the turtle nesting grounds. And we suffered ‘only’ two flat tires on the bush taxi ride home.
With five Katsepy families, planted my own plot of rice using improved farming techniques and afterwards threw a transplanting party…complete with coke and cookies and lots of picture taking. And the rice is still alive and growing…harvest expected for December!
I learned the hard way how to properly transplant vegetables in my garden…though I must say I learned more in the one week after approximately 66.6% of my first round of vegetable transplants died than the entire month of lead-up reading. Forced to confess my lack of prior experience and to ask advice from all the farmers around my garden plot, I got a firmer grasp on locally suited techniques. And even better, I now have farmers more frequently visiting my plot, checking up on me and expressing greater interest now that they have invested some time into my garden. Seeing their existing techniques used to successfully plant vegetable crops new to the region has encouraged them to try little experiments in their own gardens. And now I have tasty little bok choi plants, melons, baby tomato and eggplants, and with any luck a few cabbage plants.
I discovered eating more than one mango (read:3-4) a day leads to a minor allergic reaction causing my skin to itch like crazy – can’t have it all I guess…bloody karma. But…jackfruits are freshly in season too…delicious!
I ‘did away’ with the four mice living in my house only to realize that they were very likely the reason I hadn’t seen the gigantic, super scary spiders in my house for a while. An unexpected symbiotic relationship?
It rained in Katsepy…complete with thunder lightening and a pretty wicked sunset.
Woot! Well that is pretty much the update from this side of the world. Hope everyone is doing well back home and not becoming too stressed with the election hoopla in the States. I miss you all very much…always great to receive letters and hear the news. Thanks again to Elise for an awesome visit and for bringing so many fun things from friends back home. Thanks to those who gave donations as well…I’m beginning to teach environment education classes this week and am hoping to have the Environment Ed Club’s first project be a school tree nursery…the amount donated should be more than enough to cover costs plus some! I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the project.
And finally pretty cute story to share…Elise was asked repeatedly how my mom and the rest of my family was doing back in the States, because of course, if she was a good enough friend to come and visit, she must know all of them. :) She was also asked to send Katsepy hello’s back to friends and family in the States. In the off chance you all reading this blog don’t actually know Elise, consider this your hello from Tara’s Katsepy friends and family! Sending much love and positive thoughts to all. Have a great upcoming Halloween celebration, possibly with a lemur costume contribution? :)
Love and Peace,
Tara
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Hot Days and Upside Down Nights
It is hot in Katsepy…I’d tell you just how hot, but my thermometer only goes to 120 degrees F. I requested the thermometer (thanks Grandma and Grandpa) thinking it would be cool to record daily temp and rainfall…I’m pretty sure the record will remain fairly consistent, at least until cyclone season…Temp=120, rainfall=0mm. The fact that I get goosebumps when it drops to 80 in the evenings is just one way in which my overall perspective on things is changing within this Peace Corps adventure. Things I’ve grown accustomed to (almost):
About a gazillion kids/babies running around that I can play with, have the patience to talk with me, and generally keep me sane and happy (and that wear minimal clothing, with at least one per week that will either pee directly on my leg or close enough for splashback).
A pathway of sand wherever I plan on walking with the occasional coconut obstacle (no joke, ‘solid’ ground feels weird to me now).
Being the only person in town consistently aware of what day of the week/time it is.
Things not being used as originally intended/in new and creative ways (example: half a fan cover used as a basket for potatoes).
Feeling like I have an second head or some other extra appendage that makes me stick out instantly…oh wait, it is just my skin/hair/eye color.
Being sung to sleep each night by a symphony of geckos, insects and other as of yet unidentified creatures.
Total disregard for gravity and incredible feats of balance around each corner (seriously? A giant bag of rice/basket of eggs/bucket of pineapples…on your head?!).
Intermittent electricity that incites cheers of glee from the children when it comes on (Katsepy has a generator that provides electricity for a couple hours in the evening…when there is gas to run it).
Eating copious amounts of starches…rice, potatoes, other impressively large tubers, bread, with spoon as the one and only necessary utensil.
Being aware and responsive to the phases of the moon, as well as viewing it and the rest of the night sky upside down.
The act of obtaining drinkable water being a time consuming process…fetching well water, filtering it, and adding a generous dose of chlorine.
Only washing my hair once or twice a week, but scrubbing my feet with a brush every night (bucket showers only).
Having to describe things like squirrels, drying machines and McDonalds.
Going on long and arduous hunts for exotic foods, like raisins, peanut butter or cornmeal, but having ridiculous quantities of coconuts and mangoes in my front yard.
Having callused hands not just from gardening by also from hand washing clothes in a bucket…I think they get clean.
Being totally unaware of world news (what is going on these days…anyone what to fill me in?)
Explaining that not all white people are French, and that not all Americans are from either LA or NY, and that there are many different types of Americans.
In addition to internet, cold beverages and ice cream being a really big treat each month during banking time.
The smell of burning always…trash, plastic, wood, charcoal.
Naptime.
Not knowing what I’m doing most of the time, but enjoying myself anyway, making friends and stories all along the way.
In work news… It was my main goal to get well settled and integrated by last month’s training. Ok, check, done…what next? Life has slowed down considerably lately…the daily routine is interrupted by short and intense bursts of productivity, as I try to arrange meetings and get a larger project rolling with the community. I’m operating at a 50% success rate with regards to meetings, which is a considerable improvement (only every other meeting gets cancelled now, as opposed to all) and each meeting provides me with more and more information about the needs of the community, as well as serves as a chance to explain Peace Corps yet again. So, these leaves me in limbo mode, and slightly anxious to start something. School starts in a couple weeks, which I’m very excited about…I’ve already begun to hold weekly English classes, at first just to get everyone off my back about teaching, but I’m actually having a lot of fun with it…the kids are really in to it. All in all, if there was a schedule, I’d consider myself on track, and making the most of it. Love you all so much and thinking of you always! Oh, and to though who expressed concern about the whole malaria thing, thanks, I’ve been nothing but healthy since, and am not above waging war against my mosquito enemies…lots of bug spray battles and I seem to be winning. :) Have fun and eat some cheese for me!
With Peace and Love,
Tara Magnolia
PS…Thank you Mom, Grandma and Grandpa K, and Kyle for the wonderful packages full of America. Also, Grandpa S, Kurt and Gretchen for the letters, and Rex for the awesome collection of postcards…I’m just wondering why you didn’t hop over to Madagascar while you were at it? :)
About a gazillion kids/babies running around that I can play with, have the patience to talk with me, and generally keep me sane and happy (and that wear minimal clothing, with at least one per week that will either pee directly on my leg or close enough for splashback).
A pathway of sand wherever I plan on walking with the occasional coconut obstacle (no joke, ‘solid’ ground feels weird to me now).
Being the only person in town consistently aware of what day of the week/time it is.
Things not being used as originally intended/in new and creative ways (example: half a fan cover used as a basket for potatoes).
Feeling like I have an second head or some other extra appendage that makes me stick out instantly…oh wait, it is just my skin/hair/eye color.
Being sung to sleep each night by a symphony of geckos, insects and other as of yet unidentified creatures.
Total disregard for gravity and incredible feats of balance around each corner (seriously? A giant bag of rice/basket of eggs/bucket of pineapples…on your head?!).
Intermittent electricity that incites cheers of glee from the children when it comes on (Katsepy has a generator that provides electricity for a couple hours in the evening…when there is gas to run it).
Eating copious amounts of starches…rice, potatoes, other impressively large tubers, bread, with spoon as the one and only necessary utensil.
Being aware and responsive to the phases of the moon, as well as viewing it and the rest of the night sky upside down.
The act of obtaining drinkable water being a time consuming process…fetching well water, filtering it, and adding a generous dose of chlorine.
Only washing my hair once or twice a week, but scrubbing my feet with a brush every night (bucket showers only).
Having to describe things like squirrels, drying machines and McDonalds.
Going on long and arduous hunts for exotic foods, like raisins, peanut butter or cornmeal, but having ridiculous quantities of coconuts and mangoes in my front yard.
Having callused hands not just from gardening by also from hand washing clothes in a bucket…I think they get clean.
Being totally unaware of world news (what is going on these days…anyone what to fill me in?)
Explaining that not all white people are French, and that not all Americans are from either LA or NY, and that there are many different types of Americans.
In addition to internet, cold beverages and ice cream being a really big treat each month during banking time.
The smell of burning always…trash, plastic, wood, charcoal.
Naptime.
Not knowing what I’m doing most of the time, but enjoying myself anyway, making friends and stories all along the way.
In work news… It was my main goal to get well settled and integrated by last month’s training. Ok, check, done…what next? Life has slowed down considerably lately…the daily routine is interrupted by short and intense bursts of productivity, as I try to arrange meetings and get a larger project rolling with the community. I’m operating at a 50% success rate with regards to meetings, which is a considerable improvement (only every other meeting gets cancelled now, as opposed to all) and each meeting provides me with more and more information about the needs of the community, as well as serves as a chance to explain Peace Corps yet again. So, these leaves me in limbo mode, and slightly anxious to start something. School starts in a couple weeks, which I’m very excited about…I’ve already begun to hold weekly English classes, at first just to get everyone off my back about teaching, but I’m actually having a lot of fun with it…the kids are really in to it. All in all, if there was a schedule, I’d consider myself on track, and making the most of it. Love you all so much and thinking of you always! Oh, and to though who expressed concern about the whole malaria thing, thanks, I’ve been nothing but healthy since, and am not above waging war against my mosquito enemies…lots of bug spray battles and I seem to be winning. :) Have fun and eat some cheese for me!
With Peace and Love,
Tara Magnolia
PS…Thank you Mom, Grandma and Grandpa K, and Kyle for the wonderful packages full of America. Also, Grandpa S, Kurt and Gretchen for the letters, and Rex for the awesome collection of postcards…I’m just wondering why you didn’t hop over to Madagascar while you were at it? :)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Pictures!
Salam-a! How is everyone doing? I'm in the capitol, Tana, finishing up a week of training with my fellow stage mates. It's been great...catching up on stories, comparing experiences, sharing lessons learned, and just hanging out, eating good food, appreciating electricity and running water, and fast internet! So, finally with the capability to share, here are some pictures from site to give you a better idea of life in here in Madagascar.
~Family I work with a lot, gardening, rice farming, hanging out. This is a classic Malagasy picture....stand there and whatever you do, don't smile.
I love you all! Hugs and kisses from Madagascar! Hope everyone is having loads of fun!
Yours,
Tara Magnolia
~Family I work with a lot, gardening, rice farming, hanging out. This is a classic Malagasy picture....stand there and whatever you do, don't smile.~Some girls charing a cultural dance on July 26, Madagascar's Independence Day and a big party day around the island.
~My lighthouse lemurs.
~The Cirque Rouge with my counterpart, Senator Bachir (center), and two friends, Farida and Faly. Fabulous crossbedding at this site. 
~The tamin-bary (rice paddy) I'm usually to be found at, the ladies who taught me how to transplant rice, and the view from my garden. See all those mango trees? Next month, baby!
~My house. Pretty adorable huh?
I love you all! Hugs and kisses from Madagascar! Hope everyone is having loads of fun!
Yours,
Tara Magnolia
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Dentists, Dinosaurs, and Demonstrations
Salamo! Man, things are really moving along here in Madagascar...I've just hit the three month mark as a PCV! Too much has happened over the last few weeks to go into a lengthy journalist account :) so today I'm going to try a new approach and highlight some of the most exciting events and biggest successes of July in Katsepy Part 2...coming to you from the Madagascar's sunny west coast...complete with a picture! ( slower-than-
molasses-photo-uploading and the largeness of my photos dictates this singularity...working on fixing this) Events listed in chronological order. :)
~Tara
PS. G'ma and G'pa K and Tiffany...I received your packages. Thank you so much...you rock! Letters are on their way.
molasses-photo-uploading and the largeness of my photos dictates this singularity...working on fixing this) Events listed in chronological order. :)
- Fitampoha in Mahajanga. My counterpart took me to this annual Sakalava cultural festival where the Sakalava royal family washes some of the remains of the first Sakalava king
in Madagascar. Everyone was dressed in their most extravagant lambas, there was a parade, dancing, singing, and even trombas (Sakalava fomba where a person is 'possessed' by the deceased and relays messages from beyond to the crowd watching...pretty wild). And if this picture would ever upload, you'd see that I was dressed and prepped by some ladies from my town to 'fit in' as best as possible. Although in my opinion, braided hair, salovana and kisaly only served to make me stick out more, especially while walking through the city of Mahajanga before arriving at the festival. Embarrassing? Maybe. Ridiculous? Probably. A moment to embrace and be proud of for all its embarrassing ridiculousness and total uniqueness? Definitely. And check out the beauty of my counterpart's wife (left) and the Sakalava princess (right).
- Stony Brook Dental Team visit to Katsepy was a great week complete with lots of conversations in English (!) and Malagasy, American food brought and shared by the team (oh peanut butter and pringles!), and more tooth extractions than I thought possible (in the thousands - top single mouth record:24 teeth! holy cow!). The team visited Katsepy last after a month of visits to rural villages and next to free dental care for those brave and smart enough to see this group of blue scrub cloaked, 'headlamp' wearing Americans. I helped out where I could...roughly translating, washing and sterilizing the instruments (a somewhat surreal transformation of my beaker and pipet tip washing days in the geochemistry lab), showing off Katsepy and the local lighthouse lemur family, and I even extracted a tooth...a nice loose lower incisor, right in front! The team did tremendous work and deserves much appreciation.
- I finally made it to the dinosaur site! No paleo-ing this time, but rather site development with the PC Environmental Program Associate Director, Stanislas. As the closest volunteer to the site, I'll be helping prepare the site for a new PCV coming with next year's Environment group. The visit was a lot of fun, with a community meeting under a tree, a visit to the exhibit and lots of shared enthusiasm between the village, the Ankizy Fund and Peace Corps. Felt very Peace Corps throughout.
- After Berivotra, Stan and super cool PC driver, Doda, came up to Katsepy with me to check things out at my site, and assess my progress thus far. Timing could not have been more perfect. The first day I was able to walk around town (which was positively buzzing with Sobahya Festival prep and people) with Stan, introducing him to my friends and mpiara-miasa's (people I work with), giving him a sneek peek of the work I'd done for the solar cooking demonstration, and getting advice about my garden and techniques/variations I can try next. It was great...not only was Stan very impressed with my integration and project progress so far, but he was very supportive and encouraging, giving great feedback on my first three months at site. Although, I have a number of 'independent' research projects under my belt, nothing has felt as truly independent as my PC work so far. Which can be somewhat liberating, but makes it hard to gauge your progress and recieve advice or answers to the many questions I have here in Katsepy. It was a very positive experience to have Stan there at site, especially the following day for the actual cooking demonstration!
- Sobahya and solar cooking/drying demo was incredible! Not only did tons of people pass by, but after they tried my free solar-baked cookies and cake, were genuinely interested in the cookers. I had built three for the demonstration and had food out on the drying rack as well. It is amazing...I've been talking about solar cooking since my arrival, but only after seeing the cookers, tasting the masaka (done) food, and feeling the heat from the pots did people really believe and begin to get excited. It was so fun...I was having a blast sharing with the crowd gathered around with the help of Doda (my Malagasy is still elementary at best), and even better was when a Malagasy person who had already heard the speel would begin explaining it to the next person to show up at my stand. I had handouts in Malagasy to give out, so hopefully the word will be spreading. With a few smaller cooking and oven building classes, I hope to actually get some cookers made and in use! How exciting...the demo, especially with PC's, my community's and my counterpart's presence and support was the perfect climax to my first three months at site.
- And Sobahya wasn't all 'work' either! Before the demo, all the lehibe's (big important people...Sakalava queen, mayor, etc) showed up, gave speeches, and we all enjoyed a number of performances from Malagasy and Comorian dancing and singing groups. And after the demo, I got to enjoy street side brochettes with my Malagasy friends and go out dancing...Malagasy singer Wawa was in Katsepy for the festival and they put on a awesome show from 10 at night until 4 in the morning! It was crazy...more people than I thought could fit in Katsepy dancing and celebrating...and with a number of friends for dance partners, I no longer felt like that awkward new girl at the school dance. :) Over a week later, and Katsepy is still in recovery from this full-out festival and Sakalava cultural event.
- I have beans in my garden! And cucumbers that should be ready for the eating in a week or so! Produce never tasted so fresh and delicious! And I get to experience the satisfaction of being at least somewhat competent in the world of organic gardening. Course, I need to try again with peppers and tomatoes, but hey, this is a learning process, right?!
- I have a site partner, of sorts! I just got to meet Lauren, the new Education Volunteer who is currently in training, but will be opening a new site in a village close to me starting at the end of this month. She passed through Katsepy on her way to visit Mitsinjo, and we hit it off right away. Somewhat isolated from the rest of Peace Corps Volunteers here in Katsepy, it will be great fun to have a friend close by to share the next two years, and to share the unique and culturally rich region I am luckly enough to live in.
~Tara
PS. G'ma and G'pa K and Tiffany...I received your packages. Thank you so much...you rock! Letters are on their way.
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