For the past 2.5 months I along with my fellow trainees have been
learning Malagasy, how to teach English as a foreign language, and the ins and
outs of Malagasy culture. Along the way through the generosity of our host
families and our community we have learned what it also means to become part of
the Malagasy family. There are so many stories I could share from the past few
months about how challenging, transformative, mundane, beautiful, unique, intense,
and quite simply unexplainable my time here has been so far. The highs are high
and the lows are low but I’m so thankful to be here and for the many amazing
relationships I formed already. I’m thankful for my host family who took such
good care of me and taught me how fun yet exhausting having three little sisters
can be. I’m thankful for all my new Peace Corps friends as they are now the
only people who really get everything I’m going through day to day since they
are sharing my experiences; we’re a diverse bunch but this experience really
brings people together and I couldn’t do this without them. I’m thankful for
the Peace Corps staff who have prepped us as much as possible and have been
patient with us as we navigate this new world. While I’m at it I’m also
incredibly thankful for all my friends and family back in the States. I’m not
the best at always communicating and it can be so easy to forget about people
when they live thousands of miles away but I have never felt that way. I LOVE
the way so many people have continued to stay in touch and shown their love
even with me living so far away. I’m incredibly thankful to be living here and
for the experiences I have had so far but it is definitely challenging being so
far away so thank you everyone for making the distance not seem so far! I’m
excited to be moving to my permanent site and can’t wait to share all about my
life there! I'm officially a Peace Corps Volunteer!!!
