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!!!
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Love at First Site?
Happy to be out of Tana, the ride to my site was as blissful as could be. The drive was beautiful; mountains and valleys of rice fields filled the landscape, the red dirt made the land pop contrasting with the deep green of the fields and forests. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the clouds were puffy and my heart was content as I stared out the window heading toward my new home. Even the bumpy 11 hour drive couldn't deter my uplifted spirit. The further north we went the more rural and African-esk the the drive became. This was exactly what I had wanted for my site. Around supper time we pulled up to my village and hopped off the taxi brousse and went to my host family's house. I was shown my room where I was welcomed by another women and two teenagers- a boy and a girl. I think somehow everyone was related but I couldn't understand all the connections. My host mom then left to fix dinner and the rest of us stared in silence not sure what to say to one another. This is when reality set in. This is happening. I'm in Madagascar, in a village, by myself, with no other Americans. From here on out for the rest of the night that blissful contented feeling was no where to be found. I was back to square one with meeting a new family and living in a new town and I was completely overwhelmed. Dinner was quiet and awkward and then it was time for bed. It wasn't until I was under the covers when I heard the first buzz of a mosquito (ugh) I had comoletely forgotten about putting up my mosquito net. As I looked around though I realized there wasn't a way for me to hang it anywhere. I tried to ignore the mosquitos for a while but to no avail; I was an open target and eventually I became desperate and just wrapped the net over myself and hoped for the best. It was hot and stuffy and had a weird smell but it beat the thought of malaria. (Ugh again!) I realized I had also forgotten to take my malaria medicine and so I unwrapped myself again hoping this would be my last interruption before falling asleep. I was wrong. Throughout the whole night dogs sounded like they were fighting right outside my window, pigs sounded like they were being castrated in the room next to mine and there were unidentified scratching noises coming from the roof, birds? Bats? Rats? I couldn't tell. Meanwhile the whole weight of what I had gotten myself into fell heavily on my head. So there I was, lying in this unfamiliar place, with these unfamiliar people, with a mosquito net acting as my comforter. What a start to an interesting week. Who knows what other misadventures lie ahead of me.
That was Saturday. Sunday came and went without any real mishaps. My host mom is wonderful and my brother knows a little English and is eager to help me learn Malagasy. Monday then I had planned to meet with the director of the association I would he teaching at. The form I received about my site said that it was an association for ill treated women. When I got there though the class meeting had adult males and females in their early 20s I'd say. I was a little confused about this but hoped I'd get it figured out later. I talked with the director for a bit and she showed me the curriculum and explained I was going to help with the students pronunciations when I taught here. She showed me the curriculum and then took me to a little office, opened up to lesson 1 and said something about me doing a presentation for the students. (Uh...what?!?) Much of our conversation I didn't understand but like I've said in a previous post, I sometimes just have to take little bits of what I think I know and run with it so there I was sitting in this office all alone creating a lesson plan. She said she would give me 40 minutes. (It took about 10 based on what the curriculum was saying to do). Also I should add, we haven't done any training yet on how to teach English, all of that is happening once we get back from our visit...
So basically long story short, I go to this class, the director leaves me there alone with this class full of students and I proceed to give the lesson. When I was done I leave and go look for the director thinking my job was done for the day but apparently it wasn't long enough because we go back in, sit at the front of the classroom where she has each of them (in English) tell me about their daily routine which apparently she had wanted me to fix their pronunciations as they went but my jaw was too low on the floor during all this to say anything because I had been under the impression based on what I had been told about the association is that students here wouldn't have had any exposure to English and would be at the most basic level of learning English. The class then had a Q and A time where (in English) they asked more about who I was and why I was there. Mind you all of this happened after I had just given a lesson on how to say hello, my name is, and nice to meet you... After talking with the director again I found out the association is actually a professional development school similar to a university and these students do in fact know quite a bit of English. So much so that one student raised his hand and asked if I'm single. (This was yet another time I just had to roll with the punches). I didn't answer but said that I was there to teach and only teach, but as most of you reading this probably know, sternness isn't my strong suit so who knows whether that message really got across to them or not. It had caught me completely off guard so come December life could get real interesting. But of course my adventures didn't end there.
Later that day I went to visit the mayor of my town and introduce myself so he knew a "vezah" would be living there. During our meeting for the fourth time that day, he also asked if I was married or had a sipa* and then from what I understood he told me he had three wives. (Three women were coming in and out of the house and each one he claimed was his wife/sipa- which just to clarify is not legal in Madagascar but I'm not one to tell that to my new mayor...) All of this was being discussed while we were drinking tea and breaking bread together (I felt like a royal guest). He also asked to take a picture with me because he wanted and I quote, "a souvenir" (Like I've said, life here is interesting). I left the meeting utterly confused but then asked my host mom if he was joking about the whole 3 wives thing and she said he was (whew, apparently my Malagasy sarcasm game needs some work). We then walked around the market where I am still the center of attention and was asked half a dozen more times if I have a sipa. It was after this that I decided that when I come back for good I will in fact have gotten a "sipa" while I was gone (we were told girls should probably tell people that we do anyway but I'm a terrible lier and I didn't realize how often I'd get asked).
I think this week was my first real experience of culture shock. I couldn't walk down the street without getting called vazah everywhere I went or getting asked if I have a sipa or getting spoken to in French and having to explain that I was actually American and spoke English and a little Malagasy. I think I came into this week thinking that, like my ride over here everything would be easy and pure bliss and that I would automatically fall in love with my site. But I should have known better; good things take time and slowly but surely as the week progressed little moments would occur where living here didn't feel as completely overwhelming. It was the times in the market (every single time) that my host mom would introduce me to people and correct them that I wasn't a vezah and that I would be living here with them (she is such an incredible lady). It was the times when I then began to be greeted by my name rather than vezah and I could tell people were trying to make me feel comfortable (tamana). It was the first time I went to my school and I saw it sitting in front of a beautiful mountain and a soccer field right in front of it and I realized how wonderful walking to school would be every day. It was the same conversations with my mom and brother where I was understanding what was being said and just felt so cared for by them. It was the exchanges between my brothers and I as they taught me Malagasy and I taught them English (and I told them about tacos and promised to make them once I returned!). It was the time playing soccer with a group of kids and gaining their trust and friendship. It was all these little moments and more added up that by the end if the week I realized I really do love this place and the way it continually challenges me and pushes me further out of my comfort zone. I was completely overwhelmed at first, and frankly still a bit, but there's so much good and wonderful people here that I can't wait to spend the next two years living here. What a journey!
That was Saturday. Sunday came and went without any real mishaps. My host mom is wonderful and my brother knows a little English and is eager to help me learn Malagasy. Monday then I had planned to meet with the director of the association I would he teaching at. The form I received about my site said that it was an association for ill treated women. When I got there though the class meeting had adult males and females in their early 20s I'd say. I was a little confused about this but hoped I'd get it figured out later. I talked with the director for a bit and she showed me the curriculum and explained I was going to help with the students pronunciations when I taught here. She showed me the curriculum and then took me to a little office, opened up to lesson 1 and said something about me doing a presentation for the students. (Uh...what?!?) Much of our conversation I didn't understand but like I've said in a previous post, I sometimes just have to take little bits of what I think I know and run with it so there I was sitting in this office all alone creating a lesson plan. She said she would give me 40 minutes. (It took about 10 based on what the curriculum was saying to do). Also I should add, we haven't done any training yet on how to teach English, all of that is happening once we get back from our visit...
So basically long story short, I go to this class, the director leaves me there alone with this class full of students and I proceed to give the lesson. When I was done I leave and go look for the director thinking my job was done for the day but apparently it wasn't long enough because we go back in, sit at the front of the classroom where she has each of them (in English) tell me about their daily routine which apparently she had wanted me to fix their pronunciations as they went but my jaw was too low on the floor during all this to say anything because I had been under the impression based on what I had been told about the association is that students here wouldn't have had any exposure to English and would be at the most basic level of learning English. The class then had a Q and A time where (in English) they asked more about who I was and why I was there. Mind you all of this happened after I had just given a lesson on how to say hello, my name is, and nice to meet you... After talking with the director again I found out the association is actually a professional development school similar to a university and these students do in fact know quite a bit of English. So much so that one student raised his hand and asked if I'm single. (This was yet another time I just had to roll with the punches). I didn't answer but said that I was there to teach and only teach, but as most of you reading this probably know, sternness isn't my strong suit so who knows whether that message really got across to them or not. It had caught me completely off guard so come December life could get real interesting. But of course my adventures didn't end there.
Later that day I went to visit the mayor of my town and introduce myself so he knew a "vezah" would be living there. During our meeting for the fourth time that day, he also asked if I was married or had a sipa* and then from what I understood he told me he had three wives. (Three women were coming in and out of the house and each one he claimed was his wife/sipa- which just to clarify is not legal in Madagascar but I'm not one to tell that to my new mayor...) All of this was being discussed while we were drinking tea and breaking bread together (I felt like a royal guest). He also asked to take a picture with me because he wanted and I quote, "a souvenir" (Like I've said, life here is interesting). I left the meeting utterly confused but then asked my host mom if he was joking about the whole 3 wives thing and she said he was (whew, apparently my Malagasy sarcasm game needs some work). We then walked around the market where I am still the center of attention and was asked half a dozen more times if I have a sipa. It was after this that I decided that when I come back for good I will in fact have gotten a "sipa" while I was gone (we were told girls should probably tell people that we do anyway but I'm a terrible lier and I didn't realize how often I'd get asked).
I think this week was my first real experience of culture shock. I couldn't walk down the street without getting called vazah everywhere I went or getting asked if I have a sipa or getting spoken to in French and having to explain that I was actually American and spoke English and a little Malagasy. I think I came into this week thinking that, like my ride over here everything would be easy and pure bliss and that I would automatically fall in love with my site. But I should have known better; good things take time and slowly but surely as the week progressed little moments would occur where living here didn't feel as completely overwhelming. It was the times in the market (every single time) that my host mom would introduce me to people and correct them that I wasn't a vezah and that I would be living here with them (she is such an incredible lady). It was the times when I then began to be greeted by my name rather than vezah and I could tell people were trying to make me feel comfortable (tamana). It was the first time I went to my school and I saw it sitting in front of a beautiful mountain and a soccer field right in front of it and I realized how wonderful walking to school would be every day. It was the same conversations with my mom and brother where I was understanding what was being said and just felt so cared for by them. It was the exchanges between my brothers and I as they taught me Malagasy and I taught them English (and I told them about tacos and promised to make them once I returned!). It was the time playing soccer with a group of kids and gaining their trust and friendship. It was all these little moments and more added up that by the end if the week I realized I really do love this place and the way it continually challenges me and pushes me further out of my comfort zone. I was completely overwhelmed at first, and frankly still a bit, but there's so much good and wonderful people here that I can't wait to spend the next two years living here. What a journey!
Not in Kansas Anymore
Picture this: it's spring and a cute baby bird has just hatched. It's growing little by little and has been nurtured by it's mom for a few weeks now and life has been good. But all of a sudden week 6 hits and boom! Mama bird is shoving that little Birdy out of it's nest with no support thereafter. Birdy better learn how to fly pretty quick or things with go downhill fast for poor little Birdy.If you were able to picture that then you have a pretty accurate representation of how last week felt.
I think I've said it before but the transition to living in Madagascar was fairly smooth for me. My host family is great and super patient with me. I have an amazing group of fellow trainees. I haven't gotten the case of the double dragging* yet*. The town we're in is friendly and use to having foreigners in it . We're surrounded by great support staff. We haven't had to travel yet etc etc. In short life has been pretty easy for us this far. In fact many people would argue we actually get babied at times. Others compare our lives to the Truman show which at times does feel like a pretty accurate description. But then the week of site visit comes and all that we once knew was whisked away from us as we loaded onto a bus without any PC staff and headed to the capital city, Antananarivo. We arrived in Tana a little before dark but found out our bus driver thought we were getting dropped off at the PC office not our hotels so we had our first experience of trying to communicate directions to places none of us have actually ever been to. When it came time for my group to get dropped off the driver said he had passed our hotel but traffic was too heavy to turn around so we we unloaded on the side of the road and headed in the direction he said our hotel was (none of us had actually seen the hotel though or even knew how long ago we passed it so we had very little reference points). We walked for a while and tried asking people if they knew where it was but each time got conflicting answers and so we were basically walking aimlessly for almost an hour until we found a number for the hotel and thankfully the manager spoke English and said he would come try to find us. Eventually we were indeed found and made our way to our hotel and found food nearby. As I was enjoying my first non-rice meal of pizza and gelato I couldn't help but think to myself, we're definitely not in Mantasoa anymore...
The next day trying to meet up with my host mom was equally as crazy as the day before. A taxi picked up me and another trainee from our hotel and we were accompanied by her host dad and we were dropped off at the taxi brousse station. We had made plans to also meet my host mom there but after 45 minutes of her still not being there I began to get worried. The city was crowded and noisy and was completely overwhelming to me. I had absolutely no way of contacting her and didn't really know where I was going. Eventually the host dad started wandering around and found her at a different brousse station and so once reunited I loaded my luggage and happily left the city.
*Double dragging- suffering from diarrhea and vomitting at the same time
*Yet- because it's bound to happen eventually
I think I've said it before but the transition to living in Madagascar was fairly smooth for me. My host family is great and super patient with me. I have an amazing group of fellow trainees. I haven't gotten the case of the double dragging* yet*. The town we're in is friendly and use to having foreigners in it . We're surrounded by great support staff. We haven't had to travel yet etc etc. In short life has been pretty easy for us this far. In fact many people would argue we actually get babied at times. Others compare our lives to the Truman show which at times does feel like a pretty accurate description. But then the week of site visit comes and all that we once knew was whisked away from us as we loaded onto a bus without any PC staff and headed to the capital city, Antananarivo. We arrived in Tana a little before dark but found out our bus driver thought we were getting dropped off at the PC office not our hotels so we had our first experience of trying to communicate directions to places none of us have actually ever been to. When it came time for my group to get dropped off the driver said he had passed our hotel but traffic was too heavy to turn around so we we unloaded on the side of the road and headed in the direction he said our hotel was (none of us had actually seen the hotel though or even knew how long ago we passed it so we had very little reference points). We walked for a while and tried asking people if they knew where it was but each time got conflicting answers and so we were basically walking aimlessly for almost an hour until we found a number for the hotel and thankfully the manager spoke English and said he would come try to find us. Eventually we were indeed found and made our way to our hotel and found food nearby. As I was enjoying my first non-rice meal of pizza and gelato I couldn't help but think to myself, we're definitely not in Mantasoa anymore...
The next day trying to meet up with my host mom was equally as crazy as the day before. A taxi picked up me and another trainee from our hotel and we were accompanied by her host dad and we were dropped off at the taxi brousse station. We had made plans to also meet my host mom there but after 45 minutes of her still not being there I began to get worried. The city was crowded and noisy and was completely overwhelming to me. I had absolutely no way of contacting her and didn't really know where I was going. Eventually the host dad started wandering around and found her at a different brousse station and so once reunited I loaded my luggage and happily left the city.
*Double dragging- suffering from diarrhea and vomitting at the same time
*Yet- because it's bound to happen eventually
Rolling with the Punches
Life here is interesting to say the least. Being thrown into a new culture you're forced to adapt rather quickly. Living here now for about 6 weeks there has definitely been things that happen that completely catch me off guard and many of these turn into some pretty funny moments. Some things that happen have become normal to me and I don't even think twice about unless I begin to think back to my life in the US while other things as soon as they happen force me to just laugh and think how crazy it is that this is now my life. For instance nearly every day at some point as I'm walking down the street I end up playing chicken with a chicken, I have to dodge massive piles of cow poop, I have to run away from geese because they are ruthless beings, and I'm asked a minimum of three times what my name is by little kids. These are the things that have just become normal. But then there's the time I was walking to class with a group of trainees when as we begin to pass a big cow it suddenly decides to charge at us and forces us to run for our lives into the ditch (still not sure how all of us made it out alive and unscathed from the rogue omby) forever causing all of us to have severe distrust of all cows thereafter. Or the time I was walking to class alone just minding my own business and I was approached by a woman who said something to me about buying something. I didn't quite catch what she was saying so I asked her to repeat herself and that's when she opens up the bag she's carrying and asks me if I want to buy the two live chickens that are lying in it. I politely declined. Or there was also the time our little neighbor kids were hanging out at our house after lunch and the youngest one steps out of the house onto the porch and just pops a squat and starts peeing right there on the porch. Once my sister noticed she took them and carried them to the edge she they could pee off the edge instead. Often times living here just means smiling and nodding and acting like everything is normal. This is basically my survival technique as I am lucky to understand much of anything that is being said. I just try to pick out words I understand and then base the conversation off that. Sometimes I'm right and can hold a conversation other times I tell someone yes when they ask how I am doing...
If there's one thing that I've learned about myself these last few weeks is that I just have to constantly be able to laugh at myself and just roll with the punches.
If there's one thing that I've learned about myself these last few weeks is that I just have to constantly be able to laugh at myself and just roll with the punches.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Little Victories
Even on the rough days or slow weeks here, something happens
or something is said every single day that just reconfirms why I’m here and
that I’m meant to be here (I’ve started journaling these things which I call my
little victories- things that just brighten my day and give me a sense of
purpose). Last week was our site announcement week and so everyone was on edge
and looking forward to Friday so we would find out where we would be spending
our two years and we were all giddy to find out. This week though we all kind
of hit our slump and for some reason a lot of us have gotten bed bugs or fleas
and a pesky cold has hit many of us (neither of which has affected me yet *knock
on wood) but still, I know in my experience this week at times was a drag.
Earlier this week we talked in one of our sessions about ways
once we can get to our site that can make our experience better and less lonely
and one of the big things we hit on was integration. Basically it could be summarized
in that we need to get to know the people in our community and make connections
in any way we can whether that be befriending the person we get coffee from or regularly
going to the market to interact with people (which disclaimer, at times seems
super intimidating to me because I can still barely going to our local episeraries
without stumbling on my Malagasy so going to site and being on my own can seem
like a goliath of a transition sometimes). However, I got a glimpse firsthand
of what integration could look like this week and for me it was one of my “little
victories” (LV).
On Thursdays we go to the Peace Corps Training Center all
day until 5 instead of our regular session spots and then going home for lunch.
Thursdays for me are always a nice little escape because we also don’t have
language class and so it’s like a little brain break. Well this Thursday one of
our sessions got cancelled and so we had an extra couple hours at the end of
the day and a group decided to play volleyball and a bunch of the guys that
work at the PCTC came and played as well. It was super fun and those extra
endorphins gave me a nice little boost. The guys we were playing with were all great
and were asking me about how I was liking Madagascar and just making nice
little small talk anytime I was out on a sub. One time too I was just juggling
with the extra ball and the other sub came and started juggling with me too and
little things like that just always make me feel more and more like I’m fitting
in and making a friend. However my LV showed up the next day when I was walking
to one of my sessions. It’s normal in most places when walking down the street
to say hello to most people you pass. The Malagasy are super friendly and it’s
just a sign of respect. I don’t know them but it’s just kind of what you do. This
day however, as I was approaching a group of around 5-6 men I was planning on
just slipping by them. They were all talking and I just didn’t feel like saying
hi. But then once I got closer I realized I recognized most of them. They were many
of the guys playing volleyball with me the day before! Their faces also lit up in
recognition and we exchanged a cheerful greeting. I thought back to our integration
session and I realized how important these little friendships are going to be
during my service. It feels really good to feel a part of a community and
seeing these guys around town these past couple days has been a nice reminder that
when I take the time to get to know people it personalizes my interactions so
instead of seeing a daunting group of unknown men, instead I see friends. So my
little victory was realizing I can integrate into my community and that it’s
not as scary as it might seem at times.
I Forget
So much has changed so fast over the past few weeks and as
my life here begins to feel normal there are just some things that I used to do
that now I don’t even think about or things that never happened in the US that
now are unavoidable to think about. For instance:
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to go somewhere and blend in
with the crowd
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to come home and be able to
scroll on social media (imagine the hardship of actually having to interact
with people all day…)
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to walk down the street and
not be holding some little person’s hand
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have to leave the room at night
when you have to go to the bathroom (shoutout to my handy dandy PO!)
-I’ve also forgotten what it’s like though to not overthink
all your poops and the frequency of your poops in order to make sure you’re
still healthy and the unforgiving rice hasn’t gotten the best of you
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to play soccer on a well manicured
turf field- fields scattered with omby (cow) poop make the game much more
interesting- especially if you’re barefoot
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to sleep in a bed not covered
by a mosquito net (or in my case I like to think of it as my rat shield)
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be able to drive wherever
you want to go
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have running water (I currently
have electricity but come time to move to my site that will no longer be the
case)
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to sleep in past 6am
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to not be scared when woken
up by a giant cockroach but rather relieved because that meant the sounds you
heard were that rather than a rat…
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to rain (we’re now going
three weeks strong with no rain here- this is just temporary though, rainy
season is fast approaching)
-I’ve forgotten what it’s like to not eat rice twice a day
(Malagasy love them their vary)
*But most importantly I’ve forgotten what it’s like to only have
one country to call home. Gosh I love this place!
Daily Life
Whenever in the past I have traveled everyday looks different as I try to explore the new place. This experience has been very unique in that I have formed a routine and many of my days look quite similar which has helped make moving to a foreign land feel much more normal.
All of us (us being my 41 other trainees) are currently staying with host families that live in the town that we are doing our Pre-Service Training in. It's three months long and is preparing us to be able to live on our own and to teach English as a foreign language. My host family consists of my mama and dada and three sisters ages 15, 13, and 6. My whole family is amazing and have been so patient with me as I stumble my way through the Malagasy language. We also have little neighbors all under the age of 5 that come over often and are quite the entertainment. We eat rice twice a day and sometimes also for breakfast but I really haven't had anything I don't like. I eat quite well here. Too many carbs though doesn't exist here.
On an average day I wake up at 5:20 and head out for a run. Some days I meet up with people others I'm on my own. Every morning my family has breakfast at 6:30 so I get back from my run a little before that in order to shower in my lodosy. My family spoils me and gives me warm water for my bucket shower. After breakfast we just hang out a little and then I leave my house around 7:30 for my language class at 8. (It's only like a 15 minute walk but I like to get there early and chat). Our language classes are small, there's only 4-5 people in a class which is definitely nice. Our first session goes from 8-10, we get a half hour break where we walk around and meet up with friends and then go back to language class until 12. We have another break from 12-2 where we eat lunch back at home and hang out with our families. Then we have two more sessions in the afternoon until 5. After that I either go straight home or I stay and just talk with friends for a while (as much as I love my host family it is exhausting going all day in sessions and then having to go home and still have to think about everything you're saying and is being said to you). Once I get home I sometimes help with dinner or if the girls are around they request to play Uno which I taught them how to play. Dinner is around 6:30 and after we get done clearing the table we sometimes play more Uno but more often than not I'm so tired after our day that I just go to my room for bed. I'm almost always without fail in bed by 8 and then after reading and journaling for a bit I'm easily asleep by 9 and then the process starts all over again.
All of us (us being my 41 other trainees) are currently staying with host families that live in the town that we are doing our Pre-Service Training in. It's three months long and is preparing us to be able to live on our own and to teach English as a foreign language. My host family consists of my mama and dada and three sisters ages 15, 13, and 6. My whole family is amazing and have been so patient with me as I stumble my way through the Malagasy language. We also have little neighbors all under the age of 5 that come over often and are quite the entertainment. We eat rice twice a day and sometimes also for breakfast but I really haven't had anything I don't like. I eat quite well here. Too many carbs though doesn't exist here.
On an average day I wake up at 5:20 and head out for a run. Some days I meet up with people others I'm on my own. Every morning my family has breakfast at 6:30 so I get back from my run a little before that in order to shower in my lodosy. My family spoils me and gives me warm water for my bucket shower. After breakfast we just hang out a little and then I leave my house around 7:30 for my language class at 8. (It's only like a 15 minute walk but I like to get there early and chat). Our language classes are small, there's only 4-5 people in a class which is definitely nice. Our first session goes from 8-10, we get a half hour break where we walk around and meet up with friends and then go back to language class until 12. We have another break from 12-2 where we eat lunch back at home and hang out with our families. Then we have two more sessions in the afternoon until 5. After that I either go straight home or I stay and just talk with friends for a while (as much as I love my host family it is exhausting going all day in sessions and then having to go home and still have to think about everything you're saying and is being said to you). Once I get home I sometimes help with dinner or if the girls are around they request to play Uno which I taught them how to play. Dinner is around 6:30 and after we get done clearing the table we sometimes play more Uno but more often than not I'm so tired after our day that I just go to my room for bed. I'm almost always without fail in bed by 8 and then after reading and journaling for a bit I'm easily asleep by 9 and then the process starts all over again.
A Single Story 9/18/18
I'm often one to believe that it's the little moments in life that come to define us. Those moments that at the time seem extra ordinary but looking back feel extraordinary. Having been in Madagascar now for a couple weeks there have already been so many of those moments. It's the first time my youngest sister felt comfortable enough with me to hold my hand. It's the times I walk around after class with people who I now call friends and we are able to share our trials and tribulations of being in a new culture. It's the times around the dinner table that the whole family is laughing and joking around as we play our millionth game of Uno. It's my mornings run where I have time to reflect on the beauty of my astounding surroundings. It's the time spent tickling and getting tickled by my sisters. It's the times I walk to class and get a warm greeting from everyone I pass. It's times like these that remind me of the universal language of love, joy and friendship.
Today at one of our sessions we watched the TedTalk "The Dangers of a Single Story" and one of the things it talked about was how a single story emphasizes the differences rather than our similarities. Since being in Madagascar I've been reminded that humans are humans and we tend to have so many more similarities than differences. It never fails to blow my mind how truly universal so many of our good human instincts are. Basically what the danger of a single story means is that when we generalize or make assumptions about groups of people or places we get a very incomplete picture and often make very inaccurate assumptions. Today we talked about how this relates to being in the Peace Corps and living in a new place. There are so many facets around the dangers of a single story but a couple in particular stood out to me. One of them was how as volunteers we choose to portray our time here in Madagascar. In my experience a lot of people back in the US don't really know much about Madagascar or the Peace Corps. My group here often jokes about how all of us have been asked a million times about the movie and while we know it's usually just a joke, being here now I feel a responsibility to share more about this amazing country as well as the Peace Corps and to do so in an authentic and real way.
Not every day do I have amazing moments where I am walking down the streets hand in hand with a toko of children. Some days are harder than others where I have no clue what the person is saying or what I'm supposed to say and I get so frustrated with myself or I point at our cat which is a "Saka" and accidentally end up saying "sakafo" which means food and I'm forced to just laugh at myself. And not every single thing about Madagascar is amazing either. But that's the problem with single stories; they don't encapsulate what a person or place is truly like. Through my two years here I will share my story but that's just it, a single story. This beautiful country is so diverse and the people living here are all unique and so my experience is still going to be an incomplete story. I'll be living in just a tiny sector of the country and my life will never accurately depict all that Madagascar is. I'll do my best to share as much about Madagascar and the Peace Corps as possible because these two are both things I have come to absolutely love but just know that what I share is just a tiny piece of a larger puzzle.
Today at one of our sessions we watched the TedTalk "The Dangers of a Single Story" and one of the things it talked about was how a single story emphasizes the differences rather than our similarities. Since being in Madagascar I've been reminded that humans are humans and we tend to have so many more similarities than differences. It never fails to blow my mind how truly universal so many of our good human instincts are. Basically what the danger of a single story means is that when we generalize or make assumptions about groups of people or places we get a very incomplete picture and often make very inaccurate assumptions. Today we talked about how this relates to being in the Peace Corps and living in a new place. There are so many facets around the dangers of a single story but a couple in particular stood out to me. One of them was how as volunteers we choose to portray our time here in Madagascar. In my experience a lot of people back in the US don't really know much about Madagascar or the Peace Corps. My group here often jokes about how all of us have been asked a million times about the movie and while we know it's usually just a joke, being here now I feel a responsibility to share more about this amazing country as well as the Peace Corps and to do so in an authentic and real way.
Not every day do I have amazing moments where I am walking down the streets hand in hand with a toko of children. Some days are harder than others where I have no clue what the person is saying or what I'm supposed to say and I get so frustrated with myself or I point at our cat which is a "Saka" and accidentally end up saying "sakafo" which means food and I'm forced to just laugh at myself. And not every single thing about Madagascar is amazing either. But that's the problem with single stories; they don't encapsulate what a person or place is truly like. Through my two years here I will share my story but that's just it, a single story. This beautiful country is so diverse and the people living here are all unique and so my experience is still going to be an incomplete story. I'll be living in just a tiny sector of the country and my life will never accurately depict all that Madagascar is. I'll do my best to share as much about Madagascar and the Peace Corps as possible because these two are both things I have come to absolutely love but just know that what I share is just a tiny piece of a larger puzzle.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
One Week!
One week. In one week I will have gone through a day of training and preparation in Philadelphia and will be heading to JFK with a one way ticket to Africa (Eeee!). Madagascar will soon be the place I call home.
Part of the timing of my departure that has helped me is that in a way it feels like a natural change. Many of my friends have began their lives post college, many have gone back to school and I am still use to leaving family and friends in the fall since I have done that the past four years. That's not to say though that goodbyes aren't hard. And they usually don't hit me until later on when I have time to start thinking about all that is going to change. It's hard not knowing exactly what life will be like when I get back and what has changed while I am gone. However technology is awesome and so hopefully I will be able to stay in touch some.
I get asked if I am nervous all the time. I'm usually honest and say yes of course but then I quickly follow that I am even more excited. Ever since I've applied I have just had this great sense of peace where I know I am doing the right thing. Sometimes when your purpose and your passions line up things just fall into place. The future is always a little scary but I am so ready to become immersed in the Malagasy culture. There's just always so much to learn and grow from when you interact with people different from yourself. This is bound to be a life changing experience and I am beyond excited for this journey to begin!
Part of the timing of my departure that has helped me is that in a way it feels like a natural change. Many of my friends have began their lives post college, many have gone back to school and I am still use to leaving family and friends in the fall since I have done that the past four years. That's not to say though that goodbyes aren't hard. And they usually don't hit me until later on when I have time to start thinking about all that is going to change. It's hard not knowing exactly what life will be like when I get back and what has changed while I am gone. However technology is awesome and so hopefully I will be able to stay in touch some.
I get asked if I am nervous all the time. I'm usually honest and say yes of course but then I quickly follow that I am even more excited. Ever since I've applied I have just had this great sense of peace where I know I am doing the right thing. Sometimes when your purpose and your passions line up things just fall into place. The future is always a little scary but I am so ready to become immersed in the Malagasy culture. There's just always so much to learn and grow from when you interact with people different from yourself. This is bound to be a life changing experience and I am beyond excited for this journey to begin!
Monday, August 27, 2018
Roots Before Branches
I feel incredibly lucky with the timing of my departure to Madagascar. Leaving in September and graduating in May meant that I have had the whole summer to make countless journeys to spend time with the people I care most about in the world. This summer was packed with traveling which once again only reminded me that it is not where you go but rather the people that make traveling the adventure.
The challenge to myself this summer was to be super intentional with my time with people and make it a point to say yes to as much as possible. The summer was basically my last hurrah before leaving. The past couple months have been so good for my soul and I'm hoping that all the love I felt this summer stays present with me throughout my service.
My First Last Hurrah of the summer (I like oxymoron's- or maybe just the word oxymoron, who knows...): Mom, Dad, Chris, and I did a bus trip to a Cubs game as a late birthday gift for Chris along with the Kecks and Hoffars.
Last Hurrah 2: Dad and I drove out east for a week for a backpacking trip along the Appalachian and the Smokey's. It was some good quality time with my dad and what a better place than hiking in the great outdoors.
Last Hurrah 3: Drove up to Grand Rapids to celebrate with Jax at her bachelorette party and got to spend time with my college friends
Last Hurrah 4: Celebrated Clint and Claire at their rehearsal dinner where the whole "family" was together
Last Hurrah 5: Drove back up to GR for two beautiful weddings in one day (but unfortunately had to miss the Hoffar wedding which was the same day)
Last Hurrah 6: Spent a week up in Minneapolis with my mom and my aunts and cousins. It was so good to spend time with all of them and especially my little cousins whose first couple years of life I am going to miss which will be hard.
Last Hurrah 7: Back up to GR again for Jax and James' beautiful wedding then spent time on Lake Michigan with college friends. Weddings are always a blast because all of my soccer girls are there and we always have a good time together
Last Hurrah 8: Last trip up to GR for a while for Kelly and Garrett's wedding (noticing a theme yet about my summer? Hint: a lot of my friends got married)
Last Hurrah 9: Spent a week at Momentum Youth Conference with a group of students from Kendallville UMC and heard from so many amazing speakers all while getting to worship with around 3000 other believers
Last Hurrah 10: Flew to Seattle with a friend from high school to visit a friend from college and hiked at Mt. Rainier and traveled along the Washington coast through Olympic National Park. It was definitely one of the highlights of my summer. Washington is a beautiful state
Last Hurrah 11: For my last visit to GR I spent an afternoon with the Hall's and then in the evening caught up with Corrie and Tamryn and even got to play soccer for the first time since I retired in the fall (the final goodbyes are beginning so it was definitely a bittersweet trip. Lots of good conversations and quality time but knowing it would be the last time I see them all for a while was hard)
Last Hurrah 12: A long weekend trip to Virginia where I spent time with my other "brothers" rock climbing, playing ultimate Frisbee and doing my best not to get picked on too much. This was my last trip of the summer. Once I got back I subbed at the high school for one more week. My final week at home I spent packing and doing final preparations and have had a couple send offs with family and close friends.
As I reflect now on my summer, and well just my life thus far, the song Roots Before Branches comes to mind. I'm so incredibly grateful for all the people who are my roots; those who have taught me to be strong and have encouraged me to take chances so I can grow my branches. I wouldn't be who I am today without each and every person in my life.
https://youtu.be/4kQvCFTNpw4
Lyrics:
I gotta have
Roots before branches
To know who I am
Before I know
Who I wanna be
And faith
To take chances
To live like I see
A place in this world for me
The challenge to myself this summer was to be super intentional with my time with people and make it a point to say yes to as much as possible. The summer was basically my last hurrah before leaving. The past couple months have been so good for my soul and I'm hoping that all the love I felt this summer stays present with me throughout my service.
My First Last Hurrah of the summer (I like oxymoron's- or maybe just the word oxymoron, who knows...): Mom, Dad, Chris, and I did a bus trip to a Cubs game as a late birthday gift for Chris along with the Kecks and Hoffars.
Last Hurrah 2: Dad and I drove out east for a week for a backpacking trip along the Appalachian and the Smokey's. It was some good quality time with my dad and what a better place than hiking in the great outdoors.
Last Hurrah 3: Drove up to Grand Rapids to celebrate with Jax at her bachelorette party and got to spend time with my college friends
Last Hurrah 4: Celebrated Clint and Claire at their rehearsal dinner where the whole "family" was together
Last Hurrah 6: Spent a week up in Minneapolis with my mom and my aunts and cousins. It was so good to spend time with all of them and especially my little cousins whose first couple years of life I am going to miss which will be hard.
Last Hurrah 7: Back up to GR again for Jax and James' beautiful wedding then spent time on Lake Michigan with college friends. Weddings are always a blast because all of my soccer girls are there and we always have a good time together
Last Hurrah 8: Last trip up to GR for a while for Kelly and Garrett's wedding (noticing a theme yet about my summer? Hint: a lot of my friends got married)
Last Hurrah 9: Spent a week at Momentum Youth Conference with a group of students from Kendallville UMC and heard from so many amazing speakers all while getting to worship with around 3000 other believers
Last Hurrah 10: Flew to Seattle with a friend from high school to visit a friend from college and hiked at Mt. Rainier and traveled along the Washington coast through Olympic National Park. It was definitely one of the highlights of my summer. Washington is a beautiful state
Last Hurrah 11: For my last visit to GR I spent an afternoon with the Hall's and then in the evening caught up with Corrie and Tamryn and even got to play soccer for the first time since I retired in the fall (the final goodbyes are beginning so it was definitely a bittersweet trip. Lots of good conversations and quality time but knowing it would be the last time I see them all for a while was hard)
Last Hurrah 12: A long weekend trip to Virginia where I spent time with my other "brothers" rock climbing, playing ultimate Frisbee and doing my best not to get picked on too much. This was my last trip of the summer. Once I got back I subbed at the high school for one more week. My final week at home I spent packing and doing final preparations and have had a couple send offs with family and close friends.
As I reflect now on my summer, and well just my life thus far, the song Roots Before Branches comes to mind. I'm so incredibly grateful for all the people who are my roots; those who have taught me to be strong and have encouraged me to take chances so I can grow my branches. I wouldn't be who I am today without each and every person in my life.
https://youtu.be/4kQvCFTNpw4
Lyrics:
I gotta have
Roots before branches
To know who I am
Before I know
Who I wanna be
And faith
To take chances
To live like I see
A place in this world for me
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
What is the Peace Corps you ask?
So, now maybe you’re wondering what exactly the Peace
Corps is or what my life is possibly going to look like during the 27 months
I’ll be in Madagascar. To be honest I don’t know a whole lot. I’ve read
everything the Peace Corps has given me and I’ve read plenty of other blogs but
I’m trying to go in without too many expectations and I’m just going to do my
best to be flexible and go with the flow. So as far as my assignment goes here’s
what I know thus far:
Primary
duties:
As an TEFL English teacher, your primary assignment will be to teach English at a lycĂ©e (high school) and/or at a CEG (middle school) for a minimum of sixteen (16) hours each week. Eighteen hours is the maximum for Malagasy high school teachers. You will also work with local English teachers at your school or surrounding schools for six hours each week so that they can improve their English and learn different teaching techniques from you. You will be asked to identify a counterpart, another English teacher, with whom you can work closely to make sure that you are covering the required course content. Additionally, you may organize evening English classes for interested community members and work with other English teachers on developing these classes into income-generating activities. Several Volunteers broadcast English shows on the local radio stations, combining a mixture of music and simple English lessons for the community at large. Another of your responsibilities will be to get to know the local communities and help with extracurricular activities that will strengthen students’ understanding of community and their future roles in the community. Through activities such as AIDS awareness, girls’ empowerment, and environment clubs, students can be encouraged to go out and help in the community and bring their learning back into the classroom. In the interest of community engagement, you will also encourage involvement of students’ parents and other community members in school improvement and student learning. Education Volunteers are also required to do summer vacation activities when all the Malagasy schools go on break from late July to early October. This time will be an opportunity to follow up on your primary assignments by linking them to more hands-on activities, like organizing field trips with counterparts and students or teaching English to national park workers. Some Volunteers will be called upon to help with pre-service training sessions. You will be asked to submit not only a vacation plan but also a consistent work plan for summer projects.
As an TEFL English teacher, your primary assignment will be to teach English at a lycĂ©e (high school) and/or at a CEG (middle school) for a minimum of sixteen (16) hours each week. Eighteen hours is the maximum for Malagasy high school teachers. You will also work with local English teachers at your school or surrounding schools for six hours each week so that they can improve their English and learn different teaching techniques from you. You will be asked to identify a counterpart, another English teacher, with whom you can work closely to make sure that you are covering the required course content. Additionally, you may organize evening English classes for interested community members and work with other English teachers on developing these classes into income-generating activities. Several Volunteers broadcast English shows on the local radio stations, combining a mixture of music and simple English lessons for the community at large. Another of your responsibilities will be to get to know the local communities and help with extracurricular activities that will strengthen students’ understanding of community and their future roles in the community. Through activities such as AIDS awareness, girls’ empowerment, and environment clubs, students can be encouraged to go out and help in the community and bring their learning back into the classroom. In the interest of community engagement, you will also encourage involvement of students’ parents and other community members in school improvement and student learning. Education Volunteers are also required to do summer vacation activities when all the Malagasy schools go on break from late July to early October. This time will be an opportunity to follow up on your primary assignments by linking them to more hands-on activities, like organizing field trips with counterparts and students or teaching English to national park workers. Some Volunteers will be called upon to help with pre-service training sessions. You will be asked to submit not only a vacation plan but also a consistent work plan for summer projects.
Living
Conditions:
Volunteers are posted throughout the country and are usually clustered in certain regions. Housing conditions vary from palm huts to modern cement houses with running water and electricity. Education Volunteers generally live in areas of greater population density. Most Volunteers have only a pit toilet and an outdoor shed for taking bucket showers. During the first two-thirds of training, you will live with and have most of your meals with a host family. A homestay is considered one of the most important aspects of the training program and is required for this period. All trainees stay in a town close to the training center, so you will not be far from your fellow trainees. And although the homestay experience can be challenging at first, it is an invaluable resource for language and cultural learning. Volunteers often form strong and lasting friendships with their host families, and many continue to visit their host families during their service. During the last third of training, you will live and attend training sessions at the Peace Corps training center, located on beautiful Lake Mantasoa.
Volunteers are posted throughout the country and are usually clustered in certain regions. Housing conditions vary from palm huts to modern cement houses with running water and electricity. Education Volunteers generally live in areas of greater population density. Most Volunteers have only a pit toilet and an outdoor shed for taking bucket showers. During the first two-thirds of training, you will live with and have most of your meals with a host family. A homestay is considered one of the most important aspects of the training program and is required for this period. All trainees stay in a town close to the training center, so you will not be far from your fellow trainees. And although the homestay experience can be challenging at first, it is an invaluable resource for language and cultural learning. Volunteers often form strong and lasting friendships with their host families, and many continue to visit their host families during their service. During the last third of training, you will live and attend training sessions at the Peace Corps training center, located on beautiful Lake Mantasoa.
The staple food in Madagascar is rice, which is eaten
with vegetables, beans, or meat. In fact, rice consumption per capita in
Madagascar is the highest in the world. Many fruits and vegetables grow in
Madagascar, and the coastal regions boast an abundance of delicious,
inexpensive tropical fruit and seafood. Most Volunteers prepare their own food.
Meat and dairy products are available in the larger towns, but they can be
expensive. Beans, lentils, eggs, and peanuts are all widely available, even in
small towns.
In just six months this is a glimpse of what some of
my life is possibly going to look like!
The Peace Corps mission is: To
promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:
- To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
- To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
- To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
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