A Blog Post That Is Actually Current

1:44 pm
August 6, 2011
Peace Corps House
Antananarivo, Madagascar

Dear Everybody:

It has now been winter on the island for almost two months, and I write you wearing all of my clean shirts (three), curled up next to the radiator and having just put some bread in the oven. The flour we used was old and lumpy, but I’m fairly certain that I bake bread for the smell more than for the consumption, so I’m not too worried—just glad to have an oven and be near a radiator for a while. And the house already smells less like generators and more like warmth.

As you may have presumed, I’m not currently at my site but in the capital city. The reasons for this are several—first, I just saw of my first visitors at the airport. Second, the doctors / dentists / optometrists live in the city and I needed to see them all. Third, it’s our summer break and there are no classes, so I have time to travel a bit. (To be honest I really want to go home, but I can’t until the doctors are done with me. . . blah.) So let’s deal with the end of school, then vacation, then future plans, then some lists. So if you want to just scroll down and read the lists, Eva—no problem!

So, school ended on July 15th. My learning curve throughout this year was steep to the very last, and all I can say is I’m eager to begin a new academic year with less naivety and fear and with, to be honest, a great deal more excitement. Not that one year can ever adjust you to a culture, but I do know quite a few more words that I used to, which will help, and instead of being awed at the patchy ceilings and bat-infested roofs or marveling at both the smells and smiles emanating from my students, maybe we can get to work. I hope so anyway. Fellow volunteers have helped me to adjust my English Club to better fit the needs of my community, and I plan to run two special courses over the coming year, one on “English and the Environment” and another, yet untitled, focusing on higher education, computer literacy, etc. So I guess now I’ve already jumped to future plans, but it’s hard not to as I’m currently quite excited about them. Ok, ok, back to the past. . .

Perhaps one reason I find it difficult to talk about the final trimester of school is that very little work is done from May to July. School is petering out and students—even hardworking ones—stop coming. June 26 is the day of independence here, and classes are unattended for a week, and then exams start. No one comes to class after exams, even though they are supposed to do so. There is, like most systems in Mcar, absolutely no intelligible rhyme or reason to the structure of exams in this country, unless it is to help students fail. Which a good portion of mine did. Passing English wasn’t the problem for them, however. If one came to class, did the work, and tried, one passed my class—but when both the Malagasy and French teachers quit before the halfway mark and those two exams must still be taken—and passed—to pass the grade level, well, I’ll be seeing a lot of my students again next year.

Bread’s ready! Be back in a moment.

Mmmm, delicious.

Ok, so after exams were completed, I took off for vacation. My first stop was Fianarantsoa, where I work with a university group and have become friends with a few of the guys. So I met up with them, a few volunteers, and went south for a day to see JERRY MARCOS perform. Jerrry Marcos may be the most famous living singer in Mcar, and it was lovely to get to see him live. My favorite moment was when, during a song where you’re supposed to flip your hair, he called out “hey blonde white girl in the middle of the crowd, flip your hair.” (Which, of course, I did.)

The next day, Brittany and I took an 8 hour taxi-brousse up to the capital to meet Betsy, David, and Eva, fresh from South Africa. (Yes, I cried when they stepped out of customs. Yes, I cried again on the taxi. . . ). There is no way to explain what seeing faces from America was like—I have not interacted with anyone that is not Malagasy or Peace Corps for over a year (except via email / gchat), and although they’ve been gone a week I’m still shuddering with the impact that their trip had on me. I now (yay!) know I have couches to sleep on when (if ever) I go back. . . they are truly my closest family. Ok enough feelings (get over it I have feelings).

So, first we went out to Morondava to see baobabs and—for Brittany and I—a new part of the country. Sea food, broken-down taxis, beautiful sunsets, plenty of beer, a few hair-and-ear-cuts, some mild dehydration, and we made it back to Antsirabe, a city on the central plateau. A highlight there was getting to watch an artisan as he crafted a bird out of zebu horn—which I then bought for $1.50. After this we finally made it to Ifanadiana, where we spent two days being absolutely swarmed by children. Seven of these kids permanently live at my house, and so I was ready for the onslaught—it was both fun and tiring for my guests, I think. It was, however, amazing to see the village through my friends’ eyes and try to remember what it was like when I first arrived. On one of our last nights they admitted to me that when I said I was extending and planned to live in Mcar for 3 years, none of them believed me—having been here, however, they know it’s a serious possibility.

So, we rushed back up to Tana and made all the flights on time, at which point I came to the Peace Corps house where I have sat for five days as the doctors attempt to discover whether I have Schistosomiasis or some inflammatory intestinal disease. I’m hoping for the former, as it’s easier to get rid of. . either way, I love PC health care more than I can say! I’m stuck here until at least Tuesday, so if anyone wants to skype / videochat / etc, let me know!

As far as future plans go, I’m working on putting together a library with a teacher from the middle school that I work at—super exciting for me, especially as the woman I’m working with seems to be as eager as I am. There are already quite a few kid's books sitting at my house, waiting for shelves, and I just stopped buy the US Embassy to pick up some more, and my family is helping me set up some book drives for when I’m home in December. If anyone is interested in helping out—do just let me know! Dictionaries for every kid, right? You’ll be hearing about this project with great regularity, I hope, but for now it’s still in the first stages.

I’m going to attach a few pictures and upload this letter to my blog, but this is all the writing I can do for now, folks. If I’m stuck in the city for much longer I’ll send out those lists I promised at the opening of this letter . . . til then, be well, do good work, and stay in touch!

All my love,

Rebekah