14 Fevrier 2010

I’ve been at my site for two weeks now and everything is going really well so far. The installation process took a little longer than I thought it would, but otherwise the transition has been fairly smooth. Jess (the other volunteer living up north 30km away) and I flew from Antananarivo to Sambava early in the morning the day after swearing in as volunteers. A Malagasy Peace Corps staff person accompanied us to help us arrive safely to our sites and purchase necessities for our houses. Soon after arriving in Sambava we did some furniture shopping and then drove up north to check out my and Jess’s sites. It is really warm and humid up north compared to Mantasoa. As I looked out the window on the drive up, I was surprised at how the coast is reminiscent of Africa much more so than the center of the island. The villages we passed along the way seemed much poorer, as most of the houses along the side of the road are small shacks made from sheets of metal or wood with thatched roofs. The people here look distinctly African as well compared to the mélange of East and Southeast Asian, Black and Hispanic-looking people I’ve seen further inland. There are palm trees, rice paddies, pineapples and beaches to go along with the coastal theme as well. Approaching Antsirabe North, the paved highway turns slightly inland and the road gently rises and falls over low-lying mountains. A river weaves in and out with many small bridges crossing over it along the way. We entered into what seems like the middle of a jungle. Is I looked out the window, I kept thinking to myself, “This is where I’m going to live for the next two years.” The feeling was so surreal. When we pulled into Antsirabe Nord I was amazed at how big it was. The cobblestone road winding into the town is lined on either side with shops and many small shacks, occasionally interspersed with large, concrete houses (some even with multiple stories, satellite dishes and electricity).

At last we pulled into the courtyard of the CSB (health center) where I’ll be working for the next to years. After meeting my doctor (who I was surprised to find out can speak English fairly well) and filling out some paperwork for Peace Corps we inspected my house. I live right next to the health center in a giant concrete building. There are two large rooms and one large meeting room for the nutrition education program held at the CSB once a week. I was taken aback to find the house already furnished with almost everything I needed: two tables, two chairs, a couch, pots and pans in the kitchen room and a huge bed, a couch, a table and chair and a bookcase (along with tons of books) in the bedroom. Out in the small fenced in area in the back, there’s two papaya trees and some pineapple bushes growing. My set up is so nice I almost don’t feel like a real Peace Corps volunteer roughing it out in the bush, like I would have been in Niger. There’s even electricity from 2pm to 12pm everyday. No running water, though (I either collect it from the roof when it rains or climb down a steep, treacherous path to the river several times a day when it doesn’t rain). After driving another hour to Jess’s site only to find out that we couldn’t get into her house because the mayor, who has the keys, was out of town, we drove another half hour up to Vohemar and spent the night at a small hotel on the beach. The next few days we met all the gendarmes, police and mayors, set up our banking and post office boxes and did all the necessary shopping for furniture, gas stoves and the like. I spent the first afternoon at my post cleaning the house. Right away a bunch of neighborhood kids came over and introduced themselves and helped me to fetch water and clean. Even though I had hoped for a new post and instead ended up with one that had had four previous volunteers, there were definitely some advantages to the community already being accustomed to having a PCV around. I didn’t have to buy much for my house, I have instant friends, and people are always willing to help me out with the language and day-to-day activities.

The next day was Sunday, so I mostly spent the day cleaning up the house and walking around getting to know the community. On Monday morning I biked 15km to the nearest large town to set up my post office box. I was exhausted by the time I got back at noon because it was so hot that morning and the hills were treacherous (not to mention I’m really out of shape). It was a beautiful bikeride, though, and all along the way people on the side of the road were calling out to me in French (since they assume here in Madagascar that all white people speak French). I had fun yelling back Malagasy greetings to them. On Tuesday I got to meet everyone that works at the CSB and help out with baby weighing with SEECALINE (the nutrition health promotion program here in Madagascar). Jeanette, the lady who runs SEECALINE here is really nice. She showed me pictures of her with the last few volunteers and offered to help me with anything that I needed. On Wednesday I got to observe prenatal consultations in the morning and family planning in the afternoon. Both programs were heavily attended by young women. Many of the pregnant women who came in the morning were on their forth or fifth child, and there were some 15 and 16 year-olds on their first time. Most of the girls who showed up for family planning in the afternoon were really young as well (15-17yrs). A majority of them went for the 3mo. shot of Depo-Provera and a few chose the pill. Once in a while someone comes in for Norplant. No one ever asks for condoms or spermicide. I’m glad so many people are using birth control, but I’m also worried, especially for the young ones, because they could still be contracting STDs which are very prevalent in Madagascar (except for AIDS which is still supposedly less than 1%).

Other than observing at the clinic, I’ve just been walking around trying to get to know the community or hanging out at my house. Often times people (mostly kids) will stop by to visit me. They love teaching me Malagasy, and the ones learning English at school like to practice their English with me too. The past couple days have been really fun, because there’s been an annual celebration of the Malagasy schools. That basically means no school for three days and soccer matches all day long. There was also a huge parade of students and teachers singing and marching through town on the first morning of the celebration as well. I enjoyed attending the soccer matches and chatting with the students and other spectators. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are girl’s teams too. Most of the kids who play can’t afford shoes, so they play barefoot. A few lucky ones do have soccer cleats, though, so I can’t imagine what it would feel like if one of them stepped on a bare foot!

Even though I had hoped for a smaller village, I still love Antsirabe Nord, and I get to know more and more people everyday. It’s gotten to the point that when I step out of my house and go for a walk or a jog through town, I can’t go but a couple feet before someone is calling out my name. I feel slightly bad that I can’t remember all their names (there’s just so many people here), but I keep reminding myself that I’ll remember in time and that I’ll get the language in time, and that I’ll be able to contribute in a more meaningful way at the CSB in time. I have done a hand-washing/hygiene demonstration in front of a group of women at the CSB and have passed on a few health messages here and there. I’ve also started a garden in my backyard with the help of some of the neighborhood kids. For the most part though, I just enjoy every conversation I’m able to have with someone in Malagasy, try to meet new people everyday and observe as much as I can about the culture here in the north of Madagascar.

New contact info:
Phone: 011-261-0327325038
Address: BP 19
Ampanefena
Vohemar
Madagascar