The past few weeks at site have been great, work-wise. I have been doing one weekly English class with elementary school kids and one with adults. So far I’ve had a great turn-out, and we’ve had a lot of fun learning greetings and introductions. I’m going to ask some of the education volunteers nearby for some pointers, though, since I’ve never really taught English as a foreign language before. The students have seemed to really enjoy the classes, though.
Additionally, I held a meeting with the youth in the community during which time I talked to them about HIV/AIDS. Very few people know what it is or how it’s spread, so I explained about how the virus affects the body, the progression or different stages of the disease, the modes of transmission, the methods of prevention and the importance of getting tested and using condoms. I’m so happy that my Malagasy is at the point now where I can explain difficult topics like HIV/AIDS progression in a clear way that they can actually understand. That was one of the topics that I really struggled with explaining for a long time. I made some great visual aids that helped as well.
In addition to the AIDS training, I did a session with the parent-teacher organization at the primary school on signs, symptoms and prevention of the various types of fevers (malaria, flu, diarrheal disease). We’ve had a lot of people coming into the clinic with fevers lately, so it was good to have the opportunity to explain the differences between the types of diseases and the best way to take care of someone with a fever. I talked about mosquito nets, removing standing water, vaccinations, covering one’s mouth when coughing, proper hygiene practices and how to prepare oral rehydration solution. The most important thing for them to hear was that they need to take their child to the hospital if he has a fever.
There have been several children with fevers so severe that seizures set in. Some people are hesitant to go to the clinic because they don’t have money and are worried about having to pay for medications. I’ve been trying to explain to them that the doctor will still treat the child since it’s a government clinic, and that preventions such as vaccinations (which are free) and boiling water are cheaper than buying medicines one the person has gotten sick. I’m also hoping to eventually cover family budgeting with people so that they understand the importance of saving money each month for emergency expenses like illnesses or accidents.
Other than that, I myself caught the flu that has been going around my community. A fever in 90° weather plus humidity is not fun. I think I must have gotten it from weighing all the sick babies and children that have been coming into the clinic to see the doctor. Mine only lasted two days, though, thank goodness.
Finally, the well project is almost finished. I cant believe how fast it’s been completed. I hiked out to the village (7km off the main road) with the women’s group president to check on the progress of the wells. One is completely finished, and it looks great. There’s a pully and a cover and the bucket stays inside so the whole thing stays clean. A few community members will be keeping an eye on the well usage to ensure that it is being taken care of properly (i.e. the lid is not left open). The second one is in the process of being built and is about half-way there. It’s amazing to me that all the labor is by hand and yet the two wells will have been completed in under a month. Just proves that the community is really eager to have access to clean water! Thanks so much to those who contributed money to the project.
Monday, January 31, 2011
RATS!!
After two weeks away from my site for vacation and training, I returned to my village in mid-January. While I was very glad to be back and see everyone in my wonderful new community, I was not happy to face the rats that have incessantly infested my house. The problem is that the rats are inevitable, because I live in a much more rural area now, and my house is made out of wood with lots of spaces between the walls, floorboards and roof. Additionally before I moved in, the house had been used to store sacks of rice which the rats had gotten into and basically made a home for themselves. So they were already used to living there. Before I left my new house for Tana I knew the rats were going to destroy everything if I left belongings like my books and clothes out, so I packed up everything in boxes again and stored half of it in my neighbor’s house. The other half I stored in my rat-proof, metal trunks.
Not surprisingly, there was rat poop everywhere when I got back—all over the tables, bookshelves, floor, rafters and on top of my mosquito net that was still hanging up. Luckily the only thing they had chewed through was the cord extending from my radio antennae up to the roof. After I cleaned up everything and moved all my stuff back into my house, it felt like home again. Pretty soon all the neighborhood kids came over and we spent several hours playing with the new games and coloring books that I had picked up from care packages I received while in Tana. Thanks, family and friends for sending great packages!
That night, the rats were noisy, scurrying back and forth across the tin roof and along the rafters and tables. When I woke up the next morning, I was dismayed to see that they had chewed holes all over the top of my mosquito net while I was sleeping in it during the night! That was the last straw. I could deal with sweeping up the rat droppings every morning, but now that my bet net was destroyed, I had to take revenge. Luckily I had an extra bed net that I received during the insecticide treated net distribution campaign that we had during the month of November. I switched the net out and went to talk to the doctor about how I might deal with my rat problem.
I had already tried poison, which obviously hadn’t worked. I ended up buying a large mouse trap and the doctor gave me one of his to borrow as well. Then I bought some dried, salted fish as bait and we set up the traps in the corners of my house. The first night I didn’t catch anything! I was so surprised because the dried fish I bought had a really strong, salty smell to it. I though for sure they would go for it. The second night I reset the traps so they were a little more sensitive and would close faster. To my delight, I heard a loud squeak and a snap during the middle of the night. When I woke up in the morning and checked the traps, one of them had caught a big, fat rat. Hah! But also gross. I wasn’t sure what to do with the carcass, so I started to dig a grave for it in my small yard outside my house. My neighbor saw what I was doing and came over. She just laughed when she found out I was going to bury the rat. She took the trap from my house and threw the rat out in the woods nearby. I suppose that’s a more practical approach. Some dog or cat or something will probably be happy to find it.
Unfortunately I’ve only caught one more rat since that one. I really want to get a cat, but haven’t found one yet. I’ve tried several different poisons and even mixed them with real food, but the rats don’t really seem to fall for that one. I’d really like to get a cat, but haven’t found one yet. At least there’s the occasional kitty that roams through my yard from some of the neighbor’s houses. I’m hoping that they’ve been catching some of the rats around my house for me too.
While I was cleaning my house the other day, though, I discovered part of the problem. The rats had made a nest in one of the corner’s of my house where there is a space between two of the wood planks on the wall. I stuck a pen in the crack to get the nest out and heard scurrying up the wall, which made me shudder. At least I was able to get rid of the nest, though. I just hope there aren’t more that I don’t know about.
That same day, I was planning to do laundry, so I had set my basin with my clothes in it out on the porch. Two of the neighborhood kids were on the porch playing with my picture books. I had just headed out onto the porch and was putting more clothes in the basin, when a humungous rat jumped out of the pile of clothes, scurried over my hands, out of the basin, across the yard and into the neighboring house. It was huge by no exaggeration. I yelled out a very loud expletive (very grateful for the fact that no one around me knows English), much to the surprise of the kids playing on my porch. I of course had to explain to them what happened, at which point they proceeded to run around to all the neighbors, pronouncing that there was a rat in my wash basin. That was quite the exciting event for the day.
A few evenings later I caught another rat in one of the traps I had set, but it unfortunately didn’t die right away, so there was a terrible, incessant squeaking coming from the corner of my house. I couldn’t sleep through that, so I had to get up and smack the thing with my broom several times before it shut up. Then I swept it outside on the porch for good measure and decided I’d deal with it in the morning. In my half-asleep state, I didn’t think about the fact that something might run off with the trap during the night if it was outside the house. Sure enough when I went outside in the morning, the rat along with the trap was gone. One of the dogs or cats that pass through the yard occasionally must have made off with it. I guess I’ll have to buy another rat trap to replace the one the doctor had lent me.
Unfortunately there are still rats scurrying around my house at night, even though I have killed two adults and a baby and have gotten rid of the nest in my house. At least they haven’t destroyed my other mosquito net. They haven’t really gotten into any of my food either, because I keep everything in plastic containers or in my metal trunk. The one exception is they made of with a whole banana that I left on the table one day by accident. There was no trace of it…the whole thing gone! I just hope none of the other stories I’ve heard from other volunteers happens to me, though. One person woke up with a rat chewing on his hair and another had a rat that bit his leg while he was sleeping. On the bright side, it does seem a little quieter at night than when I first moved in, and I don’t find quite as much rat poop around as I did before. I’m trying hard to believe that there really are less rats around now than there were before.
Not surprisingly, there was rat poop everywhere when I got back—all over the tables, bookshelves, floor, rafters and on top of my mosquito net that was still hanging up. Luckily the only thing they had chewed through was the cord extending from my radio antennae up to the roof. After I cleaned up everything and moved all my stuff back into my house, it felt like home again. Pretty soon all the neighborhood kids came over and we spent several hours playing with the new games and coloring books that I had picked up from care packages I received while in Tana. Thanks, family and friends for sending great packages!
That night, the rats were noisy, scurrying back and forth across the tin roof and along the rafters and tables. When I woke up the next morning, I was dismayed to see that they had chewed holes all over the top of my mosquito net while I was sleeping in it during the night! That was the last straw. I could deal with sweeping up the rat droppings every morning, but now that my bet net was destroyed, I had to take revenge. Luckily I had an extra bed net that I received during the insecticide treated net distribution campaign that we had during the month of November. I switched the net out and went to talk to the doctor about how I might deal with my rat problem.
I had already tried poison, which obviously hadn’t worked. I ended up buying a large mouse trap and the doctor gave me one of his to borrow as well. Then I bought some dried, salted fish as bait and we set up the traps in the corners of my house. The first night I didn’t catch anything! I was so surprised because the dried fish I bought had a really strong, salty smell to it. I though for sure they would go for it. The second night I reset the traps so they were a little more sensitive and would close faster. To my delight, I heard a loud squeak and a snap during the middle of the night. When I woke up in the morning and checked the traps, one of them had caught a big, fat rat. Hah! But also gross. I wasn’t sure what to do with the carcass, so I started to dig a grave for it in my small yard outside my house. My neighbor saw what I was doing and came over. She just laughed when she found out I was going to bury the rat. She took the trap from my house and threw the rat out in the woods nearby. I suppose that’s a more practical approach. Some dog or cat or something will probably be happy to find it.
Unfortunately I’ve only caught one more rat since that one. I really want to get a cat, but haven’t found one yet. I’ve tried several different poisons and even mixed them with real food, but the rats don’t really seem to fall for that one. I’d really like to get a cat, but haven’t found one yet. At least there’s the occasional kitty that roams through my yard from some of the neighbor’s houses. I’m hoping that they’ve been catching some of the rats around my house for me too.
While I was cleaning my house the other day, though, I discovered part of the problem. The rats had made a nest in one of the corner’s of my house where there is a space between two of the wood planks on the wall. I stuck a pen in the crack to get the nest out and heard scurrying up the wall, which made me shudder. At least I was able to get rid of the nest, though. I just hope there aren’t more that I don’t know about.
That same day, I was planning to do laundry, so I had set my basin with my clothes in it out on the porch. Two of the neighborhood kids were on the porch playing with my picture books. I had just headed out onto the porch and was putting more clothes in the basin, when a humungous rat jumped out of the pile of clothes, scurried over my hands, out of the basin, across the yard and into the neighboring house. It was huge by no exaggeration. I yelled out a very loud expletive (very grateful for the fact that no one around me knows English), much to the surprise of the kids playing on my porch. I of course had to explain to them what happened, at which point they proceeded to run around to all the neighbors, pronouncing that there was a rat in my wash basin. That was quite the exciting event for the day.
A few evenings later I caught another rat in one of the traps I had set, but it unfortunately didn’t die right away, so there was a terrible, incessant squeaking coming from the corner of my house. I couldn’t sleep through that, so I had to get up and smack the thing with my broom several times before it shut up. Then I swept it outside on the porch for good measure and decided I’d deal with it in the morning. In my half-asleep state, I didn’t think about the fact that something might run off with the trap during the night if it was outside the house. Sure enough when I went outside in the morning, the rat along with the trap was gone. One of the dogs or cats that pass through the yard occasionally must have made off with it. I guess I’ll have to buy another rat trap to replace the one the doctor had lent me.
Unfortunately there are still rats scurrying around my house at night, even though I have killed two adults and a baby and have gotten rid of the nest in my house. At least they haven’t destroyed my other mosquito net. They haven’t really gotten into any of my food either, because I keep everything in plastic containers or in my metal trunk. The one exception is they made of with a whole banana that I left on the table one day by accident. There was no trace of it…the whole thing gone! I just hope none of the other stories I’ve heard from other volunteers happens to me, though. One person woke up with a rat chewing on his hair and another had a rat that bit his leg while he was sleeping. On the bright side, it does seem a little quieter at night than when I first moved in, and I don’t find quite as much rat poop around as I did before. I’m trying hard to believe that there really are less rats around now than there were before.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Mid-Service Training
So all the folks in our training group that were originally supposed to serve in Niger met up to have our Advanced Service Conference, which is held a year into our service. It was so great to see everyone, since I hadn’t met up with many of them since seven months earlier at our In-Service Training. The overall tone of this training was very low-key. I think everyone was exhausted from their vacations. Many people had just come from visiting family in the States for the holidays, and the rest of us went on vacations around Madagascar.
We had a great time catching up and exchanging information about projects we’re doing at site (successful approaches and challenges or roadblocks though. There was also an awesome NGO fair, where some of our Peace Corps partners came to the training site to talk about how we could get involved with other ongoing development projects and initiatives here in Madagascar either during or after our service if we want to stick around after our two years are up. I made a lot of great connections and got some helpful resources and information during the training. Now I’m ready to get back to my new site to continue working!
We had a great time catching up and exchanging information about projects we’re doing at site (successful approaches and challenges or roadblocks though. There was also an awesome NGO fair, where some of our Peace Corps partners came to the training site to talk about how we could get involved with other ongoing development projects and initiatives here in Madagascar either during or after our service if we want to stick around after our two years are up. I made a lot of great connections and got some helpful resources and information during the training. Now I’m ready to get back to my new site to continue working!
Ile St. Marie/New Years
The next day I headed to Sambava to catch a flight to Tana. My other Peace Corps friends who were already in Ile St. Marie had been calling me frequently, while I was still at site, asking when I was getting there, so I was pretty anxious to start my New Year’s vacation. After arriving in Tana and taking care of some business in the office I woke up early the next morning to catch a flight to Ile St. Marie. Once I got to the island, I took a cab from the south end, where the airport is, to the center of the island, where the big town is and where my friends were staying. After meeting up with two of them at a café and catching up on our lives at our sites and various vacations we had taken over the past few months, we headed over to their hotel to grab another room for me. Then we swam in the ocean and walked around town.
Although I was only in Ile St.Marie for a few days and didn’t get to see much of the island, it was still beautiful and I had a great time hanging out with Peace Corps friends. We went swimming in the ocean, walked up to a viewpoint where you could see both sides of the island, drank some punch coco (coconutty, homemade rum), ate some delicious seafood and spent some just hanging out. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and was refreshed and ready to head to Tana for mid-service conference on January 2nd.
Unfortunately we had a rough time getting a boat back to the mainland, because all the morning ones were full and the next boat we had a reservation for broke down. We eventually found a boat in the afternoon and got to Tamatave in the evening. The next day we took a bush taxi to Tana to be there in time to start our Mid-service training.
Although I was only in Ile St.Marie for a few days and didn’t get to see much of the island, it was still beautiful and I had a great time hanging out with Peace Corps friends. We went swimming in the ocean, walked up to a viewpoint where you could see both sides of the island, drank some punch coco (coconutty, homemade rum), ate some delicious seafood and spent some just hanging out. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and was refreshed and ready to head to Tana for mid-service conference on January 2nd.
Unfortunately we had a rough time getting a boat back to the mainland, because all the morning ones were full and the next boat we had a reservation for broke down. We eventually found a boat in the afternoon and got to Tamatave in the evening. The next day we took a bush taxi to Tana to be there in time to start our Mid-service training.
Moving Sites
So once I got back from vacation, I had to work on moving to a new house. For the past year I have lived in a large town and have worked at a large clinic that serves a commune of 50-60,000 people. While I learned a lot during my time there and made some good connections, it wasn’t a great fit for me. The population I was working with was too large and I felt that I was spreading myself too thin and not making a lasting impact. Additionally, there had been four volunteers at this particular site before me, making me the fifth American to have served there. I felt that most of the people I worked with were overly used to Peace Corps and were somewhat disinterested in the trainings and cross-cultural activities I was attempting to carry out. I would have much preferred to have been living and working in a small community that had never had a Peace Corps volunteer before.
I approached my programming director at Peace Corps with the idea of moving to the small village just 9km down the road where I often biked to help out at their rural clinic. The director was fine with the idea and the doctor at the rural village found a house for me to live in, so once it was ready the mayor and one of the wealthy business owners in town helped me move my things over to the new village. They community had a wonderful welcoming ceremony for me and helped me move my things into my new house.
Even though I don’t have the amenities that I did living in the big town (public taps, concrete floors and electricity in the evenings) I love my new house. It feels more like home to me, because it’s not a public space where the hospital stores things and crowds of people sit on my porch from dawn until dusk. In my new village I have my own little house with a gate around it. I actually like using candles at night and listing to BBC radio after dinner.
The sense of community is absolutely amazing. The women’s groups are very strong and are already asking to work with me. I have already met with them twice to start carrying out community analysis before we begin a development project. We have created a seasonal work calendar and a map of the community with important locations and resources. I have also set up weekly English classes, one for adults and one for children, because there were so many requests to learn English. The doctor has asked to set up a work schedule with me, and is really interested in doing health education outreach in the surrounding rural villages. We are also thinking of doing a small garden next to the hospital that would supply food for the local nutrition organization that’s headed up by the doctor’s wife. Finally, I have been carrying out household surveys to learn more about the community’s health and hygiene practices, awareness levels of health issues, and relative education levels and economic statuses. The surveys have been very interesting and informative, and everyone has been wonderfully open and helpful when I have interviewed them.
On Christmas Day, the village held an awesome ceremony to welcome me into the community. All of the women’s groups in the community dressed up in their uniforms and marched into town with banners. They made up songs about me which they performed along with dancing and clapping. Then the doctor, president of the village and I all gave a speech. I put in some Malagasy proverbs, which everyone loved. Then the women paraded around town with me and led me back to my house.
A few days later, there was a carnival to get ready for New Years, which is a huge celebration here in Madagascar. In the afternoon there was a parade which ended in the center of the village where everyone was singing and dancing to music that was on loud speakers. There were people dressed up with paint on their faces and others carrying around huge jugs of Taoka Gasy (Malagasy moonshine). Everyone had a great time, and I enjoyed watching.
That evening was the start of “Podium,” which is like a Malagasy talent show that occurs during big holidays like their Independence Day and New Years. Everyone forms dance groups and rehearses dances to popular Malagasy songs, which they then perform in front of the whole community for several nights in a row. I had to perform in a dance group with the Doctor’s wife, kids and some of our neighbors. It was actually really fun, and I enjoyed watching the other dance groups too. Some of them were very talented. Luckily, I was heading to Ile St. Marie for New Years, so I only had to perform on the night before I left for vacation. I was a little sad to leave my new community, though, because they are so awesome.
I approached my programming director at Peace Corps with the idea of moving to the small village just 9km down the road where I often biked to help out at their rural clinic. The director was fine with the idea and the doctor at the rural village found a house for me to live in, so once it was ready the mayor and one of the wealthy business owners in town helped me move my things over to the new village. They community had a wonderful welcoming ceremony for me and helped me move my things into my new house.
Even though I don’t have the amenities that I did living in the big town (public taps, concrete floors and electricity in the evenings) I love my new house. It feels more like home to me, because it’s not a public space where the hospital stores things and crowds of people sit on my porch from dawn until dusk. In my new village I have my own little house with a gate around it. I actually like using candles at night and listing to BBC radio after dinner.
The sense of community is absolutely amazing. The women’s groups are very strong and are already asking to work with me. I have already met with them twice to start carrying out community analysis before we begin a development project. We have created a seasonal work calendar and a map of the community with important locations and resources. I have also set up weekly English classes, one for adults and one for children, because there were so many requests to learn English. The doctor has asked to set up a work schedule with me, and is really interested in doing health education outreach in the surrounding rural villages. We are also thinking of doing a small garden next to the hospital that would supply food for the local nutrition organization that’s headed up by the doctor’s wife. Finally, I have been carrying out household surveys to learn more about the community’s health and hygiene practices, awareness levels of health issues, and relative education levels and economic statuses. The surveys have been very interesting and informative, and everyone has been wonderfully open and helpful when I have interviewed them.
On Christmas Day, the village held an awesome ceremony to welcome me into the community. All of the women’s groups in the community dressed up in their uniforms and marched into town with banners. They made up songs about me which they performed along with dancing and clapping. Then the doctor, president of the village and I all gave a speech. I put in some Malagasy proverbs, which everyone loved. Then the women paraded around town with me and led me back to my house.
A few days later, there was a carnival to get ready for New Years, which is a huge celebration here in Madagascar. In the afternoon there was a parade which ended in the center of the village where everyone was singing and dancing to music that was on loud speakers. There were people dressed up with paint on their faces and others carrying around huge jugs of Taoka Gasy (Malagasy moonshine). Everyone had a great time, and I enjoyed watching.
That evening was the start of “Podium,” which is like a Malagasy talent show that occurs during big holidays like their Independence Day and New Years. Everyone forms dance groups and rehearses dances to popular Malagasy songs, which they then perform in front of the whole community for several nights in a row. I had to perform in a dance group with the Doctor’s wife, kids and some of our neighbors. It was actually really fun, and I enjoyed watching the other dance groups too. Some of them were very talented. Luckily, I was heading to Ile St. Marie for New Years, so I only had to perform on the night before I left for vacation. I was a little sad to leave my new community, though, because they are so awesome.
Visit from family/Vacation
November was quite an exciting month. Right around Madagascar’s election on the referendum, my parents flew into Tana to start their travels through Madagascar. I was a little nervous, because we as volunteers were supposed to be on “Standfast,” a precautionary security measure in response to potential activity such as protests in regional cities. So we were not supposed to leave site on election days and for a few days afterwards in order to avoid large groups of people.
Fortunately, the first part of my parents’ trip was to come up to my site to visit me, which worked out well. It was very quite in my area and we had no problems with protests or political events. My parents actually stayed at my house for a few days, which was quite an experience. I enjoyed playing host for the most part, as I haven’t had many visitors at my site, and it was really great for them to meet all of my Malagasy family and friends. Of course none of us really enjoyed being the constant center of attention, but that’s bound to happen when you are the only white people living in a small African town. My parents also brought really awesome gifts for my friends and for all the kids, like toothbrushes, world maps and music cds. I think the Malagasy really enjoyed their “voandalanas” from America.
After visiting my site, we went up to Vohemar for a day and met up with the education Peace Corps Volunteer there. It was great timing, because we were able to take her out to dinner for her birthday. We ended up back in Sambava on the last day and got to take a tour of the regional hospital there, which had a surprising amount of resources such as an ultrasound and an x-ray machine. We were also able to pick up some Chinese medicine patches there for my step-mom’s back, which was very sore from the long plane ride over. We stayed at a nice hotel and spent some time on the beach before heading to Tana for the rest of our trip.
After flying to Tana, Herilala, our Malagasy tour guide, met us at the airport and took us to the nicest hotel I have stayed at here in Madagascar. It was absolutely beautiful with an outdoor pool, a sauna, free internet and a patio overlooking the city, where you could dine al fresco. The next day we drove out to Andasibe national park and stayed at the Vacona lodge. We spent the next few days hiking around the Mantadia and Andasibe park areas spotting all sorts of lemurs: the Indri, Diadem, Eastern Woolly, Bamboo, Goodman’s Mouse… Then on to Nosy Be.
After arriving at the airport we took a taxi to a really nice resort on the beach. There was a pool and a pizzeria and chairs on the beach where you could relax and soak up the Malagasy sun. Sunday evening on the beach was really neat, because all of the Malagasy families like to stroll along the beach and watch the live music and dance performers or sit in outdoor cafes or play beach volleyball or soccer; it was great people watching. While we were there we also took some day trips to two smaller islands of the island of Nosy Be, Nosy Komba and Nosy Tany Kely. The boat trip was beautiful, but the islands themselves were very touristy and kind of artificial. Not my favorite part of the trip, but still enjoyable. The seafood was amazing for sure. We also met up with a Peace Corps Volunteer there who had studied at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where my parents live!
Our next destination was Berenty Reserve, out towards Ft. Dauphin, so we flew from Nosy Be to Tana and then to Ft. Dauphin. After arriving in Ft. Dauphin we had a vehicle pick us up and drive us through the desert out to the Berenty Reserve, where we could explore the spiny forest and spot some ringtail lemurs. The drive out there was depressing, because the poverty was so widespread and desperate and there was an incredible amount of deforestation. The one river winding through the landscape was dried up, brown and muddy, yet people were still using it as a water source because it was the only option they had. There were also acres and acres of native spiny forest that had been cleared away for sisal plantations where local Malagasy workers are exploited for their labor. We passed some mining communities along the way and a warehouse where donations from the World Food Program are stored when they come through the area each year.
When we got to Berenty, we were greeted by a pack of Ring-tailed lemurs. They were even climbing on the porch and the roofs of our cabins. The flora and fauna in the reserve were absolutely amazing: octopus trees, baobabs, mouse lemurs, dwarf lemurs, civets, fruit bats, white sifakas, brown lemurs, all sorts of birds and probably some other things I can’t remember. The night walks under the starry southern sky were my favorite part.
On our way back through Ft. Dauphin we spent an afternoon on a lovely beach and met up with some other Peace Corps Volunteers in the area. We ended up at a bar overlooking the sea cliffs with a gorgeous view of the sunset over the water. The next morning we were off to Isalo National Park.
Isalo was absolutely amazing, although it really made me miss rock climbing. There were beautiful rock formations dispersed across a dramatic desert landscape. Some of the faces and cliff-sides looked like they might offer some great routes, although I don’t think the public is allowed to climb in this particular national park. Isalo made for some wonderful hiking nonetheless. Apparently the Malagasy tribe in that region, the Bara, has a practice of burying their dead in caves among the cliffs. We were able to spot some places where the Bara people had scaled the rock faces in order to find the perfect spot to put the bodies of the deceased to rest. They had also piled many small rocks up in front of the opening to mark which specific caves were occupied tombs.
One of our hikes led us through some rice paddies out to a canyon, and another brought us to a natural pool out in the middle of the desert. It was like a little oasis where we could take a refreshing swim next to a small waterfall. We were tired after all the hiking, but the beautiful scenery was well worth the journey. The resort we stayed in was also very nice. I got a chance to play some clay court tennis and some pool with my parents in addition to enjoying some wonderful food among a the dramatic setting of the desert and rock formations.
Isalo was a great way to end our journey through Madagascar, although I was sad for the wonderful, relaxing vacation to end. It was unfortunate that my parents had to return to the states so soon, but I enjoyed spending the three weeks with them here in my country of service and I hope that they do decide to come back again next year, as they had promised.
Fortunately, the first part of my parents’ trip was to come up to my site to visit me, which worked out well. It was very quite in my area and we had no problems with protests or political events. My parents actually stayed at my house for a few days, which was quite an experience. I enjoyed playing host for the most part, as I haven’t had many visitors at my site, and it was really great for them to meet all of my Malagasy family and friends. Of course none of us really enjoyed being the constant center of attention, but that’s bound to happen when you are the only white people living in a small African town. My parents also brought really awesome gifts for my friends and for all the kids, like toothbrushes, world maps and music cds. I think the Malagasy really enjoyed their “voandalanas” from America.
After visiting my site, we went up to Vohemar for a day and met up with the education Peace Corps Volunteer there. It was great timing, because we were able to take her out to dinner for her birthday. We ended up back in Sambava on the last day and got to take a tour of the regional hospital there, which had a surprising amount of resources such as an ultrasound and an x-ray machine. We were also able to pick up some Chinese medicine patches there for my step-mom’s back, which was very sore from the long plane ride over. We stayed at a nice hotel and spent some time on the beach before heading to Tana for the rest of our trip.
After flying to Tana, Herilala, our Malagasy tour guide, met us at the airport and took us to the nicest hotel I have stayed at here in Madagascar. It was absolutely beautiful with an outdoor pool, a sauna, free internet and a patio overlooking the city, where you could dine al fresco. The next day we drove out to Andasibe national park and stayed at the Vacona lodge. We spent the next few days hiking around the Mantadia and Andasibe park areas spotting all sorts of lemurs: the Indri, Diadem, Eastern Woolly, Bamboo, Goodman’s Mouse… Then on to Nosy Be.
After arriving at the airport we took a taxi to a really nice resort on the beach. There was a pool and a pizzeria and chairs on the beach where you could relax and soak up the Malagasy sun. Sunday evening on the beach was really neat, because all of the Malagasy families like to stroll along the beach and watch the live music and dance performers or sit in outdoor cafes or play beach volleyball or soccer; it was great people watching. While we were there we also took some day trips to two smaller islands of the island of Nosy Be, Nosy Komba and Nosy Tany Kely. The boat trip was beautiful, but the islands themselves were very touristy and kind of artificial. Not my favorite part of the trip, but still enjoyable. The seafood was amazing for sure. We also met up with a Peace Corps Volunteer there who had studied at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where my parents live!
Our next destination was Berenty Reserve, out towards Ft. Dauphin, so we flew from Nosy Be to Tana and then to Ft. Dauphin. After arriving in Ft. Dauphin we had a vehicle pick us up and drive us through the desert out to the Berenty Reserve, where we could explore the spiny forest and spot some ringtail lemurs. The drive out there was depressing, because the poverty was so widespread and desperate and there was an incredible amount of deforestation. The one river winding through the landscape was dried up, brown and muddy, yet people were still using it as a water source because it was the only option they had. There were also acres and acres of native spiny forest that had been cleared away for sisal plantations where local Malagasy workers are exploited for their labor. We passed some mining communities along the way and a warehouse where donations from the World Food Program are stored when they come through the area each year.
When we got to Berenty, we were greeted by a pack of Ring-tailed lemurs. They were even climbing on the porch and the roofs of our cabins. The flora and fauna in the reserve were absolutely amazing: octopus trees, baobabs, mouse lemurs, dwarf lemurs, civets, fruit bats, white sifakas, brown lemurs, all sorts of birds and probably some other things I can’t remember. The night walks under the starry southern sky were my favorite part.
On our way back through Ft. Dauphin we spent an afternoon on a lovely beach and met up with some other Peace Corps Volunteers in the area. We ended up at a bar overlooking the sea cliffs with a gorgeous view of the sunset over the water. The next morning we were off to Isalo National Park.
Isalo was absolutely amazing, although it really made me miss rock climbing. There were beautiful rock formations dispersed across a dramatic desert landscape. Some of the faces and cliff-sides looked like they might offer some great routes, although I don’t think the public is allowed to climb in this particular national park. Isalo made for some wonderful hiking nonetheless. Apparently the Malagasy tribe in that region, the Bara, has a practice of burying their dead in caves among the cliffs. We were able to spot some places where the Bara people had scaled the rock faces in order to find the perfect spot to put the bodies of the deceased to rest. They had also piled many small rocks up in front of the opening to mark which specific caves were occupied tombs.
One of our hikes led us through some rice paddies out to a canyon, and another brought us to a natural pool out in the middle of the desert. It was like a little oasis where we could take a refreshing swim next to a small waterfall. We were tired after all the hiking, but the beautiful scenery was well worth the journey. The resort we stayed in was also very nice. I got a chance to play some clay court tennis and some pool with my parents in addition to enjoying some wonderful food among a the dramatic setting of the desert and rock formations.
Isalo was a great way to end our journey through Madagascar, although I was sad for the wonderful, relaxing vacation to end. It was unfortunate that my parents had to return to the states so soon, but I enjoyed spending the three weeks with them here in my country of service and I hope that they do decide to come back again next year, as they had promised.
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