When I left my original site in January to start working with a water/sanitation/hygiene NGO on the east cost, I wasn’t planning on having to wait around for my new site to be ready. After coming to Tana and having a meeting with Peace Corps and my partnering NGO, we found out that the house and latrine still needed repairs. That meant I had a few weeks to kill. At least I was able to get some business things taken care of during the first week in town. The next week I was invited to go on an adventure with several of their staff out to the district of Mandritsara in the central-northern region of Madagascar.
This region that we were headed to is known to many here as “The Black Hole,” because it is so difficult to get to and completely in the middle of nowhere. The purpose of the mission was to train some of the NGO field staff in mobilizing the communities to build latrines, use and properly store clean water and improve household hygiene. I was to observe the training in order to get a better sense of the kind of information and resources that the staff had access to and what was expected of them for their work out in the communities. This experience would help me figure out where I would fit in with the work that the NGO’s field staff are doing for a similar project on the east coast where I will be posted.
Although it doesn’t seem geographically far from the capital, there is no direct route to drive to the Black Hole. You have to go all the way out towards the west coast, then up a little north and then back east again. The first part of the journey heading out west was all well-paved with deforested, empty hillsides making the ride fairly boring. Once we got closer to the west coast towards Port Berge, the water level had risen considerably over some of the roads due to the recent rains. The area was almost like a bog or wetlands with low-lying roads, so they often have problems with flooding. The frequent flooding was also evident given the fact that many sections of this particular road had meter-stick poles by the side so one could gauge the water level and determine whether it is crossable or not. The road heading back east towards Mandritsara—although supposedly a paved national road—was mostly eroded with giant mud pits and boulders added in for a little extra fun.
One of the worst parts of the journey lay between Antsohihy, the transit town where the road splits north towards Diego and east towards the Black Hole, and Befandriana, a large town halfway to Mandritsara. Malagasies have a clever way of naming their towns. Befandriana literally means “many beds” and Mandritsara means “good sleep.” I guess it makes sense that an area with a lot of beds would be a good place to sleep. The only aspect I noticed about the area however was how much mud and boulders there were all over the road. It took us a day and a half of driving to get to Mandritsara and, just as I thought the journey was almost to an end, the road became ten times worse.
Our final destination was called Maritandrano, a small town about 30km beyond Mandritsara. It didn’t sound that far, but the fact that any semblance of a paved road disappeared made the distance seem to stretch on forever. There were some points were the bordering rice paddies merged into the road, so it was just one big mud-plain. Then there were steep sections with washed out ruts and boulders the size of small cars as well as several deep ditches and potholes. As we approached the town of Maritandrano we were greeted by a large cement bridge/dam covered by water, which the car had to “wade” through before finally reaching our destination.
After a couple of days of listening to behavior-change strategy talks and getting to know the field staff in Maritandrano, we had to head out on the “road” again. Even though it hadn’t rained much over the past few days, the road was still a muddy mess. It took us all afternoon as we slowly ambled over the boulders and mud pits until we finally made it safely back to Mandritsara. The next morning we headed to Antsohihy after a nice rest in the town of “good sleep.” We made good time as the road wasn’t as bad as the one from Maritandrano the day before, but the giant mud-pit outside of Befandriana was still a slight obstacle. There were four “camions,” or large trucks, in addition to a few passenger-vans stuck in parts of the road where the mud was several feet deep. Luckily our hearty 4x4 vehicle operated by our very skilled driver was able to weave around all the stalled vehicles and mud, and we made it safely back to the paved road and into Antsohihy in time for lunch. After a few more road stops to buy mangos and pineapples we finally arrived back in Tana.
The road trip to the Black Hole was unlike any other car ride I have ever been on. It was quite the adventure, but I was glad to head to my new site to start working again. I was all packed and ready to go the next day when the Peace Corps medical office called to let me know that I was being medically evacuated to South Africa. It was quite a shock that I was being sent all the way to Pretoria to the regional medical office for Peace Corps in Africa just for a skin biopsy. I was frustrated that the move to my new site was postponed yet again, but grateful that Peace Corps is concerned enough about their volunteers and make every effort to ensure that they get the best medical care possible.
So the next week I was off on a plane to Johannesburg. As we flew over the city, I was surprised to see aerial patterns of suburban, cookie-cutter developments with brilliant blue swimming pools in each rectangular yard. A volunteer driver holding a sign with my “Peace Corps” written on it picked me up in the airport. I almost got in the wrong side of the car, because I forgot that former British colonies typically drive on the left side of the road and have the steering wheel on the right. It was surreal to be riding along on a paved six-lane highway to Pretoria. All the development and infrastructure made the car ride quite surreal. It was almost like being in America again, which was jarring since I haven't been back to the States since I left in the fall of '09.
Peace Corps puts all the injured/sick volunteers in a guest house (basically like a fancy bed and breakfast) in the suburbs of Pretoria, close to their main office. Though I was bummed that I had to postpone my move for another week and a bit nervous about the biopsy, it was really interesting to meet the other volunteers who were staying in the guest house and nice to take advantage of all the amenities of the developed world. There were several PC response volunteers going through orientation and getting ready to start their work in South Africa in addition to the other medically evacuated volunteers who came from countries including Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
After my biopsy, I had a few days to kill waiting for my results, so I went to the nearby mall and did some shopping and saw a few movies on the big screen. It was also nice just staying at the guest house, drinking water straight from the tap, sitting out by the beautiful garden, pool and patio area and enjoying the included breakfast every morning with cereal, yoghurt, fruit salad and French toast and omelets made to order. I also made sure to pick up some South African wine, cheese, grapes, hummus and real bread (as opposed to the stale French baguettes that we get in Madagascar) from the grocery store.
After a normal result from the biopsy, my stitches were removed and I was cleared to return to Madagascar. It was sad to say goodbye to my new Peace Corps friends that I made while in Pretoria and to clean water and bathrooms and real roads, but it also felt good to know I was healthy and ready to get out to my new site on the eastern coast of Madagascar. The trip was actually good timing, because I missed the category three cyclone while I was in South Africa waiting for my biopsy results. The cyclone thankfully didn’t do much damage to the area where my new site will be, but most of the volunteers on the east coast were evacuated to the capital to wait out the storm and then had to head back to their sites afterwards with the safety and security officer to assess the damage to their houses. I hope the rebuilding process goes well for the other volunteers and I’m excited to see what new adventures await me as I finally travel out to my new site.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Malagasy fetys and saying goodbye
My last month at site has been quite a roller coaster. While I’m not yet leaving the country, I have had to say goodbye to the community with whom I’ve lived and worked for the past two years. I will admit, there are some things I’ll be glad to say goodbye to and many new adventures I’m excited to move on to. However I’ve made so many close connections—both professional and personal—with Malagasies and Peace Corps volunteers in my region, which has made the moving process difficult.
Even though I chose not to end my two years before the holiday season so I could be with family back home, like most other volunteers in my “stage” (training group), I still had a wonderful Christmas here in Madagascar. A few of us in our region of the northeast corner decided to get together at a volunteer’s house in one of the larger towns and celebrate with close approximations to American traditions and a little Malagasy twist. Instead of mulled wine or cider we had tropical sangria with leechies, pineapples and mangoes. Instead of turkey and mashed potatoes we had a big tropical seafood feast at a fancy hotel on the waterfront. Instead of Christmas special marathons on T.V we watched a few Christmas movies that someone had on their laptop. Instead of large extravagant gift-giving, we had a “Secret Santa” exchange. Instead of tons of baked goods we had chocolate fondue with dark chocolate from Madagascar, coconut rum and fresh fruit to dip in it. We even had a tiny little artificial Christmas tree that we decorated with tinsel and plastic sparkly balls all imported from China. And we played twister. It was quite a memorable event, and I’m so grateful for all the awesome fellow Peace Corps volunteers I got to share it with.
I chose to spend New Years, or “Bonne Anne” in my village, as it was my last big “hurrah” before leaving my site, and as New Years is a huge holiday for Malagasies. During the few nights leading up to New Years, we had “Podium,” the Malagasy equivalent of a talent show. My counterpart had me practice dance routines with his wife and children and our neighbors, which we then performed on stage in front of the community. It was a blast, and I also enjoyed watching all the other acts. One of the teenage boys requested me to dance a few reggae songs with him and his buddy, too, which the audience enjoyed thoroughly.
New Years Eve brought the first big rains that we had seen in many months, which was certainly something to celebrate. After the epic semi-final soccer match between two neighborhoods in our town, which ended in a draw and then a dramatic shoot-off, the rains finally came. Everyone ran out into the main path through town and paraded around chanting and singing, welcoming the life-giving precipitation. Many had planted their rice a month before, assuming that the rains would have already come to water their crops, but it has been unusually dry this season so there were quite a few initial plantings lost to the drought.
On New Years Day, my counterpart invited me to his house to eat with his family. We shared a few beers, had a nice chat about American versus Malagasy traditions for celebrating New Years and then had a delicious feast with his family, which surprisingly didn’t consist of mounds and mounds of rice. The day after New Years is also still a “fety” for Malagasies, unlike Americans who either go back to work or use it as an extra day to recover from hangovers. My counterpart and I headed to Antsirabe Nord (my old site) to have a farewell lunch with the women’s group president, the nurse from Antsirabe Nord and their spouses. It was a joyful affair with good food and good drink and a wonderful chance for me to say goodbye to my friends and co-workers from my old site.
The following weekend was also filled with fetys, though of a much more emotional kind. On Saturday all of us Peace Corps volunteers in the area headed to Sambava to say goodbye to the two of us who were leaving the region. It was especially hard to say goodbye to our friend Caroline, as she is leaving the country for good, whereas I’ll still be around for a few more months. Again, there was lots of good Malagasy and American food, ample amount of drink and wonderful parting words shared between all of us volunteers who have shared some great triumphs and some rough times together. There were lots of laughs and lots of tears, and I will miss all of my fellow American co-workers and friends dearly. No one else can truly understand the unique experience we have shared in this beautiful yet sometimes harsh country.
While Caroline headed to the tarmac to take off for Tana on Sunday, I headed back to my site for a goodbye fety with my community. I had already set aside all of my belongings I was going to sell off in an auction as a fundraiser for my solar panel project. As soon as I got back and changed, the women’s group came to my door in a singing and dancing procession to gather all of my stuff and take me to the “bazary be” (central meeting place) for the ceremony and auction to follow.
As we made our way to the ceremony, tears started streaming down my face. I think it had finally hit me that I was leaving all of these wonderful, caring people for good, and was not sure if I’d ever have the means to return in the future (or if so, only after a very long time). It was so touching that all the women in the community had gathered together and donned their women’s group uniforms to celebrate and see me off. After raising the flag and singing the national anthem we took our places at the “bazary” and my counterpart started off the program.
In succession, the president of the village, the women’s group president, the president of the clinic, my counterpart (the nurse and head of the clinic), I and then the doctor from Antsirabe Nord all spoke. When the president of the women’s group gave her speech, she started crying, which in turn made me start crying again. Luckily I was able to compose myself before I gave my speech, and, even though after two years my Malagasy still isn’t quite up to par for orating, the community seemed to enjoy listening to me (or at least they laughed and clapped at all the right parts). There were lots of thank-yous and promises to keep in touch, and I left the community with parting words of encouragement that even if they don’t get another volunteer to replace me, they will still be able to do good work and continue on the path of development. There is such a strong sense of community and good leadership in their village.
After the speeches, the auction of all of my belongings that I couldn’t take with me on the airplane ensued. I was a little nervous, as I didn’t have a lot of stuff to offer, and there were many friends, co-workers and community members who wanted a chance and getting a “souvenir” from me. Thankfully, the women’s group and community leaders did a good job of running the auction fairly and keeping everyone under control. Some of the items (like bookshelves and chairs) went fairly expensive, but others were cheap, which gave more people the chance at buying items. Overall, we ended up raising a lot of money for the solar panel fund, which will go towards replacing the battery after a few years or making any other necessary repairs that come up after the one year warranty. Part of the money also went towards helping the pharmacy purchase extra medicines for poor patients who come to the clinic and can’t afford the necessary treatments.
The day after my big going-away fety in the village was mostly quiet, as it was a Monday and everyone was out in the fields working. I was busy packing up my life, but managed to take a break to have lunch with my counterpart and then sat on a neighbor’s porch to catch a little bit of a breeze. All of a sudden, I heard clapping and singing coming from the other end of town. Three folks who were still in town that day were walking hand in hand down the main path. As they got closer, I realized the song they were singing in beautiful yet raucous harmony was about me! They had made up a goodbye song for me and came over to where I was sitting on the porch to sing and dance. Pretty soon the few people that were hanging around the village came over to watch and join in the song and dance party. It was quite a touching moment.
That evening, the nurse and I brought over my belongings that I planned to donate to the clinic, which included a small table for the birthing room, shelves for the office, a hammer and a new broom. As he turned on the lights powered by the new solar panel, put all the papers that were piled all over the table and floor in the office onto the shelves and placed the table for newborn babies in the delivery room, I realized how much better the clinic looked. It’s amazing how a few small additions to the clinic could facilitate a significant improvement in the nurse’s ability to carry out his work.
On Tuesday, I headed to Sambava to get ready for my flight to the capital on Wednesday. That morning, the nurse helped me pack up, and we did the final accounting for the money from the auction to be donated to the clinic and solar panel fund. Some of my friends saw me off at the road and one of them even rode with me in the bush taxi to Sambava. It was a nice way to say goodbye, as I treated myself to a stay at a quiet bungalow on the beach and had a chance to see some fellow volunteers again before I flew out on Wednesday.
My next adventure will take me to the east coast near a town called Manompana (near the small port where the boats go over to Ile St. Marie). I’ll be working with a Malagasy NGO, training their field staff in community mobilization, behavior change methods and community analysis relating to clean water, sanitation and hygiene projects. I’ll update again when I move out there and work actually starts up.
Even though I chose not to end my two years before the holiday season so I could be with family back home, like most other volunteers in my “stage” (training group), I still had a wonderful Christmas here in Madagascar. A few of us in our region of the northeast corner decided to get together at a volunteer’s house in one of the larger towns and celebrate with close approximations to American traditions and a little Malagasy twist. Instead of mulled wine or cider we had tropical sangria with leechies, pineapples and mangoes. Instead of turkey and mashed potatoes we had a big tropical seafood feast at a fancy hotel on the waterfront. Instead of Christmas special marathons on T.V we watched a few Christmas movies that someone had on their laptop. Instead of large extravagant gift-giving, we had a “Secret Santa” exchange. Instead of tons of baked goods we had chocolate fondue with dark chocolate from Madagascar, coconut rum and fresh fruit to dip in it. We even had a tiny little artificial Christmas tree that we decorated with tinsel and plastic sparkly balls all imported from China. And we played twister. It was quite a memorable event, and I’m so grateful for all the awesome fellow Peace Corps volunteers I got to share it with.
I chose to spend New Years, or “Bonne Anne” in my village, as it was my last big “hurrah” before leaving my site, and as New Years is a huge holiday for Malagasies. During the few nights leading up to New Years, we had “Podium,” the Malagasy equivalent of a talent show. My counterpart had me practice dance routines with his wife and children and our neighbors, which we then performed on stage in front of the community. It was a blast, and I also enjoyed watching all the other acts. One of the teenage boys requested me to dance a few reggae songs with him and his buddy, too, which the audience enjoyed thoroughly.
New Years Eve brought the first big rains that we had seen in many months, which was certainly something to celebrate. After the epic semi-final soccer match between two neighborhoods in our town, which ended in a draw and then a dramatic shoot-off, the rains finally came. Everyone ran out into the main path through town and paraded around chanting and singing, welcoming the life-giving precipitation. Many had planted their rice a month before, assuming that the rains would have already come to water their crops, but it has been unusually dry this season so there were quite a few initial plantings lost to the drought.
On New Years Day, my counterpart invited me to his house to eat with his family. We shared a few beers, had a nice chat about American versus Malagasy traditions for celebrating New Years and then had a delicious feast with his family, which surprisingly didn’t consist of mounds and mounds of rice. The day after New Years is also still a “fety” for Malagasies, unlike Americans who either go back to work or use it as an extra day to recover from hangovers. My counterpart and I headed to Antsirabe Nord (my old site) to have a farewell lunch with the women’s group president, the nurse from Antsirabe Nord and their spouses. It was a joyful affair with good food and good drink and a wonderful chance for me to say goodbye to my friends and co-workers from my old site.
The following weekend was also filled with fetys, though of a much more emotional kind. On Saturday all of us Peace Corps volunteers in the area headed to Sambava to say goodbye to the two of us who were leaving the region. It was especially hard to say goodbye to our friend Caroline, as she is leaving the country for good, whereas I’ll still be around for a few more months. Again, there was lots of good Malagasy and American food, ample amount of drink and wonderful parting words shared between all of us volunteers who have shared some great triumphs and some rough times together. There were lots of laughs and lots of tears, and I will miss all of my fellow American co-workers and friends dearly. No one else can truly understand the unique experience we have shared in this beautiful yet sometimes harsh country.
While Caroline headed to the tarmac to take off for Tana on Sunday, I headed back to my site for a goodbye fety with my community. I had already set aside all of my belongings I was going to sell off in an auction as a fundraiser for my solar panel project. As soon as I got back and changed, the women’s group came to my door in a singing and dancing procession to gather all of my stuff and take me to the “bazary be” (central meeting place) for the ceremony and auction to follow.
As we made our way to the ceremony, tears started streaming down my face. I think it had finally hit me that I was leaving all of these wonderful, caring people for good, and was not sure if I’d ever have the means to return in the future (or if so, only after a very long time). It was so touching that all the women in the community had gathered together and donned their women’s group uniforms to celebrate and see me off. After raising the flag and singing the national anthem we took our places at the “bazary” and my counterpart started off the program.
In succession, the president of the village, the women’s group president, the president of the clinic, my counterpart (the nurse and head of the clinic), I and then the doctor from Antsirabe Nord all spoke. When the president of the women’s group gave her speech, she started crying, which in turn made me start crying again. Luckily I was able to compose myself before I gave my speech, and, even though after two years my Malagasy still isn’t quite up to par for orating, the community seemed to enjoy listening to me (or at least they laughed and clapped at all the right parts). There were lots of thank-yous and promises to keep in touch, and I left the community with parting words of encouragement that even if they don’t get another volunteer to replace me, they will still be able to do good work and continue on the path of development. There is such a strong sense of community and good leadership in their village.
After the speeches, the auction of all of my belongings that I couldn’t take with me on the airplane ensued. I was a little nervous, as I didn’t have a lot of stuff to offer, and there were many friends, co-workers and community members who wanted a chance and getting a “souvenir” from me. Thankfully, the women’s group and community leaders did a good job of running the auction fairly and keeping everyone under control. Some of the items (like bookshelves and chairs) went fairly expensive, but others were cheap, which gave more people the chance at buying items. Overall, we ended up raising a lot of money for the solar panel fund, which will go towards replacing the battery after a few years or making any other necessary repairs that come up after the one year warranty. Part of the money also went towards helping the pharmacy purchase extra medicines for poor patients who come to the clinic and can’t afford the necessary treatments.
The day after my big going-away fety in the village was mostly quiet, as it was a Monday and everyone was out in the fields working. I was busy packing up my life, but managed to take a break to have lunch with my counterpart and then sat on a neighbor’s porch to catch a little bit of a breeze. All of a sudden, I heard clapping and singing coming from the other end of town. Three folks who were still in town that day were walking hand in hand down the main path. As they got closer, I realized the song they were singing in beautiful yet raucous harmony was about me! They had made up a goodbye song for me and came over to where I was sitting on the porch to sing and dance. Pretty soon the few people that were hanging around the village came over to watch and join in the song and dance party. It was quite a touching moment.
That evening, the nurse and I brought over my belongings that I planned to donate to the clinic, which included a small table for the birthing room, shelves for the office, a hammer and a new broom. As he turned on the lights powered by the new solar panel, put all the papers that were piled all over the table and floor in the office onto the shelves and placed the table for newborn babies in the delivery room, I realized how much better the clinic looked. It’s amazing how a few small additions to the clinic could facilitate a significant improvement in the nurse’s ability to carry out his work.
On Tuesday, I headed to Sambava to get ready for my flight to the capital on Wednesday. That morning, the nurse helped me pack up, and we did the final accounting for the money from the auction to be donated to the clinic and solar panel fund. Some of my friends saw me off at the road and one of them even rode with me in the bush taxi to Sambava. It was a nice way to say goodbye, as I treated myself to a stay at a quiet bungalow on the beach and had a chance to see some fellow volunteers again before I flew out on Wednesday.
My next adventure will take me to the east coast near a town called Manompana (near the small port where the boats go over to Ile St. Marie). I’ll be working with a Malagasy NGO, training their field staff in community mobilization, behavior change methods and community analysis relating to clean water, sanitation and hygiene projects. I’ll update again when I move out there and work actually starts up.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Traditional Healing
I’ve had some interesting conversations with people lately about traditional Malagasy healing practices coming into conflict with western biomedical treatment. So I thought I’d write about the differences in worldviews and practices and how those differences have affected the health of rural communities here. The issue of traditional medicine came up a few weeks ago, when a very sick women came to the clinic. She was suffering from some sort of stomach illness and her family had brought her to our village to seek medical treatment too late. Her condition was quite grave at this point, and there wasn’t much the nurse could do except suggest that they travel as quickly as possible to the regional hospital in Sambava with better facilities, where they might be able to do something for her. The nurse’s wife explained to me later, that this family practiced “Ody Gasy,” or traditional medicine, and only after they had tried every possible alternative treatment did they decide to come to the health clinic as a last resort. Practicing traditional medicine had delayed their seeking western medical treatment, which limited the amount of help the nurse could offer, as this woman’s condition had deteriorated so rapidly.
I often here people in the community mention traditional healing methods, such as eating, drinking or breathing in the vapors from the leaves of medicinal plants in the forest or going to traditional healers for special therapies or “massages.” I had even met a traditional healer once, who claimed to be able to cure sexually transmitted diseases and illnesses causing swelling of the legs and breasts (filariasis/elephantiasis). Every market day, there are always a few stalls of people selling dried leaves, powders and various bottles of tonics that claim to have healing properties for every kind of malady. So I was curious to find out what the possible motivations were for those who opt for the traditional methods rather than seeking treatment from the medical clinic first.
My initial thought was that money may play a role in the decision-making process. I often here people at the clinic talking about not having enough money to buy the necessary medicines for their illness at the pharmacy. Perhaps people who were worried they wouldn’t be able to afford the medical treatment seek out other alternatives instead. This idea was quickly dispelled when the nurse’s wife explained that many traditional Malagasy treatments are actually more expensive, especially if the family requests a home visit from the traditional healer. While an initial diagnostic consult at the health clinic is free, even just a visit with the traditional healer can cost several thousand Ariary (a few US dollars, but still quite a sum for those in rural areas). Many of the simple, government subsidized medications like Tylenol, cough medicine and vitamins at the pharmacy cost 10,000Ariary (5USD) or less (and some, like Malaria treatment, are free), but some of the medicinal plants needed for traditional healing can surprisingly cost 30-50,000Ariary (25USD). Additionally, vaccinations for children under 1 year are free at the clinic, but many of the people who practice traditional medicine don’t get their children vaccinated. These facts made reconsider my initial conjecture.
Another thought was that the physical distance from health centers might influence people’s decision, especially if there are traditional healers living in the more remote, rural areas. If one couldn’t make the three hour trek through the woods to get to the health clinic, it would make sense that they would at least seek out a healer living in their community or in a village nearby. This factor may influence those living in isolated regions, but it is not a factor for the community where I live. Our village has a clinic with a very competent and reliable nurse and a pharmacy stocked with basic medicines, so the community members don’t have to travel more than 15 or 20 minutes to reach good medical care. However, there are still several traditional healers and many people practicing traditional medicine right in our village and in some of the surrounding communities. Some people in the vicinity of our clinic still choose to seek out traditional methods rather than making the short trip to see the nurse.
Another possible factor could be the clinic staff. Some Malagasy are embarrassed to seek medical treatment for things like sexually transmitted diseases for fear of judgment by the doctors or midwives. In particular, many people complain about the health care providers in the referral clinic down the road. I have frequently heard from community members that they are afraid to seek treatment at the larger health center in town, as they claim that the doctor and midwives who work there are often short with the patients and chastise them for not completing their vaccines, for being illiterate, or for not having money to bring with them to the clinic to purchase their prescribed medicines. I could definitely see fear of the medical staff as a reason for Malagasies choosing to seek alternative care, especially concerning the larger clinic down the road. However, I have a feeling this boundary isn’t as big of an issue in my immediate area, as the nurse at the rural clinic where I work treats his patients very well and is viewed as a friend and well-respected community member by many of those with whom he lives and works.
This idea of embarrassment was also reinforced during a group discussion with the SIDA Club (anti-AIDS club) students at the local middle school. We were talking about treatment of STIs, so I asked them about the possible reasons they thought some Malagasies might use “Ody Gasy” to treat their STI rather than going to the clinic. Several of the male students said that they would be embarrassed to go to a clinic, especially if a female provider such as a midwife were the one providing the treatment. Additionally, some of them offered that people might be afraid of getting a shot, which might be a reason for them to avoid the clinic.
Relating to the issue of embarrassment over seeking treatment at a clinic, there are frequent occurrences here of young women using the leaves of medicinal plants as a form of abortion. There have been several cases at the clinic of teenagers still in school who have miscarried after consuming leaves of particular plants they had collected from the forest to take care of their unwanted pregnancies. As abortion is illegal in Madagascar, these young women are faced with the dilemma of telling their parents that the precious savings they have spent on expensive school fees for the year is wasted, so they seek out other means of dealing with the issue. The fact that traditional medicines are used in this instance could reinforce the idea that embarrassment plays a role in the decision-making process, especially considering that family planning methods are free and confidential for anyone who chooses to come to the clinic, regardless of their age or marital status. However, lack of forethought and lack of power and status of the women in the said relationship also come into play with this issue of unwanted pregnancies.
After my conversation with the nurse’s wife, I’ve come to think that the Malagasy’s worldview, especially with respect to their view of the particular cause of their illness, may be the biggest factor in deciding which type of treatment to seek first. While there does seem to be some flexibility in many people’s worldview here, in the sense that they are willing to practice both western and traditional medicine, many do seem to prioritize based on which practice they ascribe more validity to. Their values and belief system may have a significant influence in this prioritization. Very interestingly, the nurse’s wife noted that most people in our community who attend church (i.e. ascribe to the Christian faith) do not practice “Ody Gasy.” She explained that for the most part, only those who “tsy mivavaka,” or, do not pray, seek out the traditional healers. This pattern seems to suggest that those who value the traditional belief system over adopted western practices tend to value traditional medicine more than biomedicine, which would make sense. Additionally, it seems that if a person suspects witchcraft has played a role in the particular illness, they will seek traditional treatment accordingly.
In one particular case a few weeks earlier, a child in family living down the road had died of a fever, because they came to the clinic too late. Apparently this family had gotten into an argument with another family in the area over rights to some farmland. Soon after the argument, their child felt sick. The family believed that this illness was brought upon by the other angry family, who had essentially “cursed” them. Because the family believed the illness was due to malicious intent from someone in their community practicing witchcraft, they decided that traditional healing methods rather than western medicine would be the best treatment for the child. Only when they had tried everything to counteract the curse did they contact the nurse. At this point, the child unfortunately was already on her deathbed.
According to his wife, the nurse has frequently asked people who practice traditional medicine to avoid waiting until it is too late to go to the clinic. His suggestion to those who use “Ody Gasy” is to only try it for a short time and then also to seek treatment at his health center. It shows a respectful openness and flexibility on his part that he is does not invalidate the community members’ belief systems, but simply attempts to get them the best healthcare possible. I also wonder if it would be possible to go a step further and work with the traditional healers themselves to encourage them to promote concurrent use of benign traditional healing practices and western biomedicine.
In particular, eliminating any traditional medicines that could cause harm to the patient would be very helpful. One of the issues is that some of these plants from the Malagasy rainforest do actually have legitimate medicinal qualities, but most who use them do not know in what quantities and in what forms to take them. Consequently they end up doing more harm to themselves than good. Training traditional healers in proper use of more benign medicinal plants and discouraging the use of self-medication in addition to a timely referral process to the health clinic could be a potential middle ground for those wishing to maintain their cultural practices and belief systems.
I often here people in the community mention traditional healing methods, such as eating, drinking or breathing in the vapors from the leaves of medicinal plants in the forest or going to traditional healers for special therapies or “massages.” I had even met a traditional healer once, who claimed to be able to cure sexually transmitted diseases and illnesses causing swelling of the legs and breasts (filariasis/elephantiasis). Every market day, there are always a few stalls of people selling dried leaves, powders and various bottles of tonics that claim to have healing properties for every kind of malady. So I was curious to find out what the possible motivations were for those who opt for the traditional methods rather than seeking treatment from the medical clinic first.
My initial thought was that money may play a role in the decision-making process. I often here people at the clinic talking about not having enough money to buy the necessary medicines for their illness at the pharmacy. Perhaps people who were worried they wouldn’t be able to afford the medical treatment seek out other alternatives instead. This idea was quickly dispelled when the nurse’s wife explained that many traditional Malagasy treatments are actually more expensive, especially if the family requests a home visit from the traditional healer. While an initial diagnostic consult at the health clinic is free, even just a visit with the traditional healer can cost several thousand Ariary (a few US dollars, but still quite a sum for those in rural areas). Many of the simple, government subsidized medications like Tylenol, cough medicine and vitamins at the pharmacy cost 10,000Ariary (5USD) or less (and some, like Malaria treatment, are free), but some of the medicinal plants needed for traditional healing can surprisingly cost 30-50,000Ariary (25USD). Additionally, vaccinations for children under 1 year are free at the clinic, but many of the people who practice traditional medicine don’t get their children vaccinated. These facts made reconsider my initial conjecture.
Another thought was that the physical distance from health centers might influence people’s decision, especially if there are traditional healers living in the more remote, rural areas. If one couldn’t make the three hour trek through the woods to get to the health clinic, it would make sense that they would at least seek out a healer living in their community or in a village nearby. This factor may influence those living in isolated regions, but it is not a factor for the community where I live. Our village has a clinic with a very competent and reliable nurse and a pharmacy stocked with basic medicines, so the community members don’t have to travel more than 15 or 20 minutes to reach good medical care. However, there are still several traditional healers and many people practicing traditional medicine right in our village and in some of the surrounding communities. Some people in the vicinity of our clinic still choose to seek out traditional methods rather than making the short trip to see the nurse.
Another possible factor could be the clinic staff. Some Malagasy are embarrassed to seek medical treatment for things like sexually transmitted diseases for fear of judgment by the doctors or midwives. In particular, many people complain about the health care providers in the referral clinic down the road. I have frequently heard from community members that they are afraid to seek treatment at the larger health center in town, as they claim that the doctor and midwives who work there are often short with the patients and chastise them for not completing their vaccines, for being illiterate, or for not having money to bring with them to the clinic to purchase their prescribed medicines. I could definitely see fear of the medical staff as a reason for Malagasies choosing to seek alternative care, especially concerning the larger clinic down the road. However, I have a feeling this boundary isn’t as big of an issue in my immediate area, as the nurse at the rural clinic where I work treats his patients very well and is viewed as a friend and well-respected community member by many of those with whom he lives and works.
This idea of embarrassment was also reinforced during a group discussion with the SIDA Club (anti-AIDS club) students at the local middle school. We were talking about treatment of STIs, so I asked them about the possible reasons they thought some Malagasies might use “Ody Gasy” to treat their STI rather than going to the clinic. Several of the male students said that they would be embarrassed to go to a clinic, especially if a female provider such as a midwife were the one providing the treatment. Additionally, some of them offered that people might be afraid of getting a shot, which might be a reason for them to avoid the clinic.
Relating to the issue of embarrassment over seeking treatment at a clinic, there are frequent occurrences here of young women using the leaves of medicinal plants as a form of abortion. There have been several cases at the clinic of teenagers still in school who have miscarried after consuming leaves of particular plants they had collected from the forest to take care of their unwanted pregnancies. As abortion is illegal in Madagascar, these young women are faced with the dilemma of telling their parents that the precious savings they have spent on expensive school fees for the year is wasted, so they seek out other means of dealing with the issue. The fact that traditional medicines are used in this instance could reinforce the idea that embarrassment plays a role in the decision-making process, especially considering that family planning methods are free and confidential for anyone who chooses to come to the clinic, regardless of their age or marital status. However, lack of forethought and lack of power and status of the women in the said relationship also come into play with this issue of unwanted pregnancies.
After my conversation with the nurse’s wife, I’ve come to think that the Malagasy’s worldview, especially with respect to their view of the particular cause of their illness, may be the biggest factor in deciding which type of treatment to seek first. While there does seem to be some flexibility in many people’s worldview here, in the sense that they are willing to practice both western and traditional medicine, many do seem to prioritize based on which practice they ascribe more validity to. Their values and belief system may have a significant influence in this prioritization. Very interestingly, the nurse’s wife noted that most people in our community who attend church (i.e. ascribe to the Christian faith) do not practice “Ody Gasy.” She explained that for the most part, only those who “tsy mivavaka,” or, do not pray, seek out the traditional healers. This pattern seems to suggest that those who value the traditional belief system over adopted western practices tend to value traditional medicine more than biomedicine, which would make sense. Additionally, it seems that if a person suspects witchcraft has played a role in the particular illness, they will seek traditional treatment accordingly.
In one particular case a few weeks earlier, a child in family living down the road had died of a fever, because they came to the clinic too late. Apparently this family had gotten into an argument with another family in the area over rights to some farmland. Soon after the argument, their child felt sick. The family believed that this illness was brought upon by the other angry family, who had essentially “cursed” them. Because the family believed the illness was due to malicious intent from someone in their community practicing witchcraft, they decided that traditional healing methods rather than western medicine would be the best treatment for the child. Only when they had tried everything to counteract the curse did they contact the nurse. At this point, the child unfortunately was already on her deathbed.
According to his wife, the nurse has frequently asked people who practice traditional medicine to avoid waiting until it is too late to go to the clinic. His suggestion to those who use “Ody Gasy” is to only try it for a short time and then also to seek treatment at his health center. It shows a respectful openness and flexibility on his part that he is does not invalidate the community members’ belief systems, but simply attempts to get them the best healthcare possible. I also wonder if it would be possible to go a step further and work with the traditional healers themselves to encourage them to promote concurrent use of benign traditional healing practices and western biomedicine.
In particular, eliminating any traditional medicines that could cause harm to the patient would be very helpful. One of the issues is that some of these plants from the Malagasy rainforest do actually have legitimate medicinal qualities, but most who use them do not know in what quantities and in what forms to take them. Consequently they end up doing more harm to themselves than good. Training traditional healers in proper use of more benign medicinal plants and discouraging the use of self-medication in addition to a timely referral process to the health clinic could be a potential middle ground for those wishing to maintain their cultural practices and belief systems.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
The Dead
So this is a morbid, yet interesting, entry in honor of the recent holiday on Nov 1st/2nd, “Fete de Mort.” Though most don’t celebrate it in the U.S., I think it’s somehow related to Halloween, and those in Latin America definitely know it as “El Dia de Los Muertos.” The tradition has very similar roots in Madagascar: visiting the graves of the deceased and honoring the ancestors. I found it an interesting vignette in which to compare the Malagasy world view of death with that of Americans.
In general, I’ve found through attending funerals, talking with Malagasies about the dead and participating in a “Fete de Mort” event, that the Malagasies on average are a bit more concerned with the spirits of the deceased than most Americans tend to be. Part of it may stem from the Malagasies’ traditional African religious practices and ancestral beliefs, and some contrast may come from the diverse range of beliefs in the U.S. and our tendency as an industrialized nation with more influences from globalization to abandon the traditional beliefs and take on a more agnostic or scientific view of death the afterlife (or lack there of).
Either way, my counterpart (the nurse at my local clinic) was kind enough to invite me to attend a “Fete de Mort” celebration with his family in his hometown. We were initially supposed to go on November 1st, but there was a death in the village! As the death occurred just across the way from me, and many of my friends and co-workers knew the family well, we had to reschedule our plans for the 2nd and attend the funeral on the 1st. So on November 2nd I traveled with the nurse and his wife to Anjinjaomby, a small town between…a 4 hour car ride from our village with a transit stop in Sambava. We left early in the morning and arrived around 10am. The dirt road out to his home-town was very scenic, bordered by lush forest, rice paddies and quaint villages.
Though the town of Anjinjaomby was a commune head, there was no electricity, and only a few spigots served as the public water sources. When we arrived at my counterpart’s mother’s house, we went through all the greetings with the relatives and then sat under a leechie tree, chatting until lunchtime. After a humble meal of rice and boiled beans with green leaves, we gathered all the relatives around and headed out to local graveyard. The walk was only fifteen minutes to the cemetery at the edge of town. I was surprised at how small and sparsely populated the space was. Many of the small, cement tombs were above ground and protected by makeshift, rusted tin sheet metal roofs.
Finally we approached their family’s tomb: a small metal shack, bolted by a wooden board nailed into the front side. Before opening the tomb, one of the older brothers said a prayer. Inside were four wooden coffins—three small ones and one longer one. The family only had the key to their father’s coffin, so they removed it from the little tin house, openened it up and lifted out the bundle of blankets and woven mats and clothes piled on top so they could clean out the bottom of the coffin of dirt and dust. Then they placed the bundle and the clothes back in the box, slipping in a few bills of money into the father’s pants pockets (a present for the next person who cleans the tomb) before closing the box and placing it back inside.
Later they explained that the longer coffin was that of their aunt’s who was more recently deceased. The process goes as follows: when the person first dies, they are buried underground in a regular coffin, like many of us do in the U.S. After a few years, when the body has decayed a bit, they dig the coffin back up and put the corpse in a smaller coffin above ground. A few years later, when the corpse is just bones, they re-open the coffin, gather the bones together in a new bundle of cloth and put it in an even smaller container. Now I know why so many of the Malagasy coffins I’ve seen are so tiny!
The process of opening the tomb and rearranging the bones does not necessarily take place during “Fete de Mort.” It’s often accompanied by a big celebration, called a “famadihana,” or turning of the bones ceremony, in which many people attend and party all night long, partaking of heavy drinking, singing and dancing. It was fascinating to me that the Malagasy take such care in rearranging the physical remnants of the deceased. Many of them also believe that the spirits of the dead often rise up from the grave to visit the living. I also took the opportunity to explain to them the practices of burial and cremation in the U.S. Many were shocked at the idea of cremation, but some were familiar with it, as many of the ex-pats, Muslims and people of Chinese or Indian descent and practice cremation here in Madagascar.
Though some Malagasies do bring offerings such as “toaka” (local moonshine) and plastic flowers to the graves of the ancestors, it’s not quite the extent of those who celebrate “El Dia de Los Muertos,” bringing favorite foods, trinkets and candles and staying through night. The Malagasies for the most part seem to visit the graves for a short time during the day and use it more as an opportunity to tidy up the tomb and the surrounding area. Its also a chance for the relatives who life far a way to visit their hometown and their family members. Some of my counterpart’s family members hadn’t been back to Anjinjaomby for several years.
Other cultural practices worthy of noting: if a child dies within the first six months of it’s life (before it starts developing teeth) it is not laid to rest with the bodies in the regular graveyard, but rather buried underground in a specially designated place in the woods outside of the village. Also, people of all faiths (Christian, Muslim, traditional) may be buried in the same cemetery.
Concerning funerals, since our Fete De Mort plans were delayed due to one, they are an all-village affair. In many cases, people from neighboring communes and even further away will even come to attend the funeral. It usually takes place the day of or day after the person dies, as Malagasies don’t have access to nor practice preservation techniques such as embalming, and it is a very hot, humid climate. For this most recent one, I got a front row seat, as the family lives right across from me.
Women wear kisalis—colorful, patterned cloth sewn in a circle and worn either as a tube top dress or skirt with a matching shawl. There is no particular dress code for men…even shorts and a tattered t-shirt is fine. Everyone donates either a cup of rice or 500-1000Ariary and the family usually slaughters a cow or several if they can afford it. If the family is very poor they may just purchase some meat from a local butcher or substitute beans or lentils. All day the women prepare and cook the rice. It is the men’s job to slaughter the cow and fetch water. Others sit around chatting outside the house of the family. One may enter the house where the corpse is lying on a bed, covered by a sheet. It’s mostly women in the room, but men may enter as well. If the family is religious, they often sing hymns. At lunchtime, everyone eats the rice and beef together. If there are a lot of people, someone will announce the visitors by village to come get their food. Afterwards the women wash all the dishes while the men head off to the cemetery to bury the corpse. The women follow later on to attend the burial. Both the night before and the night after, people stay up all night with the family, chatting, drinking toaka and singing hymns.
A lot of Malagasies were asking me if funerals are similar in America. I suppose in a sense they are. Many people bring over food and the family and close friends may eat a bit and drink together after the ceremony, though tuna noodle casseroles and pies don’t really compare to sacks of rice and a live cow. We all seem to find our own ways to process the idea of dying and to cope with the fact that we will never see that close friend or family member again. One thing I like about the Malagasy funeral process is how the whole community comes together to support each other. It’s an amazing feat to cook so much rice and beef for hundreds of people, and the company and camaraderie shared during the process is priceless to the grieving family.
In general, I’ve found through attending funerals, talking with Malagasies about the dead and participating in a “Fete de Mort” event, that the Malagasies on average are a bit more concerned with the spirits of the deceased than most Americans tend to be. Part of it may stem from the Malagasies’ traditional African religious practices and ancestral beliefs, and some contrast may come from the diverse range of beliefs in the U.S. and our tendency as an industrialized nation with more influences from globalization to abandon the traditional beliefs and take on a more agnostic or scientific view of death the afterlife (or lack there of).
Either way, my counterpart (the nurse at my local clinic) was kind enough to invite me to attend a “Fete de Mort” celebration with his family in his hometown. We were initially supposed to go on November 1st, but there was a death in the village! As the death occurred just across the way from me, and many of my friends and co-workers knew the family well, we had to reschedule our plans for the 2nd and attend the funeral on the 1st. So on November 2nd I traveled with the nurse and his wife to Anjinjaomby, a small town between…a 4 hour car ride from our village with a transit stop in Sambava. We left early in the morning and arrived around 10am. The dirt road out to his home-town was very scenic, bordered by lush forest, rice paddies and quaint villages.
Though the town of Anjinjaomby was a commune head, there was no electricity, and only a few spigots served as the public water sources. When we arrived at my counterpart’s mother’s house, we went through all the greetings with the relatives and then sat under a leechie tree, chatting until lunchtime. After a humble meal of rice and boiled beans with green leaves, we gathered all the relatives around and headed out to local graveyard. The walk was only fifteen minutes to the cemetery at the edge of town. I was surprised at how small and sparsely populated the space was. Many of the small, cement tombs were above ground and protected by makeshift, rusted tin sheet metal roofs.
Finally we approached their family’s tomb: a small metal shack, bolted by a wooden board nailed into the front side. Before opening the tomb, one of the older brothers said a prayer. Inside were four wooden coffins—three small ones and one longer one. The family only had the key to their father’s coffin, so they removed it from the little tin house, openened it up and lifted out the bundle of blankets and woven mats and clothes piled on top so they could clean out the bottom of the coffin of dirt and dust. Then they placed the bundle and the clothes back in the box, slipping in a few bills of money into the father’s pants pockets (a present for the next person who cleans the tomb) before closing the box and placing it back inside.
Later they explained that the longer coffin was that of their aunt’s who was more recently deceased. The process goes as follows: when the person first dies, they are buried underground in a regular coffin, like many of us do in the U.S. After a few years, when the body has decayed a bit, they dig the coffin back up and put the corpse in a smaller coffin above ground. A few years later, when the corpse is just bones, they re-open the coffin, gather the bones together in a new bundle of cloth and put it in an even smaller container. Now I know why so many of the Malagasy coffins I’ve seen are so tiny!
The process of opening the tomb and rearranging the bones does not necessarily take place during “Fete de Mort.” It’s often accompanied by a big celebration, called a “famadihana,” or turning of the bones ceremony, in which many people attend and party all night long, partaking of heavy drinking, singing and dancing. It was fascinating to me that the Malagasy take such care in rearranging the physical remnants of the deceased. Many of them also believe that the spirits of the dead often rise up from the grave to visit the living. I also took the opportunity to explain to them the practices of burial and cremation in the U.S. Many were shocked at the idea of cremation, but some were familiar with it, as many of the ex-pats, Muslims and people of Chinese or Indian descent and practice cremation here in Madagascar.
Though some Malagasies do bring offerings such as “toaka” (local moonshine) and plastic flowers to the graves of the ancestors, it’s not quite the extent of those who celebrate “El Dia de Los Muertos,” bringing favorite foods, trinkets and candles and staying through night. The Malagasies for the most part seem to visit the graves for a short time during the day and use it more as an opportunity to tidy up the tomb and the surrounding area. Its also a chance for the relatives who life far a way to visit their hometown and their family members. Some of my counterpart’s family members hadn’t been back to Anjinjaomby for several years.
Other cultural practices worthy of noting: if a child dies within the first six months of it’s life (before it starts developing teeth) it is not laid to rest with the bodies in the regular graveyard, but rather buried underground in a specially designated place in the woods outside of the village. Also, people of all faiths (Christian, Muslim, traditional) may be buried in the same cemetery.
Concerning funerals, since our Fete De Mort plans were delayed due to one, they are an all-village affair. In many cases, people from neighboring communes and even further away will even come to attend the funeral. It usually takes place the day of or day after the person dies, as Malagasies don’t have access to nor practice preservation techniques such as embalming, and it is a very hot, humid climate. For this most recent one, I got a front row seat, as the family lives right across from me.
Women wear kisalis—colorful, patterned cloth sewn in a circle and worn either as a tube top dress or skirt with a matching shawl. There is no particular dress code for men…even shorts and a tattered t-shirt is fine. Everyone donates either a cup of rice or 500-1000Ariary and the family usually slaughters a cow or several if they can afford it. If the family is very poor they may just purchase some meat from a local butcher or substitute beans or lentils. All day the women prepare and cook the rice. It is the men’s job to slaughter the cow and fetch water. Others sit around chatting outside the house of the family. One may enter the house where the corpse is lying on a bed, covered by a sheet. It’s mostly women in the room, but men may enter as well. If the family is religious, they often sing hymns. At lunchtime, everyone eats the rice and beef together. If there are a lot of people, someone will announce the visitors by village to come get their food. Afterwards the women wash all the dishes while the men head off to the cemetery to bury the corpse. The women follow later on to attend the burial. Both the night before and the night after, people stay up all night with the family, chatting, drinking toaka and singing hymns.
A lot of Malagasies were asking me if funerals are similar in America. I suppose in a sense they are. Many people bring over food and the family and close friends may eat a bit and drink together after the ceremony, though tuna noodle casseroles and pies don’t really compare to sacks of rice and a live cow. We all seem to find our own ways to process the idea of dying and to cope with the fact that we will never see that close friend or family member again. One thing I like about the Malagasy funeral process is how the whole community comes together to support each other. It’s an amazing feat to cook so much rice and beef for hundreds of people, and the company and camaraderie shared during the process is priceless to the grieving family.
Friday, October 28, 2011
28 Oct 2011
So the last entry I posted was actually written back before hot season started. I no longer have to use a sleeping back at night...sometimes I even a light sheet is too much. Now I go running at 5 because its already too hot by the time I get back at 6. And its harder to be active in the afternoon, since Im pretty much dripping with sweat in my house until 4pm. Its not even the peak of hot season yet (thats in January) so I cant even imagine what its going to be like this year!
It hasnt been raining hardly at all, so everyone is struggling with wells and rivers drying up. Even in the big towns where there is running water/public taps like Vohemar and Andapa, the water keeps going out. People have been going out to the fields to clear their land, so it's almost time for rice-planting. Im wondering if some will wait, though, in case the rains still dont come for a while. Last year the rains were late as well, and many lost their initial crops that they planted in November.
I think the heat has brought fruit season early this year, though, which is perhaps a silver lining on the cloud. There are already bunches of pink leechies popping out of the mess of green forest along the roadside and mangoes are already showing up in the market. My neighbor asked me for a container so she could make me some leechy jam from the fruits of her tree near her rice field, which Im greatly looking forward to. Pineapples will be coming soon as well.
It's been difficult for me to get projects going, as I've been gone from my site a lot recently. I just got back from a wonderful week of vacation visiting my father in Rwanda, and then spent a week in Tana at Peace Corps' Close of Service Conference. Though I am planning to extend my service until May of next year, the COS conference was still really helpful and it was great to see all my fellow volunteers with whom I went through my initial training in Niger and then again in Madagascar.
During COS we talked about job hunting strategies, the readjustment process going back home, how to document our skills that we have gained over the past two years and how to say goodbye to our communities with whome we have spent two years of our lives with. We also had to say goodbye to each other, as many of us are leaving the country at different times and may not be able to meet up until possibly when we are back in America. There are four or five other fellow volunteers from my group, who are extending, so I look forward to possibly still running into them in the coming months.
It's been great to be back at my site and to reconnect with everyone. It's going to be a challenge to plan short-term projects that I can finish before january, though. Although I am extending, I will be switching to a different location in Madagascar after the holidays, so I still need to think about wrapping up and saying goodbye to my community up here in the north. Im still planning to do some small activities though, like a kitchen garden with the village mothers, a financial literacy class (how to save/how to budget/family planning) with the womens group, a scholarship project for disadvantaged youth at the local secondary school and some health education in the local schools as well. Hopefully Ill get to play some more soccer with the women too, although one of our balls is already busted!
It hasnt been raining hardly at all, so everyone is struggling with wells and rivers drying up. Even in the big towns where there is running water/public taps like Vohemar and Andapa, the water keeps going out. People have been going out to the fields to clear their land, so it's almost time for rice-planting. Im wondering if some will wait, though, in case the rains still dont come for a while. Last year the rains were late as well, and many lost their initial crops that they planted in November.
I think the heat has brought fruit season early this year, though, which is perhaps a silver lining on the cloud. There are already bunches of pink leechies popping out of the mess of green forest along the roadside and mangoes are already showing up in the market. My neighbor asked me for a container so she could make me some leechy jam from the fruits of her tree near her rice field, which Im greatly looking forward to. Pineapples will be coming soon as well.
It's been difficult for me to get projects going, as I've been gone from my site a lot recently. I just got back from a wonderful week of vacation visiting my father in Rwanda, and then spent a week in Tana at Peace Corps' Close of Service Conference. Though I am planning to extend my service until May of next year, the COS conference was still really helpful and it was great to see all my fellow volunteers with whom I went through my initial training in Niger and then again in Madagascar.
During COS we talked about job hunting strategies, the readjustment process going back home, how to document our skills that we have gained over the past two years and how to say goodbye to our communities with whome we have spent two years of our lives with. We also had to say goodbye to each other, as many of us are leaving the country at different times and may not be able to meet up until possibly when we are back in America. There are four or five other fellow volunteers from my group, who are extending, so I look forward to possibly still running into them in the coming months.
It's been great to be back at my site and to reconnect with everyone. It's going to be a challenge to plan short-term projects that I can finish before january, though. Although I am extending, I will be switching to a different location in Madagascar after the holidays, so I still need to think about wrapping up and saying goodbye to my community up here in the north. Im still planning to do some small activities though, like a kitchen garden with the village mothers, a financial literacy class (how to save/how to budget/family planning) with the womens group, a scholarship project for disadvantaged youth at the local secondary school and some health education in the local schools as well. Hopefully Ill get to play some more soccer with the women too, although one of our balls is already busted!
A good day in the life of a PC Mada volunteer...
It's 4:30am. The house is still pitch dark. The crow of a lone rooster and the chill of the 60° winter morning air pull me momentarily out of sleep. I grab my light sleeping bag and throw it over me for extra warmth in my semi-conscious state.
At 5:30 the chorus of crowing roosters arouse me again and my bowels send me walking outside to the pit latrine to empty my "po" (plastic bucket Malagasies use as a chamber pot) and do my morning routine. As I walk the 50 meters back to the house, the village awakens with the echoes of rhythmic rice-pounding,the whining of drowsy babies and the quiet chattering of women starting their cookfires and fetching water.
It's still quite chilly, but I throw shorts and a tank top on and head out the door for my morning run. Most families are still waking up and cooking breakfast as the sun rises, so the path out of the village is almost empty. I pass a few early morning travellers as I jog slowly up the steep, 1km hill to the main road.
The wind brushes a delicious fragrance of tropical, blooming flowers as I crest the hill, bringing with it the faint memories of childhood trips to visit family in India. As I reach the tarmac, one of the small roadside shacks emits rich wafts of roasting, earthy coffee and sweet, drying vanilla, sending my thoughts back to Madagascar. I run three and a half kilometers down the southbound road over rolling hills,, past ricefields and patchy, tropical forest. Then I head back home, a sprinkle of cooling rain and a beautiful rainbow archway celebrating my return.
A few fellow villagers call out to me as I pass, and I invite them to join me, though I know they never will. Their lives are too full everyday with hard physical labor. They have no energy to spare for my purely whimsical, recreational exertion. I reach the path descending back into the village, my lungs and gut rejoicing, but my knees and hips dreading the relentless pounding of my weight on them as I jaunt down the hill in my four-year-old sneakers that have no shock absorption left to lessen the blow.
At last I reach my wooden hut after greeting my neighbors. I chug some water and take a refreshing, shockingly cold bucket bath in my 3-sided, roofless shower made of Traveler's Palm leaves. Then I bundle up with a light sweater and get ready for a morning of weighing babies and teaching mothers about nutrition and family planning. Around noon, I am back at my house. I make rice and cucumber salad for lunch and then read lawily into the afternoon qs the nighborhood kids come over to color and play cards on my porch. Some of them even offer to fetch my water, knowing they will receive a marble or a sticker as a small "thanks" for their help.
Around 3pm some of the neighborhood women come to my gate and beckon me to come join them on the soccer field. Though I'm somewhat dissuaded by the afternoon heat and tired from my morning run, I put on some shoes to go play, knowing it will be really fun and good opportunity for me to bond with the village women.
After we finish playing and I take another bucket shower, I head to the elementary school to see if any of the motivated adults in the village have come to learn English at our weekly classtime. I teach them body parts and the "Hokey Pokey," which we all thoroughly enjoy, laughing at each other as shake our left arm or right leg or butt and dance in circles. At dusk we wrap up the session, as it is too dark to see in the unlit classroom.
I take a walk through the village to buy some produce for dinner (usually tomatoes and some kind of green leaf). Then I cook before it gets too dark. I read and write letters by the light of my solar-powered lamp to pass the time and eat a quiet dinner listening to the BBC Africa News program on my shortwave radio. After I clean up and get ready for bed, I listen to the sounds of people outside chatting as they take their evening walk through the village. The faint chatter of my neighbors' Malagasy radio or a good book I happen to be reading finally lull me to sleep at around 8.
At 5:30 the chorus of crowing roosters arouse me again and my bowels send me walking outside to the pit latrine to empty my "po" (plastic bucket Malagasies use as a chamber pot) and do my morning routine. As I walk the 50 meters back to the house, the village awakens with the echoes of rhythmic rice-pounding,the whining of drowsy babies and the quiet chattering of women starting their cookfires and fetching water.
It's still quite chilly, but I throw shorts and a tank top on and head out the door for my morning run. Most families are still waking up and cooking breakfast as the sun rises, so the path out of the village is almost empty. I pass a few early morning travellers as I jog slowly up the steep, 1km hill to the main road.
The wind brushes a delicious fragrance of tropical, blooming flowers as I crest the hill, bringing with it the faint memories of childhood trips to visit family in India. As I reach the tarmac, one of the small roadside shacks emits rich wafts of roasting, earthy coffee and sweet, drying vanilla, sending my thoughts back to Madagascar. I run three and a half kilometers down the southbound road over rolling hills,, past ricefields and patchy, tropical forest. Then I head back home, a sprinkle of cooling rain and a beautiful rainbow archway celebrating my return.
A few fellow villagers call out to me as I pass, and I invite them to join me, though I know they never will. Their lives are too full everyday with hard physical labor. They have no energy to spare for my purely whimsical, recreational exertion. I reach the path descending back into the village, my lungs and gut rejoicing, but my knees and hips dreading the relentless pounding of my weight on them as I jaunt down the hill in my four-year-old sneakers that have no shock absorption left to lessen the blow.
At last I reach my wooden hut after greeting my neighbors. I chug some water and take a refreshing, shockingly cold bucket bath in my 3-sided, roofless shower made of Traveler's Palm leaves. Then I bundle up with a light sweater and get ready for a morning of weighing babies and teaching mothers about nutrition and family planning. Around noon, I am back at my house. I make rice and cucumber salad for lunch and then read lawily into the afternoon qs the nighborhood kids come over to color and play cards on my porch. Some of them even offer to fetch my water, knowing they will receive a marble or a sticker as a small "thanks" for their help.
Around 3pm some of the neighborhood women come to my gate and beckon me to come join them on the soccer field. Though I'm somewhat dissuaded by the afternoon heat and tired from my morning run, I put on some shoes to go play, knowing it will be really fun and good opportunity for me to bond with the village women.
After we finish playing and I take another bucket shower, I head to the elementary school to see if any of the motivated adults in the village have come to learn English at our weekly classtime. I teach them body parts and the "Hokey Pokey," which we all thoroughly enjoy, laughing at each other as shake our left arm or right leg or butt and dance in circles. At dusk we wrap up the session, as it is too dark to see in the unlit classroom.
I take a walk through the village to buy some produce for dinner (usually tomatoes and some kind of green leaf). Then I cook before it gets too dark. I read and write letters by the light of my solar-powered lamp to pass the time and eat a quiet dinner listening to the BBC Africa News program on my shortwave radio. After I clean up and get ready for bed, I listen to the sounds of people outside chatting as they take their evening walk through the village. The faint chatter of my neighbors' Malagasy radio or a good book I happen to be reading finally lull me to sleep at around 8.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Vacation in Diego
Just came back from a wonderful week in Diego, a large port town near the northern tip of Madagascar. Since I didn’t take hardly any vacation last year I’ve been traveling quite frequently now to use up my 48 days before the two years are up. It’s worked out well, since my counterpart has been gone from site a lot recently for regional and national health trainings and meetings. I wouldn’t have gotten much done without his help anyway.
It was two Mondays ago now that I and two other volunteers from my area met up in Vohemar and made the long, stuffy trek in a bush taxi up north to Diego. Theoretically, our destination isn’t that far from my site on the northeast coast—maybe 300 to 350km. However the road and the vehicles are in such poor condition that it took us 15 hours of car travel to get there. The 200km between Vohemar on the east coast crossing over to Ambilobe near the west coast is a rocky, hilly dirt road with many potholes and deep tire tracks left from semis. That section of the road is the longest and most frustrating. It’s also incredibly dusty during the dry season, as a lot of dirt is kicked up from the frequently passing vehicles and blown across the road from the strong, seasonal winds. After the ten hour journey to Ambilobe, we all stepped out of the 15 passenger van looking bedraggled and burnt orange in color from the thick coat of dust. In Ambilobe we hopped in the covered bed of a rickety pick-up truck, known as a “quatre-quatre,” which took us all the way to Diego. This stretch of road is “paved,” but probably hasn’t been repaired in over twenty years, so it’s more dirt road than tarmac in some spots and filled with potholes. Hey, it only took us five more hours, though! Needless to say, we were exhausted once arriving in Diego, and in desperate need of some relaxation and fun, which is pleasantly easy to find there.
Throughout the week, we had wonderful fellow volunteers show us around or suggest the best spots to spend our vacation. We went to some delicious restaurants where we were treated to great seafood and surprisingly decent (or maybe not terrible?) wine. One of our daytrips included a sailboat ride out to Emerald Bay, aptly named for its brilliant turquoise water, where we relaxed on the soft, sandy beach, ate freshly grilled barracuda and crab and got terribly sunburnt. Another day we hiked around Amber Mountain national park, which was very wet and cold but a great opportunity for us to see some wildlife, including the pygmy chameleon (the tiniest chameleon in the world), two species of lemur and a giant earthworm more than a meter long among other things. We also spent a day lounging at Ramena beach and another day drinking bloody marys and mimosas poolside at a fancy hotel with a swim-up bar. Hard life as a Peace Corps volunteer, huh? It’s times like these when it really hits me how lucky I am to be living on a tropical island for two years!
Diego almost felt like a different world compared to where I spend the majority of my time in this country. While there is absolutely still poverty in and around the Diego area, it’s not as ever-present and obvious and perhaps not quite as desperate as it seems in rural areas like my site. In the big city there is so much infrastructure—running water, paved roads, every kind of fruit, vegetable, fish and meat in the market, every kind of restaurant, well-built schools including a university, electricity 24/7, running water, wireless internet at cafes and in the regional PC transit house.
From Diego heading back south toward Vohemar along the dusty road winding through rural villages, I find myself transported back to the “real” world, with pothole-plauged roads, huge families with raggedy clothes living in one-room, dilapidated shacks, mothers digging holes in the dried up riverbeds in search of water, market stalls with nothing to offer but brown bananas and miniature tomatoes, communities scraping together a living panning for gold or digging for precious stones in the harsh, dry deforested terrain. This country is beautiful in so many unique ways, but it can be painful to see right before ones eyes the blatant, widespread destruction caused by the developed world’s exploitation of Madagascar’s environment and its impoverished people.
Even though the ride back from Diego was long, uncomfortable and incredibly frustrating, as our vehicles kept breaking down in the middle of nowhere, it was a helpful transition for me back into my life and work in my small village near Sambava. I came back refreshed and happy to see my friends and coworkers. I do have to admit, though, that I secretly wished Sambava or Vohemar had some of the nice things that Diego had to offer (even just one good seafood restaurant or beachside bar would be great.) Perhaps I’ll make another long journey up there before the rainy season starts in January.
P.S. haven't posted pics from Diego yet, but if you're interested in looking at my other pictures, Ive set up links to them on picassa. Just go to my past blogs in the archive and click on the title, and it should send you to the picassa album website if there are any pictures from that post. thanks for everyone's support, and keep reading!
It was two Mondays ago now that I and two other volunteers from my area met up in Vohemar and made the long, stuffy trek in a bush taxi up north to Diego. Theoretically, our destination isn’t that far from my site on the northeast coast—maybe 300 to 350km. However the road and the vehicles are in such poor condition that it took us 15 hours of car travel to get there. The 200km between Vohemar on the east coast crossing over to Ambilobe near the west coast is a rocky, hilly dirt road with many potholes and deep tire tracks left from semis. That section of the road is the longest and most frustrating. It’s also incredibly dusty during the dry season, as a lot of dirt is kicked up from the frequently passing vehicles and blown across the road from the strong, seasonal winds. After the ten hour journey to Ambilobe, we all stepped out of the 15 passenger van looking bedraggled and burnt orange in color from the thick coat of dust. In Ambilobe we hopped in the covered bed of a rickety pick-up truck, known as a “quatre-quatre,” which took us all the way to Diego. This stretch of road is “paved,” but probably hasn’t been repaired in over twenty years, so it’s more dirt road than tarmac in some spots and filled with potholes. Hey, it only took us five more hours, though! Needless to say, we were exhausted once arriving in Diego, and in desperate need of some relaxation and fun, which is pleasantly easy to find there.
Throughout the week, we had wonderful fellow volunteers show us around or suggest the best spots to spend our vacation. We went to some delicious restaurants where we were treated to great seafood and surprisingly decent (or maybe not terrible?) wine. One of our daytrips included a sailboat ride out to Emerald Bay, aptly named for its brilliant turquoise water, where we relaxed on the soft, sandy beach, ate freshly grilled barracuda and crab and got terribly sunburnt. Another day we hiked around Amber Mountain national park, which was very wet and cold but a great opportunity for us to see some wildlife, including the pygmy chameleon (the tiniest chameleon in the world), two species of lemur and a giant earthworm more than a meter long among other things. We also spent a day lounging at Ramena beach and another day drinking bloody marys and mimosas poolside at a fancy hotel with a swim-up bar. Hard life as a Peace Corps volunteer, huh? It’s times like these when it really hits me how lucky I am to be living on a tropical island for two years!
Diego almost felt like a different world compared to where I spend the majority of my time in this country. While there is absolutely still poverty in and around the Diego area, it’s not as ever-present and obvious and perhaps not quite as desperate as it seems in rural areas like my site. In the big city there is so much infrastructure—running water, paved roads, every kind of fruit, vegetable, fish and meat in the market, every kind of restaurant, well-built schools including a university, electricity 24/7, running water, wireless internet at cafes and in the regional PC transit house.
From Diego heading back south toward Vohemar along the dusty road winding through rural villages, I find myself transported back to the “real” world, with pothole-plauged roads, huge families with raggedy clothes living in one-room, dilapidated shacks, mothers digging holes in the dried up riverbeds in search of water, market stalls with nothing to offer but brown bananas and miniature tomatoes, communities scraping together a living panning for gold or digging for precious stones in the harsh, dry deforested terrain. This country is beautiful in so many unique ways, but it can be painful to see right before ones eyes the blatant, widespread destruction caused by the developed world’s exploitation of Madagascar’s environment and its impoverished people.
Even though the ride back from Diego was long, uncomfortable and incredibly frustrating, as our vehicles kept breaking down in the middle of nowhere, it was a helpful transition for me back into my life and work in my small village near Sambava. I came back refreshed and happy to see my friends and coworkers. I do have to admit, though, that I secretly wished Sambava or Vohemar had some of the nice things that Diego had to offer (even just one good seafood restaurant or beachside bar would be great.) Perhaps I’ll make another long journey up there before the rainy season starts in January.
P.S. haven't posted pics from Diego yet, but if you're interested in looking at my other pictures, Ive set up links to them on picassa. Just go to my past blogs in the archive and click on the title, and it should send you to the picassa album website if there are any pictures from that post. thanks for everyone's support, and keep reading!
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