So, on last Friday I moved out of my host family's house and this morning I swore in as a full blown volunteer. I am leaving tomorrow morning to go to the big town close to my site to do some shopping and get things I will need for my house and then on Sunday will move into my town. That means the beginning of no english speakers around for miles and the basis of my life for the next two years. I am a little nervous, and I am sure I would be more so if I were not sleep deprived from staying up too late clelebrating with the other new volunteers the past few days. I won't be seeing any of the new friends I made for a good three months now. We will all get together in April for a week of training to discuss our plans after we are really settled in at site. I am going to miss my host family too. But I might be able to visit them during in service training as well. I am nervous about my malagasy not being good enough, but I am sure that total immersion is going to quickly solve that problem.
I want to thank everyone who has sent me letters and packages and such. I can't tell you how nice it has been to hear from you all. I have my actual address for my real site now, here it is:
Nicole Brasseur PCV
B.P. 221- 301 Fianaratsoa
Madagascar
So if you want to send me anything from here on in, feel free to use that address. The other one will still work as well, so no worries about things that have already been sent and not yet arrived. This new one will just be faster.
Ok, I am off, wish me luck with the move!!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Just to clarify
I was supposed to do this awhile ago, but... I need to make it clear that this is my person blog. Nothing I say here is connected to or represented of Peace Corps as an organization. Needed to say that.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
almost forgot
I nearly forgot to include- I bought a phone. It is still really expensive for me to call the states, but I can receive calls for free. So feel free to call me. I am 8 hours ahead of EST, and the lifestyle here is different. I wake up around 5:30 AM, and usually go to bed around 8:30. I usually have my phone on when I leave school (which is about 5 PM here), or all day on Sat and Sun.
011 261 32 62 585 44 (if that doesn't work, try this 011 261 032 62 585 44, I am not sure if you need the 0 or not).
I would love to hear from you all!!
011 261 32 62 585 44 (if that doesn't work, try this 011 261 032 62 585 44, I am not sure if you need the 0 or not).
I would love to hear from you all!!
I'm here...
OK, So after over a month, I am finally in Tana (the cap.) and able to update my blog. SO- Madagascar is beautiful!! I live in the highlands, so it is more like rolling hills and mountains with rice fields and farms in the valleys. No beaches near me, haven't seen one yet. But I never realized how bright green rice fields are. It is beautiful! I walk to class (i am still in training so I have language and technical training classes almost everyday), and I nearly faint with how pretty the view is.
I am living with a host family. They are amazing. My mom and my aunt are super supportive and very patient with my choppy and really awkward Malagasy. I am picking up the language, but only slowly. It is starting to get hot here, we are in the southern hemisphere so we are about to enter the summer/hot/rainy season. The highlands are the coolest area of the island though, temp-wise, so it won't get much hotter than our summers. I specifically asked to be placed in a not-as-hot area. I am really happy about my site. It is really close to a place called hot springs (yeah!) that has a national park where I might be able to see mouse lemurs!!
And no, thus far I have not seen any wild lemurs. There aren't many in the highlands. But- we went to the zoo in Tana and saw lemurs AND AN AYE-AYE!!!! Which was awesome! It was that coolest thing in the world. It was behind the glass in the nocturnal room so it took awhile for my eyes to adjust. Then all of a sudden I saw a tiny creepy hand with a super-long middle finger reach up onto the ledge of the bottom wood panel. It was awesome (look them up on the net for a pic if you don't know what they look like, they are super cool).
Ok, so shelli said that she wanted me to tell all of my crazy stories on my blog, but unfortunately I haven't had many wild moments to share yet. Although, making totom-voanjo (literally pounding peanuts into butter, just from pounding) was about the coolest thing I have ever done. If you pound long enough, the oils come out of the peanuts and make peanut butter. I had no idea. But that is how they do it here. Also, I learned from my experiments in manasa lamba-ing (doing laundry) that soap- just a normal bar of soap- can clean ANYTHING! I was shocked. Although I think these were things that only fascinated me. Driving here is pretty crazy. My parents took me to a big procession (service thing for All Saints Day, which is a big deal here) last Sunday. We had to driving into Tana to go. I am fairly certain my dad was driving slower on my account, but it was still kind of crazy. All the roads are cruvy and most aren't paved and they go up and down hills. When the go around corners (mighty fast) they just beep and go. Every now and again I would hold on a bit tighter to the umbrella I was holding in my lap and my mom would yell at my dad to slow down. My family is fairly well to do here though, most people don't have cars. I think my dad uses if for work (my language is not that great :) It was a fun experience none the less. Riding in cars here is actually kind of fun.
Overall I am doing really good. I do miss you all. I very much miss mexican food. But things are good. My mom is a good cook, so the food is good. I have two super cute little sisters (although the 2 year old cries, alot!). I am really enjoying training, and the teachers and staff are super cool, as are my fellow trainees. There is only about a month left of training. I am actually kind of nervous about it ending and having to go to site all on my own. But as the time comes closer I am slowly coming to terms with it. Ok, so that is all for now. I will update again in like a month when I am in town again!! Love you all!!
I am living with a host family. They are amazing. My mom and my aunt are super supportive and very patient with my choppy and really awkward Malagasy. I am picking up the language, but only slowly. It is starting to get hot here, we are in the southern hemisphere so we are about to enter the summer/hot/rainy season. The highlands are the coolest area of the island though, temp-wise, so it won't get much hotter than our summers. I specifically asked to be placed in a not-as-hot area. I am really happy about my site. It is really close to a place called hot springs (yeah!) that has a national park where I might be able to see mouse lemurs!!
And no, thus far I have not seen any wild lemurs. There aren't many in the highlands. But- we went to the zoo in Tana and saw lemurs AND AN AYE-AYE!!!! Which was awesome! It was that coolest thing in the world. It was behind the glass in the nocturnal room so it took awhile for my eyes to adjust. Then all of a sudden I saw a tiny creepy hand with a super-long middle finger reach up onto the ledge of the bottom wood panel. It was awesome (look them up on the net for a pic if you don't know what they look like, they are super cool).
Ok, so shelli said that she wanted me to tell all of my crazy stories on my blog, but unfortunately I haven't had many wild moments to share yet. Although, making totom-voanjo (literally pounding peanuts into butter, just from pounding) was about the coolest thing I have ever done. If you pound long enough, the oils come out of the peanuts and make peanut butter. I had no idea. But that is how they do it here. Also, I learned from my experiments in manasa lamba-ing (doing laundry) that soap- just a normal bar of soap- can clean ANYTHING! I was shocked. Although I think these were things that only fascinated me. Driving here is pretty crazy. My parents took me to a big procession (service thing for All Saints Day, which is a big deal here) last Sunday. We had to driving into Tana to go. I am fairly certain my dad was driving slower on my account, but it was still kind of crazy. All the roads are cruvy and most aren't paved and they go up and down hills. When the go around corners (mighty fast) they just beep and go. Every now and again I would hold on a bit tighter to the umbrella I was holding in my lap and my mom would yell at my dad to slow down. My family is fairly well to do here though, most people don't have cars. I think my dad uses if for work (my language is not that great :) It was a fun experience none the less. Riding in cars here is actually kind of fun.
Overall I am doing really good. I do miss you all. I very much miss mexican food. But things are good. My mom is a good cook, so the food is good. I have two super cute little sisters (although the 2 year old cries, alot!). I am really enjoying training, and the teachers and staff are super cool, as are my fellow trainees. There is only about a month left of training. I am actually kind of nervous about it ending and having to go to site all on my own. But as the time comes closer I am slowly coming to terms with it. Ok, so that is all for now. I will update again in like a month when I am in town again!! Love you all!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
The journey begins...
Ok, so I feel obligated to preface this blog by explaining that it will most likely not be updated frequently. I am preparing to leave for Madagascar to serve with the Peace Corps for over two years, and I am only going to have occasional internet access. I have never been much of a blogger in the past; never had one myself and never really followed others. But I decided that this was a good way to keep the people I love updating on all of the crazy things happening to me overseas. So I can't promise witty and entertaining thoughts or correct grammar or anything, get over it Shell (on the grammar thing...you get it).
Just a quick description of things going through my head now... fiadsfieshrenfkldljklmkfdlh!! I still haven't actually packed my bags for real. I still have to pick out pictures of home and put the music I will need on my Ipod, and generally I am going insane. I hate packing/leaving. You always feel rushed and unprepared. But at least I have now accomplished this goal of starting my blog.
I am not sure when the next time I will get a chance to update this is, so I here is a quick over view of my plans. I leave on Sunday morning at 7:30 for the airport. I arrive at 11 something in Phili for orientation. Then I have a few days there introducing me to what I am getting myself into. On Oct 2nd (I think, might be the 1st or 3rd), we drive up to New York to promtly get on a 17 HOUR flight to Johanesberg. I have no concept of what 17 hours in a plane feels like, but I guess I will survive. Then it is a quick over night, and off to Madagascar. Wish me luck everyone!! Ok, time to go fret about my bags more.
Just a quick description of things going through my head now... fiadsfieshrenfkldljklmkfdlh!! I still haven't actually packed my bags for real. I still have to pick out pictures of home and put the music I will need on my Ipod, and generally I am going insane. I hate packing/leaving. You always feel rushed and unprepared. But at least I have now accomplished this goal of starting my blog.
I am not sure when the next time I will get a chance to update this is, so I here is a quick over view of my plans. I leave on Sunday morning at 7:30 for the airport. I arrive at 11 something in Phili for orientation. Then I have a few days there introducing me to what I am getting myself into. On Oct 2nd (I think, might be the 1st or 3rd), we drive up to New York to promtly get on a 17 HOUR flight to Johanesberg. I have no concept of what 17 hours in a plane feels like, but I guess I will survive. Then it is a quick over night, and off to Madagascar. Wish me luck everyone!! Ok, time to go fret about my bags more.
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