travel down the road and back again....

February 26, 2010-02-26

Ahhhhhhh. Today. What a day. Let me start off with a quote ( this quote is from my language teacher, while we were in a restaurant while being installed):

Matsubara: Make a list of ugly movie stars.
Me: You.
Matsubara: I’m not a movie star, I’m just a star.

This makes me laugh everytime I think of it, which is often. Let me tell you about an average day of mine. I am awoken at around 5am by either the cock-a-doodle-do of the roosters or the moving around of the people that live around me. I finally crawl out of bed around 6:30 or 7 on a lucky day, make some coffee and make myself a banana shake (which I have Sarah Provost to thank for that, Guinea neighbor). I head to work, by bike, at the CSB (hospital) which is about 2 km (1.5 miles about) away if it’s not raining otherwise I wait until I think the rain with subside for the ten minutes that it takes me to ride my bike to the CSB. Then I start my day at the CSB giving a speech on some subject, whether it be diarrhea, vaccines for young infants, safe motherhood (for women while they’re pregnant), malaria, or family planning. Then I bike back the 2km for lunch and bike back to the CSB for another half a day. The people usually come during the morning at least at this time of the year, or so I’ve heard. I then am done around 4 or 5 and head home to either fetch my water, which is a good 400 feet away from my house down two big hills and then I have to carry the 20lbs bucket back up that 400ft of hills to make it to my home where I am tired as shit becuz it’s a battle to come back up that hill, I have to psych myself up before heading up it everytime..telling myself, I can do it…it’s only 50 more feet until the top of the hill, or if not that I hang out and play cards, rumy is what they call it but it’s nothing close to the rumy I know from home. Then around 6ish I return to my house to cook dinner. This usually consists of potatoes and carrots or beans and onions or something of that sort. I always want to stay out of my house after dark but know that once I return to my house I have to cook and dump all my compost into my compost pile which is outside my house of course. And yes, I am scared to go outside my house at night. My doors and windows are usually closed by 7pm, which is usually when it’s dark. I love when I come home late and have to cook and after I do dishes and dump the water outside my window, I am awestruck by the number of lightning bugs that are in the small forest of trees behind my house. Which is funny becuz while being installed there was a lightning bug in our room (me and Alison, closest neighbor, only neighbor) and she was like what is that! And I was like…that’s a lightning bug silly. Being from California she had never seen one before and was grateful to be with someone who had. Anyhoo I’m usually in bed by 7pm reading and trying to fall asleep with the unfamiliar yet familiar sounds.

I have roasted my own peanuts, roasted my own coffee beans and pounded them into the delicious coffee that I enjoy every morning. I am starting to think in Malagasy. When I want to say something to myself it is usually in broken English/Malagasy. There have been times when I’ve hit my head on my door frame and cursed myself becuz the door was made for someone of size from this country….about a foot shorter than me. My bathroom is about 10 m from my house and yes I’ll admit I am scared of it. I go in, do my business as quick as possible and try to get out of there faster than I really should. There really isn’t anything scary about it except a leak in the roof, which it was pouring today and I really had to go and yep there I was going while rain was dripping on me the whole time. I’m starting to get used to it….slowly.

My house has been inhabited by ants. I don’t know where they’re coming from or where they’re going but they are there. And they’re pissing me off. I’ve stomped on them I brush them away I do everything I can think of but they are still there. Whatev…I guess I can deal with it. Things could be worse…right? One day when I went to a city to gather vegetables becuz there’s aren’t very many in our town, I was greeted upon return by a group of my villagers in an epicerie(small shop) having a dance party and calling me in. Of course I went in. We danced for awhile until I told them I was tired and had to go home. It was great. Fun times. Yep. This has been one of the things that has really made my village feel like it’s my home. It’s hard to not see my family and friends everyday but know these people appreciate me being here everyday and know I’m trying real hard to learn their language and fit in with them even though I’ll never be invincible. The language is coming along really well. I understand about half what is spoken to me and can express much of what I want. It is really starting to feel like I’m making a home here. Which is an overwhelming experience.

In about a week and a half there are some Americans coming from a University in Missouri to work with the NGO (Missouri Botanical Garndens, MBG) that I’m working with. They’ll be here for about 2-3 weeks studying in the forests and teaching in the schools I think. I’m excited to have contact with Americans becuz I miss you all. Me and my neighbor PCV Alison, helped MBG plant trees last Saturday and it was a great experience. I planted each one with love. I swear. The guy in charge at MBG, Reza, has two dogs. Yep a boy and girl and I hope that within a year they will have puppies that I will take one into my care. Ironically enuf the girl’s name is Milo…not pronounced how you think it is but like …MEELOOO….which if you know me like Nee does….i’ve always wanted my first dog to be named Milo after Milo and Oatis and now here we have it. So I hope to have one of their pups after at least a year. I have some traveling to do before I even consider getting a dog.

Every Saturday in my village there is a neighbor girl, Fiena, who braids my hair. I’ve been at site now for almost a month and have actually washed my hair about 3 times. Becuz she does a wonderful job where it keeps in the braids and doesn’t feel like I have to wash it more than that and she loves it along with the rest of my village. But everyday when I do take a shower, or I should say a bucket bath, I have psych myself up to pour the freezing cold water on me. I try to take a bucket bath after I’ve fetched water becuz I’m usually tired and hot and sweaty after that. And it isn’t too bad to take a cold shower after that. My nights consist of breadfruit, unknown to the American eye but a fruit about the size of a coconut that fall upon my roof at random times during the night and scare the shit outta me and once I had a mouse inside my mosquito net (which I sleep under religiously) jumping on my back trying to get out and once I got it out proceeded to eat my food, yeah I didn’t sleep much that night.

There is a group of women here who make baskets which are beautiful and I hope to someday set it up where you can buy them from here. They are beautiful and handcrafted and inexpensive, just have to work it out of how I’d get it mailed to the US and whatnot. But yeah I’ll try to post pictures of them and whatnot. But me and Alison have made killer burritos. Refried beans, guacamole, and cheese, oh man were they good. I’m gonna get great at making those tortillas I’m telling you.

Anyhoo…sorry so long…and prolly befuddling….but I miss you all so much. Please keep writing. It means so much. The day I receive and the many many days after I receive each letter is a touch of heaven. I love you all. LOVE YOU! Hi Grandma Albert and Grandma Dever!
Melissa

pics!

The first picture is of my teacher, matsubara, and my classroom, the porch outside my room (all in my host family) Next, my mom and sister and I went for a hike and this is what i stumbled upon. Miraso, the neighbor little girl, cute as a button. Then a picture of my host family's house. And finally, me with the Nigeriens, Tondi (our training manager in Niger and Souley, my health director in Niger) They both got to fly with us to Madagascar for two weeks. This was our good byes.

on the road.

February 1, 2010
So we dropped off ashley, mike and matt the other day. Me and Alison had been just chillin, swimming in the Indian Ocean and shopping for nothing in particular. We took off for another city close to our sites to meet the authorities at the district level. Made the guy laugh when he asked me why i wasn't married. Because. Was all I said. The drive down to the other three's sites was just amazing. I mean our training site was amazing but this drive, i was fighting myself to stay awake just so i could see it. Beautiful. Today was our first day of our installation. I bought a mattress, gas, gas stove, 2 chairs, some solar charger stuff (yay!), another phone, and a shelf. I still have to buy all the little stuff but that will come with tomorrow. I got another phone and a new number i'll post on here. I don't have much time to write and this could be the last time for awhile. Pictures didn't work last time but we'll see this time.please write me. if you do, i'll have your address so then i'll send you a postcard and prolly a couple more letters. it means a lot. life is good. it's pretty humid where we are now. I'm hoping it won't be this humid where i'm going. I miss and love you all.

New number is 011261331314655

i could be getting another number cuz it's cheaper to call the states. using this company it is ridiculously expensive to call home. also note on letters and packages...you can still send them to the antananarivo address and they'll just be forwarded to my site. i don't know my address yet so i can't post it...luv you.