a little of this...a little of that.

Nov 6, 2010
Today is Saturday, market day. I walk 2km to Alison’s village where there is a bigger market and a bigger variety of food but still very little. On the walk over, I mentally prepare myself for it because it is always hot, crowded and very frustrating. There are little paths between rows of venders selling things from rice and beans to new clothes and old clothes to dishes and flashlights. There are no lines going one way or the other just people pushing to try to get through with the more than occasional person stopping in the middle of the path to either ask how much something is or to start up a conversation with someone. All this causing a halt to the flow of traffic. The sun beats down making it almost too hot to handle but somehow I maneuver my way through the crowd and get what I need. I buy maybe some bread, tomatoes, rice and soap. Leaving the market is just as difficult as coming in but without as much frustration because I know I’ll be able to breathe soon enough. Walking on the outskirts of the market reminds me of a music festival. There are vendors selling food that is freshly made, mainly some sort of bread or bananas or anything of the like. It’s my little taste of home.
I haven’t been having the best of times here the last few months. It’s been difficult to find work and when I schedule to go to another village with someone to promote nutrition or hygiene or prevention of diseases, it has always failed. The person has either left without me or just didn’t stop by my house to pick me up. I need someone to go with because some of these villages are 15km away and I do not know the way. But so life has been really hard. However, I woke up this past week, still feeling groggy and unsure of what the day would bring, and later in the day a wave of sunshine came through my body. I had went to my banking town to get something off my email for PC and got an email from my mom. In it, it had said in one way or another, how proud my dad was of us kids and he wouldn’t trade us in for the world. This may have been the thing I needed to hear and from then on, it seemed as though I did a 180. Things are looking up, I feel like I’m in a better place now than I was for the past few months. Which, I know, is a long time not to feel good. There was some sort of weight on my shoulders and I felt it had been lifted. I do feel better.
Unfortunately for use, a PCV near me has decided to go home. I spent her last night with her at her site and helped get her things together and just talked. After that, I realized it was a good decision on her part to go home and she seemed happy about her decision. It wasn’t an easy one for her. She had battled a lot during her first month at site, which was clear once I spent the night with her. She will be greatly missed but know she will move on to do bigger and better things for herself.
I was planning on doing this big garden project with my community and had applied for $600 in funding. After waiting for almost 4 months I go news that it had been rejected. All projects that were submitted were rejected. I also felt like I was trying to take on too much and so I hope to decrease the size of the project and resubmit it to another funding source. Hopefully that won’t take nearly as long.
The kids are loving coloring. So thank you to those of you that have sent coloring books and crayons. I get kids at my door everyday asking if they can color. While they color, I teach them about oral hygiene, hygiene, prevention of malaria, diarrhea, and about proper nutrition. It doesn’t stick if I say it just once so we go over it every time. So yeah things are looking good for me. I hope all is well back home. Know that I think of you all very often. I miss you and wish I could teleport myself home for even just 10 minutes every once in awhile. Thank you for all your love and support. Keep the letters coming. They are always a joy to get. Take care. LOVE.

Oct 15, 2010
Well hello there. I am reporting from Farafangana, my banking town. I came in today to do some work. Get some things emailed off to Peace Corps and do some personal business. Things have been moving in my village. Slowly but surely. We had a group of visitors, Malagasy visitors, come visit my NGO, Missouri Botanical Gardens. They came from way up north near Sambava and south of Vangaindrano. They stayed for three nights. We went for a walk yesterday on the outskirts of the forest looking at the plantations of replanted trees that MBG has done over the last few years. It was beautiful. Alison accompanied us as well. We had lunch out in the forest. It consisted of rice and beans, served on banana leaves, using banana leaves as our silverware. Me and Alison were befuddled as to how to use the leaves as our silverware but then we saw one guy sitting next to use had made a spoon out of it. He saw our amazement and offered them to us. In return, we gave him our leaves and he made more spoons. We also couldn’t finish even half of the serving they gave us so we offered the rest to him, and he and a couple others gobbled it up in no time. That was interesting and fun. Something new everyday I tell ya. For the last couple months, I’ve been planting the tree Moringa, its leaves are very nutritious. I have also been handing out toothbrushes that were donated by Friends of Madagascar. The same place where the soccer jerseys for my village came from. I have been teaching the importance about oral hygiene to the kids while handing them out. Along with overall hygiene.
At the end of September, we welcomed 4 new PCVs to our banking town, including one living in the banking town. They are all great additions to our little group down here. It’s kind of weird having so many people down here. For the first three months, it was just me and Alison. Then Abe and Brian came in May and now another 4. It’s great. Shakes things up a little.
I have been walking a lot lately. At least 4km a day (2.5miles). I have taken up drinking 3L of water and day and trying to limit my salt intake. HAHA. Yeah I love salt a little too much and I already miss it but I’m in great health.
I don’t have much to say. Not a whole lot going on. Still learning the language. It’s coming along everyday. There is a big party in my village in Dec to mark the anniversary of the local NGO, MBG, and Peace Corps’ arrival. There are booths all day long with the various associations in my community that teach about what they are doing. I have decided that I’d like to have a Peace Corps booth and explain what we are and what we’re doing. I hope to have other volunteers like Alison, who is environment, hopefully Jackson, who is Small Enterprise Development, maybe an Education volunteer (if they can get out of work) and me, a health volunteer all present to describe each sector. It’s a big event in my village and people come from all over the district. So that’s something to look forward to.
Anyhoo. I miss you and all think of you often. Keep writing. Hearing from home really gives me encouragement and love. I hope all is well. It’s all good on this side of the world. Take care. And Happy Holidays if I don’t get back before then. CHEERS!