AMAZINGNESS!!

Hello again!!! I just wanted to write a brief blog about my vacation out west. IT WAS AMAZING!!! Even more so than I expected. Jules’ parents, Dr. Smith and Antsy, were unbelievable. We took a private car to Miandravazo, which is about half way to Morondava. Spent the night in a nice bungalow and took off in the morning for Morondava. On the road we were like dogs thinking, SQUIRREL, every time we saw a baobab. They were all so amazing and we weren’t even to the Avenue of Baobabs yet. We kind of relaxed when we got there, watched the sunset over the Mozambique Canal, which is a first for me since I see the sunrise over the ocean, and had a good meal. It was Jaja’s birthday the next day and so Julie and I snuck off to go hunting for supplies to make a crown. That was an interesting and entertaining hunt. As we were buying her gift, Jaja walked up and we freaked out and Julie pulled her away. We were soooooooo close. The next morning we took off for Kirindy Reserve where we saw lots of lemurs, bugs and even a fosa (the largest carnivorous mammal on the island. It’s catlike and as big as a medium-sized dog maybe) in the forest while on a hike. We drove through the Avenue of Baobabs. It was breath-taking. Words really cannot describe how I felt when I saw them all. We gave Jaja her gifts and her crown along with a wand that came in handy when the electricity went out…Jaja was a natural and with a wisp of her wand…there was light! We did a market visit and lounged around with a return to the baobabs for sunset. We found a nice huge baobab to call home for the sunset and chilled out listening to the top hits of the 90s. We headed out the next morning and arrived in Tana on their Independence Day, June 26. It was crazy all around town.

Overall, this has been my favorite place I’ve visited in Madagascar by far. Julie’s parents were so generous and willing to try many new things. Their company was great and much appreciated. Julie and Jaja are two of my favorite PCVs to travel with. It was a great vacation. Thank you! LUVIN’ LIFE!!

PS I tried to upload some pics but it didn't work:-(

PICKLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

happy healthy sabrina.

this is the scariest part of my day..going into my bathroom.

one of the kids coloring a health message picture brought by one of the Wash U students.

Juliny in her Sunday best.

dinner.we figured in the states this fish would have been around $250-300.here we bought it for $4.some of the best fish i've ever had.

Well I’m off again. After just a short amount of time at my site, I am heading for another vacation. This one is the most anticipated destination in Madagascar for me…..the BAOBABS of Morondava!!!! Jewelz’s family is coming and so Jaja and I will be accompanying them out to see these magnificent trees!! After Thailand, I returned to my site to find that about half of my moringa trees (these trees are an amazing source of protein, vitamin A and C, calcium and potassium and they grow extremely fast) that I had planted before I left had sprouted and were ready to plant. So I had about 50 trees that I had to get working on getting into the ground. So I met with some of the Community Health Workers and taught them about this amazing tree and how to plant it and take care of it.

We also had some students from Washington University come to visit for about a week. That was great. I was able to go with them to many of the villages around my village. They met with fishermen and farmers and weavers (the women who weave baskets and mats etc). It was a great change to have them around. We taught some little girls in one of the villages how to play duck, duck, grey duck (or if you’re from anywhere other than Minnesota duck, duck, goose). We played soccer with the kids, went on long hikes, had nice talks and all got to see Milo’s 6 newborn puppies. It was a great time and they were all amazing young women.

We also got 2 new volunteers that bank in my same town. We welcomed them with a bonfire on the beach and grilled the fish they brought over the fire. It was one of the best installations we’ve had yet. We had a big celebration in our banking town this past weekend. I thought it went really well but I am glad it’s over. It was quite stressful for me but it all just fell right in place. There were 15 volunteers, one pcv’s sister, and a staff member. So there were 17 of us and a group of 10 people is usually too big so it was interesting but fun was had by all. The new PCV in my banking town had a dog that took a liking to her. She is the cutest thing ever. Always so happy to see us and we’ve taken her under our wing and have decided to train her. She is a great guard dog. She just follows us around like we’ve been part of her entire life.

Life has been good to me lately. I try not to take anything for granted. I am still in awe everyday by how lucky I am to have gotten this opportunity to live and work here. I am amazed everyday by the beauty that surrounds me from the scenery to the people, it’s all just unbelievable. And my kids…oh my kids. I luv those kids.
Well that’s about it. Luv you all and miss you lots. I hope all is well back home. Take care. CHEERS!