Last Friday we received information on our Peace Corps site assignment. I will be in a large “banking town” in the northwest region of the country called Antsohihy (pronounced Ah-n-swee). “Banking town” is a Peace Corps term referring to a larger town with a bank, post office, and electricity that volunteers in smaller surrounding towns go to once a month to do their banking. That means my town is on the larger end – I will have some electricity and a tap outside my house for water. I will work 3-5 days a week at the CSB (clinic) and travel out to the surrounding region regularly to do some health education. About 7-8 volunteers around the area bank in my town, so my place might serve as a hostel rather often (smile). The region speaks a dialect called “Tsimihety’ (a version of Malagasy) and is incredibly hot! It is so hot that showing a little skin is acceptable (I can wear tank tops).
During Week #6 of training, we will travel to see our sites and I will be taking a 15 hour (or more since it will be rainy season) taxi bus rid to Antsohihy. I am lucky though! That is one of the easier locations to get to. Some people have to fly or travel for several days (roads here are not in great shape).
In 2 weeks (week 4 of training) I will go to Antananarivo and buy a cell phone now that I know what network I will have at my site.
Training has been going really well – it definitely has its ups and downs, but I am really happy over all. My host family is wonderful – they are incredibly kind and patient. They never get tired of helping me with the language, and teaching me how to cook everything over coals, wash my clothes Malagasy style, clean my po (chamber pot), and any other chores I need to know when I live on my own. Everyday the chores are easier to do and take less time (thank God!)
The town I am staying in is called Alarobia and it is absolutely beautiful. The homes are all two stories, made of wood and clay, and brightly painted. The town is set in the hills of the highland, full of vegetation, and it overlooks valleys filled with rice patties – the view is spectacular. Over the weekend we decided to take advantage of our environment and went for a 5-hour hike through rice patties, hills, valleys, and to the top of a large hill/small mountain. It rained sporadically throughout the day, but it was rather hot, so the cooling rains were welcomed. We saw some interesting wildlife while we were exploring the hillside, including a funky colored hedge-hog (unique to Madagascar) that my friend, Andrew, referred to as a Pokeman character. Completely exhausted from our hike, we went to the local cheese factory for a Coca-cola and some relaxation time. The fromagerie (cheese factory) is really a small cafe where they sell home-made cheese. The owner is a local who used to work with the Peace Corps and is incredibly kind to all of the volunteers. We love stopping by to practice our Malagasy and kick-back with a soda and some dairy. He also has a dog and cat that are well cared for, clean, and have colors! We love to play with Michael (the dog) and spend time with the pets.
