Half way there… (to swearing in)Nov 7

Hello all!

I have now officially completed 5 weeks of training- only 26 more months of service to go. Oddly that number seems dramatically smaller…

In 2 weeks I will be going on my site visit! YAY!!! It will be a chance to meet my ‘counter part’ (the Malagasy individual with whom I will be working most closely) and see my house After site visit, we only have a few more weeks before we Swear-in and get installed (move to our sites).

I am so excited to start my life in Antsohihy; begin my job, make my house feel like home, and regain some control over my life.  I will give you my address in Antsohihy as soon as I get it! I still love getting letters and I am doing my best to reply!

For those of you who got letters, let me know you received them! I am curious to know how long it has taken for your letters to arrive in the states. For those who have not gotten mail- it got lost in transit I swear J

You will have to forgive me for the small number of letters- postage for one letter costs as much as 4 rolls of TP, 25 mangos, 7 bars of soap, or 3 large chocolate bars. I love you all, but I still need to wipe my hiney (I haven’t ‘gone native’ quite yet).

Everyday here unveils new challenges: How can I explain anything to my host family with my limited Malagasy?; Should I filter the water I bathe with?; Will I have enough time to do my morning chores if I sleep until 5am?; How do I get rid of my fleas?; Is my underwear really so dirty that I can’t wear it again? – You know the common questions that arise in day-to-day life.

This past month has been spent learning Malagasy (‘Gasy’), discovering the health challenges of Madagascar and adapting to a new culture with the hope of ‘fitting in’. I have to admit I will never be able to fully fit-in here, but I hope to be accepted enough to be successful with my health messages.

The other volunteers and I stick out as ‘vazahas’ (foreigners) no matter what we do- but for many that trait has actually improved their effectiveness as a Volunteer. Gaining the respect of the community has not been a problem for most volunteers, so I am hoping I will not be an exception…

The other volunteers in my Stage (training group) are absolutely horrendous- just kidding! No surprise- they are awesome people. I feel really lucky to have the chance to experience the PC with such a cool group. Sadly though- one of my favorite trainees has already decided that the PC is not for her and ETed a couple weeks ago. I miss her already, but I am glad that she was brave enough to make the decision to go home. That is just a part of the game, not everyone who makes it here feels that PC is the right fit (as with any other job).

As of now- I still feel that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

I miss all of you, but I do not plan on coming home any time soon. Gotta run! The real flushing toilet is calling my name J I think I may just sit and read a magazine for the hell of it.

Love the gory details?

All my best!-Meghan

 

PS- if you feel compelled to write a letter…slide a couple sheets of soft TP in there…you could even right the letter on the TP…a little ink never hurt anyone… J

-kidding

…kind of…