Hey There!
I apologize, as it’s been quite a while since my last post. I was
traveling for several months and I neglected to update the blog. But it’s a new
(school) year, and I wanted to start up the blog again to share what’s going on
here in the south of Madagascar! There’s a lot of catching up to do, so let’s
get to it!
Summer Break
The school year ended in early
July, and after I finished grading exams I left site to visit the northern city
of Mahajanga. After several long days spent traveling on a taxi-brousse (bush taxi), I made it to this lovely coastal city. I
spent a few weeks there visiting PCV friends, as well as making a few new ones!
After that, I headed to the east coast of the island, where I joined three
other PCVs teaching at CURSA University in the city of Antalaha.
After four weeks of teaching in
Antalaha we once again found ourselves on a taxi-brousse
headed for the capital, this time for our Mid-Service Conference (MSC). This is
the meeting that Peace Corps holds for PCVs who have completed the first year
of their service. We spent a week at the fantastic Peace Corps Training Center
in Mantasoa, away from all the hustle and noise of Tana. Honestly, I’ve always
found being at the training center to be a somewhat strange experience. Sitting
on the shore of an artificial lake, surrounded by pine trees, sipping hot
chocolate – it feels much more like being up-north in Wisconsin than being at a
government training center in Madagascar!
After our MSC was over, I hit
the road again – this time with the northern city of Diego Suarez as my
destination. Another PCV and I spent three weeks there teaching at the regional
tourism office. In our free time we trained for the Diego Suarez half-marathon,
which took place at the end of September. It turned out to be a big event – a
total of six PCVs ran the half-marathon, while several others stood on the sidelines
to cheer us on! The course was exceptionally beautiful – starting in downtown Diego
and ending at the idyllic beach town of Ramena. We celebrated finishing the
race by jumping into the ocean, chilling at a beachside restaurant, and
treating ourselves to seafood and coconut rice.
Year Two Begins
Work began as soon as I made it
back to my site in the south of the island. I’m teaching six classes this year –
four classes at the middle school and two classes at the high school. While
teaching can still be a struggle, I definitely feel as though I have a better
grasp on it than I did at the beginning of last year! Progress with my students
is incremental, but I can see marked improvement in at least a few of them. And
to my delight most of the children in my town, even the ones who have yet to
start learning English, now say ‘hello’ to me. It’s a small change, but it
still brings a smile to my face every time.
I’m very excited for the
upcoming year. I have a few exciting projects on my plate, and I can’t wait to
get started. My main project will be the reconstruction of the local elementary
school. The main schoolhouse was severely damaged in a cyclone several years
ago, which destroyed much of the roof. This has allowed rain to fall into the
classrooms, further damaging the roof’s support structure and the concrete
floors. While the building is still used by the school, it’s impossible for
students to study when there are dust storms or rain – a serious problem since
the windy season and the rainy season fall in the middle of the school year.
The grant that I’m working on will provide materials for a new roof, new structural
supports, and concrete to repair the floors. It’s going to be somewhat
expensive, but I’m confident that we’ll be able to find the money and rebuild
the school. Expect more news in the weeks to come!
I’ve also been working with the
other PCVs in the Androy and Anôsy regions to coordinate a GLOW (Girls Leading
Our World) camp in Fort Dauphin this March. The goal of this camp, as with any
GLOW camp, is to help motivate these girls to become proactive, self-confident
citizens. To this end, we will be teaching them about topics such as
leadership, gender equality, goal-setting, and health. In a place where girls
are often consigned to a secondary role in society, we hope that this camp will
empower these promising young students to become both leaders in their communities
and positive examples for other girls.
Finally, I’m going to be doing
some work related to food security. Food security is an ever-present problem here
in the Androy Region, where famines occur every few years. As a result of the
very real threat of hunger and the semi-arid climate of the region, Tandroy
people generally rely on a few staple crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes,
and corn. Vegetables are fairly limited, and balanced diets are very rare. I’m
hoping to continue the work I started with the Moringa project last year and
improve both people’s understanding of nutrition as well as their access to
healthy foods. Just last week I attended a training session in Mantasoa, during
which we learned how to build a ‘permagarden.’ This gardening technique is designed
to help families to grow sustainable vegetable gardens, thus improving their
access to nutritious foods and their long-term food security. My counterpart
and I are hoping to begin gardening in the upcoming weeks.
Wrapping Up
