I left my heart in Nosy Varika

You know those times when life stresses you out and no matter where you're standing or what you're doing, you can close your eyes and transport yourself to another place.  A place that may be real or it might be a work of your imagination, but regardless, the very thought of it is enough to slow your heart rate, calm your nerves, and allow you to take a deep breath and relax enough to not pull out all of your hair.  My mental breakdown home is Nosy Varika, it is a very real place, and I have walked and ran more miles along its coast line in my head than I ever did while I was actually there (a sign of instability or laziness?!  you decide).

My wonderful site mate Bryan is currently looking for funding to build a well for the town of Andonaka, just north of Nosy Varika.  Bryan and I biked the adventurous "road" to Andonaka together a few times and I always left there with a full belly, a smile on my face, and the sense that my time in Madagascar was going to be worth it.  That means a lot when you're a Peace Corps volunteer.  It can be hard to find people that will work with you and not against you, and there are some very hardworking and generous souls living in Andonaka.  I will never forget learning how to harvest rice in Andonaka, collecting mandarins from the giant trees where they were falling like rain with heavy thuds, and crossing deep water in a boat that someone hand carved with sweat and love.  Despite how tiring and uncertain life can be for the citizens of Andonaka, I never encountered anything but smiles and giggles from the children and respectful handshakes from the adults.  Really, I can't say enough about them.

But Bryan can tell you more!  He's lived in Nosy Varika for more than a year and half and does a lot of his Peace Corps work in Andonaka.  Here is a link to the site where he is collecting donations to build 2 wells there, as well as a brief explanation about his project and the town: http://appropriateprojects.com/node/1344

Nosy Varika is where I worked and lived, it is where I would have requested any financial help if I were still able to be there and these are the exact people I want to be helping.  They are the people that took the time to know me, feed me, and listen to my terrible Malagasy with patience and smiles. My beautiful, mental safe-haven needs fresh drinking water and you can help Bryan make this happen!  I am not aware of whether or not another Peace Corps volunteer will be placed in Nosy Varika in the future, and it is possible that this will be the last opportunity (for awhile, hopefully not forever) to invest in its health and well being.  If you can donate anything at all I would greatly appreciate it, and I know Bryan would too!

Misoatra betsaka namako sy fianakaviana!

(Thank you so much to friends and family!)     

The long and winding road home

Clearly its been a long time since I've been able to find the words to explain the happenings in my life, but I think its been long enough now.  On Thursday, August 9th I spent the better part of 30 hours on a plane back to Seattle, WA.  A lot can happen in a matter of weeks, but I never thought that this would be my Peace Corps fate, and that I would be back in Seattle after 5 1/2 months abroad.

 

Madagascar is geographically part of sub-saharan Africa, a region that is highly affected by the presence of malaria.  Malaria is a deadly parasite that is carried from one infected individual to another by mosquitos and lives in our red blood cells.  It causes extreme fevers, nausea, weakness, and sometimes death.  Billions of people have been infected with malaria resulting in millions of deaths, its nothing to mess around with.  All Peace Corps volunteers are required to take a medication during their entire service that helps prevent infection, but it doesn't work 100% of the time. 

 Check out this website to learn more about malaria in sub-saharan Africa, and to see what actions Peace Corps is taking 

Unfortunately, as anyone who knows me in an outdoor setting can vouch, mosquitoes love me!  And this didn't change one bit in Madagascar.  Within the first 2 weeks at my site I developed severe malaria symptoms and was treated accordingly.  When the symptoms came back only a few weeks later it became clear to me that malaria was going to be a deadly shadow that would stay with me throughout my service.  Given the remote location of my site and the danger that frequent bouts with malaria posed, I chose to end my Peace Corps service early. 

This was an emotional and difficult decision to make!  And hopefully (since I've been in the U.S. for a month now) you have already heard about it from me personally.  If not, I hope that this answers any questions, and please know that I am salama tsara (healthy) now and there's no need to be worried.  Obviously I am disappointed, but I will be forever grateful for having the experience.  I don't regret a minute of it!  I made incredible friends and memories,  conversed in a new and beautiful language, and lived in my own personal hut by the sea.  I am a lucky girl.

So what now?!  That is the question that fills my days lately, and as soon as I have an answer (and pictures to go with it) I will let any faithful and remaining blog followers know :)  Rest assured that I'm looking for something just as adventurous as the Peace Corps, but in malaria free areas.  Stay tuned to find out where I end up next!

Just put one foot in front of the other. . .

Madagascar!  My new African home has been an exciting place to be over the last 3 months, and I apologize for not posting on my blog sooner!  Internet is hard to come by, but I will have more regular access now. 

Pre-Service Training went by in a blur of language lessons, technical trainings, and a few memorable parties with new friends.  I was in a state of shock during our swearing in ceremony; I couldn’t believe that we’d already reached the end of training!  Sometimes when each day is a challenge of its own, the weeks just disappear.  During training I learned enough Malagasy to get by at my site, but I’ve got a long way to go before I feel confident in my conversations and am able to have more complicated discussions!  I look forward to that more than anything and I spend a lot of my time learning new words and trying to understand my new neighbors and friends.  It’s a good thing they are patient!

During training all of the trainees lived with a homestay family for one month, and I was placed with a very large, loving family in the town of Anjozoro.  My month with them was full of laughter, singing, and some extremely awkward moments of confusion ;)  They found ways to brighten even the worst of my days across all of the language and culture barriers, and they opened up their home to me when I had nothing but a smile to give in return.  I am very grateful for their generosity, and I only hope that I’ll someday be capable of writing them a letter in Malagasy to tell them  how much it meant to me.

After our month at homestay we were all brought back to the training center where we lived in dorms for the remainder of training.  This too, was a challenge (for those of us that are used to having more privacy and alone time).  I personally enjoyed the company, but not the strictly scheduled days and the extremely long language classes (which are completely necessary, just painful to experience).  As the end of training drew near our parties became more frequent (and more ridiculous) and I was sad when we had to part ways.  But, its only a temporary goodbye!  We will all be back together again in a few months when we return to Mantasoa for In-Service Training. 

I have been assigned to live and work in what is quite possibly the most beautiful site ever!  Nosy Varika is my new home (and yes, my address has changed!) on the South East coast of Madagascar.  It’s a vibrant beach community that has the feel of an island due to its position between the Indian Ocean and the canal.  And the beach is amazing!  Forget about concrete and pavement, these toes will be walking in soft, hot sand for the next 2 years.  To reach Nosy Varika I get to take a 12 hour boat ride up the canal from Mananjary; doesn’t get much more remote than that!  The boat ride is absolutely gorgeous and a great time for me to catch up on all those books I’ve been meaning to read.  Any book recommendations?

I have only lived at my site for 2 weeks so there is still a lot to learn and many new places to explore.  So far I have gone on my first exciting bike ride in the sand to some surrounding farm land (I’m getting much better at this), swimming in the Indian Ocean that is only a 5 minute walk from my house, running on the beach at sunrise, taken a small boat across the canal to see a farm run by a women’s group, and many walks through the bustling daily market.  Each day brings something new and unexpected, and I’m excited to become more familiar with my new home. 

Over the next couple of months I will be focusing on becoming a part of my community and getting to know the people I will be working with (or finding them!).  My main goals are to learn more Malagasy and to have fun J  Wish me luck!   

The 8th Continent

Salama!

Before I received my Peace Corps assignment, I knew very little about the island of Madagascar.  I knew just enough to understand that life had given me an opportunity that I couldn't refuse!  Since then I have done my research and become more familiar with the country, though there is still much more to learn (such as the beautiful language).  To give you a better sense of where in the world I am going, I want to share some of the general facts with you.

Madagascar is an island country off of the East coast of Africa.  It is roughly the size of Texas or France, with about 22 million people living on it.  Although the island is south of the equator, it is still in the tropical belt and has very tropical weather.  Just last week on Valentines day the East coast of Madagascar was hit by a category 4 cyclone, Giovanna, which then travelled across the width of the island, causing extensive damage along the way.

The Peace Corps has had volunteers in Madagascar since 1993, with a few interruptions here and there.  Projects focus on education, the environment, health, and small enterprise development.  My work will be in the environment sector, and will most likely focus on natural resource management.  Volunteer life is wildly different for everyone and from what I hear, it is what you make it.  I am extremely excited about the potential professional skills I will gain and the unique experiences in my future.  Hopefully my work will amount to something positive and sustainable for the community that I serve.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a challenge.  Bring it!

Of course, the first challenge for any Peace Corps volunteer is saying goodbye to their previous life and hello to a new one.  I'm working on it!  I've also been attempting to pick up little bits of the language, in hopes that my mouth will at least be able to form the correct sounds and my ears will pick up the little nuances.  Malagasy is a very beautiful language that (from what I have read) has Bantu, Arabic, and French influences, much like the people themselves.  There are 18 dialects across the island to go with 18 distinct tribes, but the differences in the language are not extreme.  French is also a national language however it is only spoken by the highly educated and I will not be learning much of it.

The biodiversity on the island is one of the things that makes it so special.  One reason it is called "the 8th continent" is because it contains the biodiversity of an entire continent, in such a small space!  I look forward to exploring the wildlife and plant diversity wherever I end up stationed, and hopefully I'll get some great pictures to share with you!  Next time I write to you, it will be from a tropical place. . . until then, veloma!

   
   

How have I not left yet?

Life has been fast and furious over the last few months, ever since I finished my second Americorps term with the incredible Washington Conservation Corps.  I've held 3 different (and totally unrelated) jobs since then, ran a windy marathon in Bellingham and another half marathon in Leavenworth, road-tripped by myself through a fall-colored Montana and Wyoming, celebrated the delicious holidays with my family, oh my god the list goes on forever.  I am very thankful for all of the precious memories I've made with friends and family during this time, and continue to have flashbacks of some of them that I didn't remember initially (saying goodbye and making great memories with me often involves a lot of booze).  You all have given me and my liver enough good times to last at least 2 years, thanks!  And yet, to tell you the truth, I've been waiting for over a year to leave this country!  As my departure day draws near I am getting seriously excited and impatient, and I can't wait to be on that plane (with a vodka-cran in hand. . . who said the party was ending?!)  

For those that haven't heard the details of my upcoming Peace Corps service, I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to see you before leaving!  I will be serving in Madagascar for 27 months starting on March 1st.  My position is in the Environment program and will be Forestry related, but I really don't know exactly what I will be doing.  More details to come in the future!  (just as soon as I myself know)  Initially I will be training with a group of fellow newbies in Mantasoa to learn the language, Malagasy, and about the local culture.  During this time I will likely be making amazing new friends, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, having crazy dreams from the malaria medication, experiencing gastro-hell, playing a lot of charades with my host-family, and taking a ga-jillion photos to share with you!  I don't know how frequently I will have access to the internet, but check back for updates on my new life in the tropics and I promise that I will try to entertain you from the other side of the planet ;) 

Should you care to share your stories with me (which I assure you are extremely interesting to me, please write!) here is my Madagascar address:
                 
Michelle Manza, PCV
Bureau du Corps de la Paix
B.P. 12091
Poste Zoom Ankorondrano
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar

This address will change later on, so I'll post a new one eventually.  Even if its just a quick note, I want to hear about what you're up to!  And I promise to write back. 

Con mucho amor, Veloma!