5 Things You May or May Not Know About Me.

Courtesy of the villagers.

1. I am BIG.

This is meant as a compliment. Recently, a pregnant woman told me I was bigger than her. Also, I'm so big you won't recognize me when I come home.

2. I am WHITE.

Enough said.

3. I love beans.

Beans happen to be one of the only protein sources I find reliably at my site, so I do have them a lot. Also, it seems like people have a knack for asking me what my "ro" is on days that I'm eating beans, even if its been a long time.

4. I'm related to ALL white people in Madagascar.

A nearby volunteer is my twin. Yes, my twin passes by frequently and just drops a note without ever stopping to visit. Her family passed through on the way to Marojejy, a family of tall, blond people. I got asked about my family's visit.

5. My name is pronounced "Less-LEE."

Or "Les-i-LEE" or sometimes just "Slee." It's also spelled Lesly.

Where everybody knows your name...

Sometimes I have to wonder if the person who wrote the Cheers theme song has ever really been somewhere "where everybody knows your name." I have. Itcan be really great but there are also drawbacks. Learning people's names, which are often already difficult for me to pronounce, is further complicated by the fact that they are already addressing me by name. Not only do I feel awkward asking their name, but I am unsure of if there ever was an introduction or if I've ever even met the person before. I've learned a lot of my neighbor's names just by overhearing them over and over. After 6 months or so my running buddy asked if I knew her name. "Well, you're Ery's mom." Let it be known that this is how every knows her. It's actually Lidorice. The good news is that most people don't seem offended if I have to ask their name--I'm usually the embarrassed one. Or there's the person calling my name out of a large group, and afterwards I have no idea who to answer to. Also embarrassing. But for now I guess I'll just continue to enjoy the sounds of every small child shouting my name (or some version of it) as I pass by. No such thing as in cognito here.

Tratra ny taona!

Happy New Year!

It's been a while; here's some photos to hold you over until next time.

Giant mortar and pestles with many many uses... pounding rice out of its hull, pouding rice into flour, pounding cassava leaves, pounding peanuts into peanut butter...

Rainy season is here.

Things are starting to grow! Trees and rice on the hillside agroforestry demo plot.

Hey, kids! They're finally learning how to pose. Oh, and check out the awesome plastic bag hats.

A gem taken while I was building another cookstove.

Looking at books on my front steps.

Someone from my village found a dollar and asked me to exchange it. So weird to see a dollar after 8 months.

Love, Leslie