Fety Be

As a PCV, I’m finding out that there are a lot of holidays out there that I’ve never celebrated before.  A while ago I heard on VOA that I missed out on peanut butter and jelly sandwich day.  Sad, because I’d probably appreciate the holiday more than many of you out there, but not a tragedy since I probably would have needed to bake the bread myself.  The plethora of new holidays is a product of living in a new culture with different traditions and with a habit of extending most holidays well beyond their typical American length (think New Years in March).  I’m also sure my altered lifestyle opens to door to formerly irrelevant holidays.  “Remember how clean you used to be?  International Take a Shower Day is next Friday.”  “Don’t forget Monday is Hug a Subsistence Farmer Day.”  “Celebrate your low latitude on Tropical Fruit Tuesday!”

All jokes aside, I looked back at my calendar for April and it seems like the month was one long holiday.  We started off with a celebration of International Women’s Day.  The regional and commune-level celebrations came first, so in true Malagasy style the village women came together about a month after the real holiday on March 8.  The women took the opportunity to parade through the village in new matching outfits, sing, dance, and of course eat lots of rice and pork.

Next came Easter and Piknik, the Monday after Easter where people head out to the countryside to picnic.  Unlike most holidays where the village fills with people who are generally living and working in the forest, this oneleft the town eerily quiet.

The Sunday after Easter was the local FJKM church’s “fetynybatisse”—aka the one day a year to get your baby baptized.  I unknowingly headed to the service to watch over 100 baptisms and pray for 6 hours.  I’m pretty sure I’ve had enough religion for the rest of my PC service.

I followed up the next Sunday with a celebration I planned for Earth Day.  We discussed the holiday Earth Day, since it’s not one they usually honor here.  Then I taught cookstove building, we ate rice, and watched some environmental films in Malagasy.  A good way to wrap up the month of endless partying.

Me with my adopted women's group.

Our parade through the rain.

Teaching cookstove building on Earth Day.

Completed cookstove!  Big credit to all the villagers who participated without concern of dirtying their fancy outfits.

World Malaria Day

April 25 is World Malaria Day.

Malaria is the number one killer in Africa.

I haven't figured out what I'll be doing this month to raise awareness of malaria, but I'll keep you all updated.

Thanks Mom!

Special thanks to my mom and her friends for sending Hot Wheels. You can only imagine the reaction to toys in a village where almost half the population is 10 years old or younger and they think the best toys come from my trash pit (no lies). So, the gifts are much appreciated and my house has become even more popular with the kids.

Diego

I’m coming to the end of a week of vacation up in Diego-Suarez, a city at the northernmost tip of Madagascar. It’s definitely been a relaxing week. I’ve enjoyed delicious food and drinks, time spent at the beach and poolside, and seeing the sights of the city. It’s really nice to get out and away from my village for a little bit.

Busy streets of Diego.

In the market.

Diego is a really cool city. The city is a pretty popular tourist destination, which means there are a few more white faces around. Though this means it can be pricey for someone living on a Peace Corps salary, it’s also nice to not be called “vazaha” or stared at as much. I’m realizing that I really don’t know much French, while almost every other white person here does. It gets confusing when I don’t know what the waitress said to me in French and my head starts to hurt while I’m trying to decide which language I should respond in. But I’ve also enjoyed a few precious moments where I forget I’m still in Madagascar. I’ve spent an afternoon by the pool reading a book without any children staring at me; I drank a cappuccino.

I baked cookies! It's like America in here.

Cappucino! Am I still in Madagascar?

Luckily there are still the reminders of the pleasantries of my Malagasy life. I sat in a brousse and slurped down a slice of watermelon bought out the window; I strolled through the bustling marketplace. And I’m glad to have every one of these experiences.

Ramena beach, as the fishermen bring in their daily catch.

Out near the Emerald Sea.

Boat ride to Emerald Sea.