Staging
Peace
corps Madagascar required my cohort to participate in 2 days worth of staging
where we went over sessions such as the dangers of a single story, the iceberg
model for cross-cultural understanding, and Let Girls Learn to name a few. I
found the sessions to be helpful especially in preparing me for Madagascar in
the area of going with an open mind.
After
staging, we left for JFK international airport at 2am from Philadelphia. Not
fun, tena natory aho (I was really sleepy). Around 11 am, we boarded the plane
for the longest flight of my life, 14 hours and 50 minutes, to Johannesburg,
South Africa. We had a short layover there where we then boarded another plane
where we flew for an additional 3 hours to Antananarivo, Madagascar. There we
were greeted by PC staff and some current volunteers. After the welcoming, we
loaded our things on a truck, hopped in vans and headed out to Mantasoa which
is where our training site is located.
On the way there, I took in the sights and sounds of Antananarivo. There were
many older model cars on the road which had no stop lights or stop signs
whatsoever and know road rules except for the use of the car horn and
headlights to let others know you are coming. This seemed completely dangerous
to me but somehow the Malagasy drivers know how to navigate the roads. I got to
see many shops, epiceries, on the way where items such as street good, shoes
and clothes, and electronics are sold. There were many people walking without
shoes continuing on their daily business while clothes were laid out on the
ground to dry.
As we headed out of the capital, I got to see the rolling hills/mountains that
contained within them rice fields which was a very beautiful sight. Soon paved
road turned into diet roads where I experienced the bumpiest drive ever, there
was know sleep to be had as jetlag set in.
When
we finally arrived at the Peace Corps training site we were greeted by the
staff where a big dinner of American food was prepared for us. I gorged myself.
Afterwards, we were given our Malaria Prophylaxis to take and then headed to
our rooms for sleep.
What
followed afterwards now seem like a blur as we learned about how to make
drinkable water and the like and the proper way to use the Ladosy (shower) and
the kabone (toilet). The next day we began our language lessons. Peace Corps is
touted as having the best language learning acquisition through its process of
immersion. When the second day of language class came around, I was severely
frustrated but found that I wasn't the only one and from there things got
better.
On
the fourth day, I got to meet my host family and greeted them with my limited
Malagasy. Manama kaitabo aho, nenibe sy neny ary zandry lahy roa (I have
a host grandmother, mom, and two little brothers). After I arrived at their
home, I immediately got my host mom to help me with my Malagasy which lasted
for two hours that day followed playing with my two little brothers then an
awesome dinner. The next day, I went to church with the oldest of my little
brothers. My family is Catholic and it was very interesting to see the process
of their church service. I didn't understand anything that was said obviously
but it was interesting nonetheless.
Once
we got home, we ate lunch, played for a short while, then I got my host mom to
help me practice my Malagasy for another 2 hours. Then came dinner, where I ate
the best collard greens ever (don't tell my parents). With every meal, we have
rice. In Madagascar, rice is the main dish while almost everything else is the
side dish.
Here
is where I want to talk about the similarities from my early life and now in
Madagascar. I grew up in an old wooden house where we fetched water from a well
and used the equivalent of a chamber pot as the bathroom. My parents would warm
up or bathing water using fire. We didn't have the basic creature comforts that
we now have but the main point is that we were happy. Here in Madagascar, it
appears that I'm back at that same point in my life. So yes, somethings are the
same wherever you go.
Faly
aho (I am happy).
