So I've been here for five months now, which is crazy. overall things have gone well and I have loved the experience. I just went on a teachers retreat, which was a beginning of the school year celebration... 3 months after the school year started. but here there is a saying.. fotoana gasy, which means.. gasy time.. because malagasy people are late for everything. the retreat was out in the countryside. there was no running water, and no place to sleep. I pushed two desks together and slept on top, with about an inch difference in their heights. well.. sleep isn't the word I should use.. but rather laid there all tired for eight hours. I only fell off of the "bed" twice though. ha. so during my attempt to sleep the other teachers made sure to follow the tradition of partying all night the night before an official ceremony. they drank and danced from 8pm until 5am where they then got up to make the breakfast rice. I can't even handle that kind of partying anymore.. anyways so the second day of the "retreat" involved five hours of waiting in the 95 degree scorching sun for the important people to come and then listening to a speech for three hours, watching a soccer game and then return to partying. the weirdest thing I've ever seen. But, OH the experience it entailed... Especially since the unsanitary conditions of the place it was held at lead to my first case of giardia. that was fun. I'm well now.. so no worries.. but it was not fun while it lasted. I'll spare you all the details. I'm glad that it at least wasn't a worm. that would be worse cuz you get to see it come out.. yuck. anyways..for now I am still teaching.. still learning... but actually am able to converse normally in the language. soon it will be thanksgiving.. and we are planning to have a dinner with all the volunteers around the lake area. so I will get a little taste of america.. even if it isn't a taste of pumpkin pie.
No comments:
Post a Comment