Return to Madagascar

It is almost as official as it's going to get by now. So, I guess I'll share the news. The Peace Corps Program in Madagascar is Reopening in September! They are welcoming back volunteers and I am one of the few that will return. About 15 of the 125 volunteers that were in Madagascar at the time of evacuation have decided to reinstate in service in Mcar. I have been medically cleared to head back and am awaiting my visa/passport. We leave September 30th from DC. From there, I will start my third year of service as an extending PCV. We are still not certain as to what city we will be placed in, but I have a strong inclination that my site will reopen. It has always been safe, it is only a 7-9 hour drive from the capital on a main road, there is cell phone reception, and the city had always been welcoming of a PCV. But, I guess you never know, Peace Corps staff in country could see something potentially dangerous about my site that I don't know of presently. We'll see. For now, I am excited to go back and see everyone and start teaching again! It will also be interesting to see how the politcal situation has affected the school systems and everyday life of the Malagasy people. I also wonder if my dogs are still alive, and how my old neighbors and friends are doing. On the flip side, saying goodbye to family and friends here in the US will be more difficult than I had expected. Madison summers, great friends, a new bike, and my family will be to blame for the less than easy transition back to lonely evenings and nights in a foreign world. But, this is what I want to do. :)