Turning of the Bones

Today was a crazy day. I woke up at 5am to leave for Ivato near the airport with my host family. We left in a pickup truck with a wooden frame attached to the back truckbed and a tarp cover. We all sat in the back of the truck for an hour long ride going over crazy bumps, and inhaling tons of black exhaust. My host sisters cousin and her infant sibling both puked. Twice each. Yes, I said infant. The first time she puked in a hat.. the second off the back of the truck. After driving 45 mins we stopped to pick up 15 more family members while the grandma peed on the side of the road. Now on our way, we had 6 new babies on board.. and 25 poeple total in the back of the truck. Picture people sitting on each other, with women breast feeding their babies while going over huge bumps and dips on a horrible secondary road. When we finally arrived to our destination I was extremely surprised I hadn't puked myself. We were headed to a famadihana, which is a turning of the bones ceremony here in the highlands of Madagascar. We walked up to the extended family's house and were hurried into a dining room wtih a super long table and seated. Each family introduced themselves to remind them all of who they were.. since there are SO many relatives here. Think Christmas on my mom's side of the family... times 4. I was introduced with my family and everyone was eager to greet me, and some children were scared I was going to eat them... seriously. Some poeple here tell their kids that white people will eat them if they don't behave. I haven't been that hungry yet though. KIDDING! So, we were served a huge mound of rice each person and then a laddle of broth and chunks of beef, which were mostly peices of fat. They love to eat the fat here.. its crazy. So they slaughter tons of cows or pigs for these events and then cook it in oil and its the traditional meal. So everyone ate and went outside to watch the start of the band. THe band consisited of a male ensemble of trumpets, clarinets, and drum players. They played songs while people danced around a table that had a white cloth on it. Two pictures of people were sitting on the table to honor the ancestors they were having the famadihana for. So for about three hours we sat and watched poeple dance around the box while holding up the pics and new cloth they had bought for the ancestors. When one of the alive relatives dreams about an ancestor who tells them they are cold, they throw this huge party to bring them cloth to warm them up. Finally they decided to walk to the tomb.. and a parade like procession danced the entire way there. The music was still played once at the tomb and after a short speech, the males started digging for the entrance of the tomb. Once opened.. they took out the bodies of the ancestors, one by one. You could see the hair and outline of the bones through the old cloth. A group of people would be singing and dancing as they started to rewrap the bodies in their new cloth. I decided not too get too close, and actually was pretty freaked out.. and amazed at the same time. After they were tightly wrapped.. they put them on their shoulders and danced around the tomb 6 times for good luck. Then they brought them back into the tomb and said their wishes to them. This entire thing lasted about 6 hours. It was definitely a surreal experience.. and I am extremely fortunate to have experienced it. The entire day was filled with happiness and joy.. no sorrow... and all of the elderly relatives were even up and dancing!! This is practiced mainly on the highlands and costs the host family a lot of money to host. Each family that comes has to bring a gift of money to help buy cloths and pay for the food. It is an opportunity to ask ancestors for advice about living peoples lives and to see relatives that live far away. It is a large part of the Merina tribe's tradiation.

A journal entry

I currently sit in my bed with a candle lit on my table because the electicity has gone out for the second time now. It's actually quite romantical and it makes my fort-like room feel even more magical. My wooden walls and ceiling are shadowed with speckled light from within my mosquito net and I wish i could stay like this forever. Speaking of magic, I saw a rainbow today and I was able to see the beginning and end of it. It was amazing! I have also enjoyed the amazing portraits drawn across the sky every evening as the sun sets. The pink, orange and purples are vivid and dance as they reflect of off the clouds and rice paddies. I have been amazingly happy here, despite how much I want to go home. I just have to keep in mind how this experience is making me love my family and friends more than ever. I miss them so much that its even hard to describe in words. I have already missed my friend giving birth, my friend get engaged, and will miss the birth of my first neice or nephew and the first year of its life. Its hard to handle. but then I wake up some days and say... Holy crap, I'm in Madagascar. I'm living alone in a country across the world, speaking another language... learning how to cook for myself... wash clothes.. and I'm surviving. Its all a huge thing to accomplish, and all of the emails and letters from back home help to reassure me of that. This is amazing and I feel like I will be able to do anything and everything I ever would want to when I get back to the US. I can't believe I couldn't even call people on the phone without being scared. Life is new and exciting and challenging everyday here.. I just hope that some people can come and experience this with me so I can show them whats its like to live here since its so hard to explain.

Daily training life

Hello everyone! It is 9:00p.m. and 1:00 p.m. in WI. I am sitting in my foam mattress bed with mosquito net surrounding me, and it feels like a sweet fort I built when I was little. I just finished washing the dishes! I asked and they finally said I could! The past two nights they just said, “Night" and I went upstairs to my room. But tonight they let me help. They gave me an apron and I washed the dishes with a sponge which is actually a cut piece of foam, and rubbed it on a piece of soap for dish soap. Then, in a bucket of cold water I washed the dishes and my sister Ando, pronounced (Ahn-doo) rinsed the dishes and set them out to dry. I had an awesome dinner w/ the family because I can finally speak in sentences. It’s amazing how fast I have learned Malagasy, and it feels SO comforting. The family and I talked about what the Dad does for work, which is basically a construction worker who drives the big machines that dig up dirt. I can’t remember the name in English! The Mom owns a little shop here at the house. Each morning, I wake up at 6:00 a.m. and go downstairs with my bucket and scoop and get hot water from my host Mom, which is half boiled and half cold water and walk outside to the Ladosy (Lah-doo-see) or outdoor shower that is just a wood structure w/ a door and cement like floor. I use the scoop to take a shower from the bucket. Then I dry off, go upstairs, get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast. My Mother makes me coffee w/ sugar and sweetened condensed milk. I usually have bread w/ butter and some sort of honey mixed with sugar or jam that is delicious. Then I brush my teeth out on the porch, spitting off the balcony, because that’s how they do it here! Then I walk to class w/ other volunteers. I come back home for lunch w/ the family, then back to class until 5:00 , then back to the host family for dinner and playing hacky-sack w/ the male boys, Ravo (Rah-voo) and taratra (Tahrahtrah). Then it’s up to my room where I write in my journal, study, brush my teeth and spit it in my Po.. The Malagasy do not go to the outhouse at night because witches come out at night, no joke. I pee in a bucket in my room every night, and dump it in the outhouse in the morning. Then I fall asleep around 9:30 or 10:00 and start the whole thing over the next day! Next weekend we get to go to Tana, the capital, for the 1st time, so I mght have internet access! Exciting! I hope you all know that I am loving it here. A lot of volunteers are having trouble w/ the language and being homesick, but I haven’t felt sad for even one second here! My host family is so nice and caring and make me feel like family. It is amazing to speak to them after two days of awkward small talk, because of the language barrier. Next week is Independence Day here, and I will celebrate w/ the family by dancing and seeing fireworks! I learned all of that out of our dinner conversation tonight!

First few days in Madagascar

So, I landed safely in Tana after being in South Africa for a night. We were met by a group of current PCV's at the airport, so we had a warm welcome! Then we packed into a van and drove about 2 hours to the town I am training in called Manjakandriana. Its in a higher elevation, so its a little chilly.. probably feels like 50 degrees or so. Its an amazing sight though.. there are so many hills/levels of housing. Its hard to explain. So, last night we had a crash course on Malagasy, learning about 6 words, and then were taken to our host family's. My family is SO NICE! The mother= neni, pronounced nay-knee, is about 42 and owns a little store out of her house. The father=dada, pronounced dah-dah, is 41 and works as a construction worker. They have three children. Ravo, an 18 yr old boy, Ando, a 16 yr old girl, and an 8 yr old named Taratra. They are all so friendly, and really excited to use the few years of English they have learned in school to talk to me. I was shown my room, which is a little attic room, with wood ceiling and floors and like a cement like walls. It had a bed, with a foam mattress, pillow, 2 chairs, 2 tables, a chest, and a water filter. I also received blankets, which helped since it was a little chilly last night, but I LOVED it. Perfect sleeping weather for a Wisconsinite. I also have a bucket in my room to use for a shower, which I take outside. Then I have my new best friend, called a Po, pronounced with a long O. This is where I go to the bathroom after dark. People here don't go outside to the outhouse at night. Its just weird. So, I christened it last night! I woke up and had to pee so bad, and of course sat there a while and was like.. I don't want to wake anyone with the loud noise of peeing in the middle of the night. But, I then realized I had 6 more hours to sleep so I did it, and it was fine. All I know is that my leg muscles are going to be so buff after this! So, last night after the tour, I showed my family all of the pictures of my family, home and friends, which they loved! They especially enjoyed the christmas photo of my crazy family! Then, after a lot of awkward laughing because I didn't understand.. and constant searching through my malagasy dictionary.. we sat down for dinner. On this old table we all sat and ate rice, and a soup with broth, carrots, potatoes, onions, and green beans. It was delicious. Then we had bananas for desert and I had tea, which was actually just the water that the burnt rice was boiled in, they drink it as tea after their meal. It was fine. Then, I said I was tired, said thank you and headed upstairs. My family has sporadic electricity, so I heard a tv going and dogs barking and pigeons while I was falling asleep. I went to sleep at 8 and woke up at midnight, wide awake. I tossed and turned and finally fell back asleep and woke up when a rooster crowed about 5 am. I woke up, ate pancakes for breakfast, with a jam, and butter, and coffee.. with sugar and powdered milk. It was amazing! Then, I walked to town with my Neni, and to the peace corps training center. So, anyways.. life is amazing right now. I have seen so much poverty, that its taking some time to deal with. I can't even explain what its like. Words will not do justice. I will show pics when I return. But, the landscape is amazing... rolling hills with rice fields everywhere.. and markets everywhere.. and people everywhere. Right now, I'm just attempting to learn some language so I can stop laughing when I dont' know how to explain things to my family. Just wanted to let you all know that I am healthy, well, and happy!

Is this really happening?

It has just occured to me that I leave in exactly 1 month. This is getting real, and I love it. All I can think is, "Finally!" I have thought about my departure for so long. I have been out of college for a year now, but it seems like 3. Even though I have absolutely loved living with the Silber's this past year, I have also had a nagging thought in the back of my mind, wondering when I would get to start the rest of my life. Graduating from college had been an exciting life change, especially after my trip to Italywith Megan. But soon after, the excitement dulled down and became life without a future in sight. That scared me, and pushed me to focus on the Peace Corps process. I have been driven to do this, and have not been able to visualize my life without it. I feel like I have been slowly moving away from being dependent on people... especially my friends. I don't talk to anyone everyday.. I don't have a constant in my life. But for now, thats a good thing, because I won't miss that constant once I'm gone. I am actually surprised at how much I have adapted to this, since I used to be so attached to people and needy of others to make me feel happy. Now, I could go without seeing people, and not even be phased. I am completely ready to move on with my life right now. I was so scared that I would be stuck in a place where I couldn't see change or improvement.. and I have finally moved on from this. I can see where my future is headed, and it feels great. Its amazing how suffocatingly scary it is to not be progressing in my life. I know that I will never be able to settle in my life, its just not for me. I want to travel the world, and constantly improve myself. I think that my obsession with this goal has allowed me to actually be successful with it. Dream it, in order to be it? I guess I see some validity in that statement now. If I had doubted my abilities or desire to do this at all, I probably wouldn't have accomplished it. Its good to dream.. but even greater when they come true. A lot of people ask me why I want to do this, but I know that if they even have to ask that question, it will be hard for them to understand my reasonings. Its a difference in the way we see life. I want to live my life constantly progressing... learning as much as possible, experiencing as many culutures as possible, seeing as many places in the world as possible, meeting as many people as possible, being exposed to as many ways of living as possible. All of this is surpassed only by my belief that I need to give as much of myself as physically and mentallly possible to help others. Thats how I see life. Thats how I see my role in this world. Its hard for me to understand any other way to live.. but then again, its hard for others to understand the way I want to live. I have come to realize that I will surround myself with those who believe in my way to live life, and it makes sense. Having the same outlook of life creates a deep connection between people. Its just so easier when someone can truly understand you.

Anyways, my obsession with the travel channel can now end. I can stop living vicarilously through other peoples adventures, and start living my own. It's time. Take a deep breath. Here comes an experience of a lifetime.. with hopefully more to follow.

Formal Invitation!

Hello everyone! Here are the details I know so far.

Staging: I will spend about three days in Washington, DC for orientation with the PC.

Training: From June-August I will live just outside of Antananarivo with a host family. I will go through language, skills, cultural, and health training during this time.

Volunteering: If I survive those three months, I will be sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. I will then be assigned to some other location in the country. Once there, I will be teaching English to middle and high school-aged children. I will also take on a secondary project, which is yet to be determined.

I LEAVE JUNE 13th!

Medically Cleared!!

So, I am surprisingly medically cleared as of Friday, March 9th! Surprised that it took this short of time, not that I'm cleared. The only follow up I needed was a Polio Booster and a Tetanus Booster. I drove up to chippewa to get them from my doctor because no one in madison would give me them without a doctors visit first.

So the placement officer emailed me on Tuesday, which I thought was amazingly fast considering all of the waiting horror stories I've heard. He asked me about the french requirement I had to fulfill and I explained the whole non-credit course I was taking. He asked for a letter from my professor as proof. So I emailed her and am waiting to hear back from my placement officer, which probably won't be until next week considering its Friday.

Its weird that after only a day of being completely excited about being medically cleared, I am back to being frustrated about not knowing exactly when, where and if I'm leaving. I check my email every half-hour, which is probably certifiably obessive. I also always have my phone by me and am ready to get the mail when it comes. The worst part is that I am avoiding my friends and family.. in person and via phone... until I get an invitation because its annoying telling everyone that its all unknown. I don't care where I go or what I do there, I just want an invitation!! If I tell myself that I probably won't get an invitation until April, it helps to keep my mind off of it. So that is what I shall try to do......