Such a Wonderful Day !

Such a Wonderful Day :)
12/27/2014

Yesterday was one of those days that I know I will always remember in my heart. It started with slowly waking up. Three of my friends were at my house for Christmas.

Then a few of us went to get breakfast - a delicious yogurt and banana bread. When we returned we finished our laundry and just sort of hung out for a bit. We made a carrot and cucumber salad for lunch with a fruit salad for dessert. After lunch we played Uno and talked about our dreams. It was a pretty wonderful afternoon. And it was just getting started.

We had delayed going to the beach because of illnesses and Trambo bites, but finally we had decided (since it was the last day of vacation at my site) that we had to make it to the beach. As soon as we saw the shore line we were glad we waited. Our faces filled in smiles and we immediately got in the water.

I got to show off the most beautiful part of my site, what the locals call "Abony la Tabetra" or "above the table" its a rock formation that the waves splash up against. We went there at stood at the edge of the rocks and got sprayed by water. It was so refreshing and rejuvenating. With each splash was giggles and new smiles. And then we just sat and listening to the beach and took some pictures. It was nice to show off a little.

Then we went out for dinner at a place that had been closed all week and ended the night watching Steel Magnolias.

It was just one of those simple, beautiful, I can't believe this is where I live and I am so happy in this moment kind of days.

Merry Christmas to me :) I couldn't have wished for anything better!

Christmas Time

Christmas Time

Written on 12/26/2014

To say Christmas half way across the world was a little different is fairly obvious. But it was. Leading up to Christmas, I was feeling odd. It didn't feel like Christmas. I was sweating perfusively, I didn't feel rushed to buy Christmas presents, wasn't cramming for exams. I was just going about my regular routine, grading tests, teaching classes, helping out at the community center.

It some ways it was eye-opening. Just thinking about how much time and money people spend on shopping and decorating their homes to perfection. If everyone would spend half the time they spend putting lights up on their house to help others in need instead, the world would still be a little brighter place - and also much more energy efficient.

I remember seeing all these posts about "What Every 20-something wants for Christmas." Knowing how silly it would seem to look at it, so I avoided opening any of the links. All I wanted for Christmas was my few volunteer friends to get here safely and for the mail I've been waiting for for the past few months to magically arrive! I'm sure those things weren't on that list...

Luckily, my friends got here safely! (Unfortunately I'm still waiting on the mail...) We had a great time baking with a little convection oven I borrowed from my site mate and spent most of their time here making desserts and big meals and over-stuffing ourselves with American style foods.

Christmas here, culturally, is a little bit different, but also has similarities. Most of my community spent a lot of time at church, wearing the beautiful new outfits they had been shopping for over the past few weeks. Then they had a big meal with extended family. Some people went out to the country side to spend Christmas with their families, and other families had a lot of people come from the bigger cities to here. Some of my neighbors had family come in and the newest baby boy was baptized on Christmas Day.

Overall, it felt like a regular Sunday, but everyone was dressed a lot nicer and there wasn't the same people outside of my community. It was a nice day, and I had the opportunity to chat with my family from home which was nice. It was a little bit difficult to be away - but I know after these next few years are over I'll never experience a Christmas like this again!

My friends and I talked about it this morning, two Christmases from now I'll be thinking about this Christmas. How my friends and I prepared our baking ingredients and then sat around talking waiting for the electrity to come on. The lights would flash on and we would be running to get to work. On Christmas Day, Electricity was on all day!!

How a few days before Christmas, my friend Gabby was bitten by a Trambo ( a very large, very ugly, poisonous centipede) and we all startled awake. Half asleep I got my neighbors who searched my house and helped my friend by pressing toothpaste into the wound. Apparently, it is one of the most painful bites ever. Gabby said for about 20 hours it was like a constant pain and her hand (she was bit on the wrist) was swollen for just as long.

How we spent the next few days, a bit paranoid, searching the entire house for a Trambo before we went to sleep and shaking out every sleeping bag. Every noise was a little troublesome the next few nights at my house.

It was a wonderful Christmas. Definately a bit bittersweet. I think the most difficult part was just feeling okay with where I am. Happy where I am. But not feeling the same as I usually feel during Christmas. It wasn't the same nostalgic, warm, fuzzy feeling (Maybe because I don't think I could get any warmer!) I could remember the Christmases I always had at home, but it was impossible to dupilicate those memories! So instead I made my own.

 Reguardless, I know in my heart that I'd rather be here than anywhere else right now, and that my Christmas back home will be a part of my life sooner than I can even imagine. Time has really flown by and I know now that I'm really getting the hang of living here its only going to fly by even faster! So I'm going to always hold this very special Christmas close in my memories! How often does one have a Christmas in Madagascar?

The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff Review (*Caution* I will rant)

The Te of Piglet by Review

Written on 12/21/2014

A follow-up of The Tao of Pooh Benjamin Hoff, The Te of Piglet is meant to explain a different side of Taoism and why its important in our modern world.

I'll start with saying I read the Te of Piglet in high school and rather enjoyed it. It explained Taoism in a gentle, not in your face way. It was a light, easy read with enjoyable, uplifting quotes.

The Te of Piglet was quite the opposite. It seems like Hoff may have had some opposition to his first book and set out to write a book saying why all the people who dislike Taoism and live the "Western Way" are crippling our society.

Not that I disagreed with everything he was saying, the "Eeyores" who are always negative aren't great to be around, and neither are the too-eager "Tiggers," but they are still important parts of society. If everyone was perfect, humble, and honest - such as in the Utopia Hoff refers to as The Day of Piglet - life would be boring! We need a little balance in the world. A little ying and a little yang - to stay in the Eastern philosophy.

I especially did not enjoy - and those who know me will very quickly no why - his rant about "Eeyore Amazons" who "call themselves feminists" (and if you know me you already know some feminist smashing is about to occur) "But the word [feminist] doesn't quite fit them, somehow. They don't like femininity. Instead they covet masculinity. Strange. Very Strange."

VERY STRANGE INDEED MR.HOFF. I understand where someone who has never felt the need to be a feminist might misunderstand feminism and what it is. And say that it is bad for the world. Why someone who has never been discriminated against because of their gender would say that feminism makes women curse and act like pirates, which isn't exactly "Advancing the Feminine."

I understand where he may be coming from - there are some people who align with feminism that are "masculine." And they may feel they have to act "masculine" to get and hold on to jobs because we live in a biased socieity where being "masculine" is already coveted. And sure, to someone who hasn't had to downplay their gender so they aren't turned into a walking stereotype, I can understand how that may be....confusing.

I would love to go into a work space and act stereo-typically "feminine" and see where it got me. But, that's not who I am. I act "masculine" by taking up space and speaking up and making my voice heard. And if that is "acting masculine" then I suppose I am a "Eeyore Amazon" who is trying to make the world a BETTER place by showing that I am not restrained by the female box I have to check.

And I would say that by speaking my mind and not being held in the constraints of my gender by being "feminine" that I am advancing the feminine - THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UGH, safe to say I read those pages fairly quickly...

Rant being over, there were some parts of this book I did like. Little quotes here and there that I think are great things to think about and be inspired/calmed by..below are a few snippits.

"But that You you want to see

Is not you, and will never be.

No one else will ever do

The special thing that waits

inside of you."

"What the Taoists mean by Treat gain and loss as the same...They mean don't be Intimidated. Don't make a Big Deal of anything - just accept things as they come to you. The Universe knows what it's doing."

"Reality is what ones makes it. And the more negative reality one nurtures and creates, the more of it one has."

If you want to be genuinely irritated by what Benjamin Hoff has to say, in between moments of actual enlightenment, go ahead...read this book.

Isn't Been 6 Months?!

IT'S BEEN 6 MONTHS?

Written on 12/13/2014

It's true. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure if it had been 6 months or 7 because I am still confused about when I got here. Turns out 24 hours of travel and then anti-motion sickness pills will confuse you a lot. Also, it was pretty much a whirl-wind of 6 months.

When I think about it as a section of my life...I graduated, moved back home, moved half-way across the world, learned a new language, moved into a new home and a new community, made new friendships, started a new job, went on a vacation, went through two different tranings....

BUT, I finally feel like the whirlwind is starting to settle, or at least my brain is a little bit as I start to really feel comfortable in the place I am.

Over these past six months.....

• I've gotten to the point where I can (somewhat) hold a conversation in a Language that, until I got my invititation to serve in Madagascar, I didn't really know existed.
• I conquered the kitchen and learned how to cook rice, make peanut butter, roast coffee, make spagehetti sauce, clean shrimp, curry vegetables and beans, and make GUMBO!
• I have struggled through my first trimester of teaching English when I don't really know the first language of the children. Its gotten a lot easier, but I still have a lot to learn. I can already feel them being more comfortable with me, and my next steps are to get a better control of my classroom and be able to play games without my classroom turning into a small circus. I'm hoping that with games and fun excercises the students will absorb more English.

I'm currently writing this blog to take a break from grading...and let me tell you....its been rough. It's partially just that students are used to test taking because its their first year of middle school, and partially because English is difficult. But these test scores make me question my skills more than ever. I'm hoping that by telling my students we can have fun but we need to be serious and asking them to take responsibility for their learning that maybe it will push them to take that control. Still not sure how I'll do that! But there are some students who are very determined and it shows in their tests!

• With the above being said, I appreciate my teachers, role models, leaders, coaches, and everyone else to has mentored and encouraged me more than ever. Thanks for taking my little sponge of a brain and filling it with knowledge and positive thoughts about myself and where I can take my life. Wouldn't be here without y'all!
• I've become part of a community. The other day I was walking from my house to the Cultural Center and students were saying "Good afternoon!" to me and adults were saying hello. I had multiple people stop to chat with me. And that's when I realized I've really become a part of this community. It feels so so good. I'm really proud of myself. :)
• I have made friends, both Malgasy and American, that have been a part of making me grow over the past 6 months. Friends from different parts of America, who grew up in different ways in different cultures. And friends from Madagascar, who of course grew up in a completely different part of the world, but yet we aren't without are similarities.
• I've held a boa constrictor, had a lemur jump on my head, become more comfortable with the cockroaches that live in my home, and still panic everytime I see something move quickly in fear that maybe it is a spider.
• It's been a great 6 months. And its hard to believe I have 21 months left! It sounds like a lot...until I think about all I have planned! Here is a glimpse of blogs-to-come...or what I am planning to be doing in just the next 6 months!
• Teaching 2 more trimesters of English.
• Start an international exchange between a Girl Scout Troop in America and our Cultural Center's Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Club.
• Start teaching English classes for middle school children and adults at the Center
• Start a class to prepare for: Write On! International Writing Competition...and then hold the competition in late Feburary so students from my community will send their writing to first a National Competition and then, if they win the National Competition,, an International Competition!
• Go on Vacation for Easter Break for my Birthday :) Woot Woot! 22 here I come!
• Apply to be a trainer for the next group of trainees! (fingers crossed)!
• And thats only the things I know will happen...or at least think will happen...! I can only imagine what I will do that I still have no idea about!

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Review

The Bluest Eyes By Toni Morrison Review

Written on 12/14/2014

Toni Morrison's writing is beautiful. I am sure any book written by her would be worth reading. The Bluest Eyes was just another one of her fabulous books.

In the addition I brought with me from America ( a handi-down book from my best friend Anna who read it for a college class), there is a special forward from the author. It made me want to go back to every forward I've skipped and read it carefully.

In this forward written by Morrison herself, the conversation Morrison wanted to get people discussing is the central thought. Morrison describes how she wanted to say something about beauty after she realized that beauty is not something that is often recognized, especially in the beholder. She writes, "Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do."

Also in her forward, she discusses how her young character, Pecola, was subject to racial self-loathing when she wished for blue eyes to be beautiful. In The Bluest Eyes, Morrison questions not only the racial self loathing it self, but also pokes at the question - where do children, the most vulnerable and impressionable part of society, learn such demonstrative thoughts?

Even after describing how she attempted to get at this question and pick it apart to make sense to readers. And then she wrote something particularly inspiring and illumination to a young writer such as myself, that The Bluest Eye it is something she still isn't completely satisfied with, that "many readers remain touched but not moved."

How could one of my idols, who wrote such an amazing novel, still not think her work is good enough? Because she's a writer of course.

But, Morrison, I must say - I was moved.

Some of my favorite quotes from the novel are:

1. "All the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl treasured."

I particularity enjoyed this part of the novel because of Morrison's discussion of girls being taught to fuss over and fall in love with these little baby dolls that instilled a thought in them - that these dolls were beautiful...these dolls were worth fussing over. And also, the idea that little girls are raised to be mothers. There suppose to coddle the little baby dolls and when they don't their families do not react positively. Interesting indeed Morrison.

2. "Along with the idea of romantic love, she was introduced to another - physical beauty. Probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought. Both originated in envy, thrived in insecurity, and ended in disillusion."

In case anyone needs a reminder that just as there is no perfectly beautiful person, there is no perfect love either. Perfection isn't a goal that can be reached in love or beauty. Thanks Morrison.

3. "Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly..."

What kind of lover are you?

 Obviously, with a novel based around complex societal issues of gender and race, there is a lot that could be said about this book. But it shouldn't be. Read it yourself. See what this book stirs up in you. Hopefully you'll be moved too.

The First Holiday Away: Thanksgiving

My First Thanksgiving Away

Written the day before Thanksgiving, 11/26/2014

It's official. I am missing my first family holiday. To say there is mixed emotions would be putting it too simply. The truth is, I know I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world than where I am now. But still, undeniably, a part of me misses home. Who wouldn't?

I don't long to be home everyday, actually, the thought of not being back in America for two years is rather thrilling. I love where I am. I am beginning to really feel at home in my community. I am working on other projects, planning future vacations around this beautiful country, and starting to make a very flexible plan for the rest of my time here. I am having the time of my life!

I think what is most difficult about this holiday in particular is that no one here knows anything about it. It's a mystical event celebrated half way across the world. Here, Tomorrow is just another day. While all of my friends and family are taking time away from work and school to be with family and friends..my life here continues on as usual.

But "usual" life here is still exciting and new everyday. A few weeks ago I saw a lemur, yesterday a market vendor told another vendor that she needs to tell me the price in Malagasy and not French, and today a student stayed after class just to chat with me.

I have so much to be thankful for! Including my wonderful, supportive family. Even though I cannot tell everyone I love and care for that I am thankful that they are in my lives with a stomach full of turkey, pie, and mash potatoes...I can still celebrate my thankful-ness in my own way.

And thats what this holiday is suppose to really be about, isn't it?

Written two days after Thanksgiving, 11/29/2014

I had a wonderful, beautiful, and simple Thanksgiving at site. It started, officially (according to myself) the night before Thanksgiving when my site mate and I had our own little impromptu Thanksgiving feast with some friends at a restaruant in town, STUFFED CRAB! And deliciously sauteed potatoes. We hadn't intended on going out, but when our friends said the restaruant had a special thing on the menu, we decided it would be our Thanksgiving splurge!

On actual Thanksgiving, I started my day by teaching two classes. The first part of the lesson, I told the students that today was a holiday in America called Thanksgiving. I not only astounded my students by the fact that I actually know Malagasy pretty well by explaining the holiday activities in English, and then Malagasy, I also felt like they really enjoyed this lesson.

I talked about how usually, I'd be going to my Grandma's house and my whole family would be there. We would talk about what we are Thankful for (which when I think about it, we never really did...but I think every family should really start doing that!) and we eat a lot of food until we are very full.

My favorite part of the lesson was the astonishment that while we eat turkey (okolokoloka in my dialect) and mashed potatoes at our Thanksgiving feast, we do not eat rice. My students went wild when I said there was no rice at the Thanksgiving feast. I followed the discussion of Thanksgiving by letting my students ask three questions about America, which ended up being more like 10 questions...

The first question: What do you eat with rice? I said we eat rice mostly with Chinese food. When I said we don't eat rice at every meal, and not even every day, but maybe once a week or once a month they were shocked! What do you eat?! I said bread, pasta, meat, vegetables, fruits. The same things you eat...but with more rue (side dish) and no rice.

The next question..was inevitably going to happen sometime: Do you have children? I laughed so hard and said, no! I am still a madamosille. They all laughed and one student shyly raised her hand and said, “How old are you?” I thought for a second about not answering, saying we don't talk about age in America, but I decided I would go for it, “I am twenty one.” They went wild.

Once I got the students quiteded down, the next question: Do you have a car? I said, “In America?” They all laughed. Yes, they meant do I have a car in America. I said I knew how to drive, but cars are expensive and I just finished school. That question was less exciting than they had anticipated.

It was so fun to share a little bit about myself and what Thanksgiving is. They acutally understood what “I am thankful for...” meant and I think they really appreciated the lesson.

And then we had a take-home quiz....

After my lunch (chocolate chip pancakes and lychees with green tea, my own Thanksgiving feast) I headed over to the Cultural Center, where furniture had arrived and students came every day to read books in English and French. I read a few books to some students and they just kept handing me more! Finally I had to say I was tired, but it was so adorable to have so many students huddled around to listen to English.

I finished my Thanksgiving with a long chat with my mom on Vibr :)

A pretty perfect Thanksgiving if I say so myself! And no madness of Black Friday shopping to follow. 

In Service Training

In-Service Training

Written on 11/29/2014

A few months after being at site, Peace Corps has a In-Service Training to talk about working on Secondary Projects and writing grants and such. One week is just with the volunteers, the other week each volunteer brings their Malgasy counterpart to talk about the next steps they can do in their community.

A week ago, I finished my IST, and it took me a while to write about it because I couldn't think of anything to write about. We spent most of the time sitting in training sessions, not exactly thrilling writing material. But, I remembered there were a few moments that were interesting and worth sharing!

1 - Making Gumbo

This had nothing at all to do with training. But, it was one of my stage-mates birthdays and he asked for my friend, Lindsey (from Louisiana near New Orleans), to make a Gumbo and I volunteered to help out!

Volunteers aren't often allowed in the kitchen and it was so exciting to be back there. I was amazed by how small the space was and how exhausting it was cooking for 30 something people. And these women do it everyday for 3 meals! I thought I was drained after cooking one meal, I can't imagine how these women feel at the end of the week!

I was a sous-chef, so I ended up mostly just chopping onions and stirring rue - I STIRRED THAT RUE FOR 2 HOURS! But it was still really fun! The cooks were so excited and interested to see what we were doing. The rue was especially confusing, its basically fried flour, something they clearly hadn't seen before because they were looking at us like we were two insane Americans who had know idea what we were doing. They thought maybe we were confused about how to fry poultry.

But when they saw, smelled, and tasted the final product they knew we weren't crazy! It was so much fun to work in the kitchen, and now I know how to make Gumbo! It was so delcious. Handsdown the best meal I've had in a long time.

2 - Counterparts!

It was so cool to share experience with the Malagasy counterparts. One night, we were all singing along to different people jamming on the guitar. Although most of the songs were in Malagasy it was really fun to be a part of that experience.

My favorite part about having the Malgasy counterparts there was when we talked about the different values each culture has.

Deciding what American values were was difficult in its own way, but we decided that the most important value for them to know was that Americans, typically, value individualism and independence. Which is why it was hard for 29 Americans to agree on what the core American values were. We all have our own and thats important to us. And it ended up being much different than the Malgasy value of family and kinship. They stick to their family like glue, and we are half way around the world from our family right now.

We also learned more about the importance of saying hello and visiting friends to show we care about them and don't feel like we are too cool to say hello. It was an important lesson on culture and helped me understand my Malgasy community a little bit more, and hopefully helped my Malgasy counterpart understand all the weird things I do a little bit more.

3 - Permagardening.

We had a training on Permagardening, a type of gardening that although is a lot of work at first, helps create a sustainable and easily maintainable garden. You create berms and holes to slow down and direct water into the plant beds and "double dig" to make sure soil is soft enough for the roots to really be able to grab hold.

The double digging technique also allows more plants to be grown in a small space and can be a really beneficial gardening tactic for a large family so that they can feed the whole family a more nutritious and vegetable filled diet. And even have a little bit more money for meat!

It was a really interesting training and its something worth thinking about doing, at my site and even back in America. And it was fun to get out of the training center rooms and get out of seats and out into the community to do some work.

If you're thinking about creating a garden I would encourage you to look it up. Its worth a peek.