This was on Friday, Jan. 29, the day before the high school staff's New Year party. These teachers were washing the chickens after they had been plucked and cleaned of their insides (which were quickly thrown into a pan over the fire, cooked and eaten while the rest of the chickens were being cleaned-yum, I know). Hi, all! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. As some of you know, I have Internet access at my site, but it is VERY SLOW and quite expensive compared to Internet in the bigger cities. I've also been very busy the last few weeks with school, New Years' parties (I had two on January 30, only 29 days after the actual new year), and helping my new site partner, Vickie, get settled. She arrived at the end of January and is a Small Enterprise Development (SED) volunteer. She will be working with the local radio station as well as several womens' groups in the countryside near our town. Most of the women have several children and no husband (most because he left her for someone else or a better job). Vickie will be helping them learn some basic business and money-management ideas and hopefully encouraging them to come up with other supplementary income ideas. Right now, one of the main groups she is getting to know weave baskets and mats to sell at the local market.
Currently, I am in Moramanga, waiting to go to my old site Anosibe An'Ala. I'm so excited to see my old friends and town! The members of the community center there have planned a party for me and my friend Megan on Saturday afternoon/evening. I'm sure it will be quite an event and last a long time:)
I'll try to write more later, maybe Sunday when I'm passing back through here. Thank you for all of the letters, packages, messages, thoughts and prayers! If any of you have any idea how to get 75 high school students to speak English, I'm all ears! I'm running out of ideas to motivate my large high school classes. It's exhausting.
Love you all!
~Kinsey
