Hi All! Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. After a while, I didn’t know where to start because so much has happened since I’ve written. Here’s a short summary:
July 13: left Mahanoro to go to Tana
July 14-16: went to PC training center for Training of Trainers in order to help train the new volunteers.
July 20-August 8: taught English at the University of Diego
August 9-21: vacation on Tsirabiana River to Tsingy de Bemaraha to Morondava
August 23-September 10: trained the new volunteers near PC training center
September 12-20: helped translate for Operation Smile in Tana
September 21-27: back to my site for a few days
September 29-October 1: COS (Close of Service) Conference
October 3-5: taxi broussed from Tana to Diego
October 6-present: teach English at the university
I know—do I ever stay put? But it’s normal for Education PCVs to do other things during the Grandes Vacances (like our summer vacation) because we aren’t teaching and there are so few students at our sites. Anyway, for now I’ll just share some interesting things that have happened while I’ve been teaching English at the University of Diego (located at the very northern part of the island).
Between my two stints at the university, I had my students read two articles to find new vocabulary words and practice summarizing. One student read an article called “Child Brain Development” and asked this question after reading: “What kind of food should a woman eat during pregnancy to get a very clever baby?”
During a discussion about advertising, media restrictions, and Photoshopping images, one of my students asked me if Arnold Schwarzenegger has had plastic surgery. That same day, another student asked me if Chuck Norris is still alive. And then he said, “I think he supported John McCain during the election.” When I described what billboards are, someone asked if it was true that we have billboards that are like large televisions with continually changing images. How do they know these things? In another class, students asked me about Big Foot and if Michael Jackson was really dead. (He refused to believe that he has died because evidently no one saw the body in the casket at the funeral.)
Their curiosity and knowledge about American culture, and what they know, often catches me off guard and makes me laugh. When we were talking about cultural differences, one student said they do not have honeymoons here in Madagascar like we do in America. Also, when young boys are circumcised here, there is a large celebration with many family members and friends. This was true even for the Comorian student in my class. And the age of the boy is much older than I ever expected: in Madagascar, sometimes a boy is four or maybe even seven; in the Comoros, he may be twelve years old.
All the students agreed that it was impolite and unacceptable for them to walk up to a person and begin talking without first greeting them and asking how they were. (I love this part of Malagasy culture.) They were very annoyed when I explained that I could walk up to someone in the U.S. and say, “Excuse me. Can you please tell me how to get to Main Street?” without first greeting the person. Here it’s just automatic, and more importantly, it’s a sign of respect. America also received poor marks for public display of affection and what we show and say on TV. I guess we can all learn a little from each other.
I want to take all of my students home with me and witness their reactions to things in the U.S. I mentioned having children in the future and several of them were surprised: “You want to have children?” They probably think I’m too old already. Good grief. Then they asked if I wanted ten and were even more shocked when I said five. They think this is still a lot. (I really have no idea; it’s seems like forever away for me.) So I told them that maybe I’ll have three children and then adopt two from Madagascar. Immediately two girls raised their hands and said, “Me!” I wish. I’d take them all if I could. This university has a great program, and I’m so thankful I got to come be a part of it for a while.
Recently I told them about several superstitions we have in America and asked if they had any in Madagascar. I heard many interesting stories. Several times after a student shared his superstition, the other students rolled their eyes and said he was crazy. Therefore, the following may depend on the Malagasy person, just as our superstitions depend on the person in the U.S.
If you take a baby outside at night, you must bring along some sort of light or knife to keep the devil from harming the child.
If you have bees living in your house, it brings good luck. (Guess you can’t be allergic to bees then…)
A black cat is not necessarily bad luck, just seen as unusual. Three-colored cats, however, are good luck.
If you whistle after dark, the ghosts will come to your house.
If you dream that your friend died, your friend will have a long life.
If a rich man’s chair falls over when he tries to sit down, he will become poor.
And dad, I saved the best for last:
If you dream of fishing, you will get a lot of money in the future.
Apparently we share the following superstitions, so maybe they are really true…crazy things happen when there’s a full moon; if you make a wish on a shooting star, it will come true; and opening an umbrella inside is bad luck.
In order to get my first year students to speak, I gave them all a pair of confusing words to define and explain to the class. One boy, who received whine and wine, said that whine is a complaint that something is not fair or too difficult, especially for a baby or a girl. Let’s just say the girls did not agree with him!
I only have one week left at the university; next Saturday I will head back to my site and teach English at the middle and high schools for one more year. Let’s hope the trip back to Tana is better than the one I made from Tana to Diego at the beginning of the month: seven cars in three days because due to PC rules, I can’t take a taxi brousse that travels overnight. C’est la vie. Hopefully, I’ll post another entry next week before I cram myself into a taxi brousse with five adults and two children per row, chickens occasionally squawking below our feet. I miss you all.
~Kinsey
P.S.—This is something funny a former PCV thought up: “Some people see the glass half empty; some people see the glass half full. A Peace Corps Volunteer sees the glass and says, ‘I can take a bath in that.’”
Friday, October 22, 2010
Efa Ela Be
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Update on Kinsey
It has been a while since I posted an update on Kinsey. She finished up teaching this school year at her town (Mahanoro). After she finished correcting around 300 exams, she headed to Tana the capital.
After a week of training with the other education volunteers, she and Dorothy head to the northern town of Diego to teach at the university. She is teaching the first and second year students and said the second year students are more talkative and not at shy as the first year. She was there til Aug.8th when her and Dorothy flew back to Tana where they met up with 5 of their friends to go on vacation. Yes I said vacation. She seems to have a lot of them. The group traveled to Morondava, which is on the west side of Madagascar, where they went on a 2.5 day float down the river in guided canoes, and camped along the river. Didn't see and crocodiles. Not sure if that is good or bad....
They camped in Tsingy forest/rock forest (limestone), saw caves with jagged rocks, crossed a rope bridge, saw lots of birds, lemurs and the famous Baobab trees (no leaves on the tree, round balls of fruit that are not edible). What an adventure!!!
On Saturday they headed back to Tana. Monday they will go to Mantasoa to help train the new volunteers for 2 1/2 to 3 weeks and then back to Diego to teach more at the university for about a month. The end of Oct. she will return to Tana for a conference then head back to her site in Mahanoro where she will teach another school year. She has decided to extend another 6 months to teach another school year. So instead of coming home in January, she'll return in July. She is doing good! till the next update......Becky (Mom)
After a week of training with the other education volunteers, she and Dorothy head to the northern town of Diego to teach at the university. She is teaching the first and second year students and said the second year students are more talkative and not at shy as the first year. She was there til Aug.8th when her and Dorothy flew back to Tana where they met up with 5 of their friends to go on vacation. Yes I said vacation. She seems to have a lot of them. The group traveled to Morondava, which is on the west side of Madagascar, where they went on a 2.5 day float down the river in guided canoes, and camped along the river. Didn't see and crocodiles. Not sure if that is good or bad....
They camped in Tsingy forest/rock forest (limestone), saw caves with jagged rocks, crossed a rope bridge, saw lots of birds, lemurs and the famous Baobab trees (no leaves on the tree, round balls of fruit that are not edible). What an adventure!!!
On Saturday they headed back to Tana. Monday they will go to Mantasoa to help train the new volunteers for 2 1/2 to 3 weeks and then back to Diego to teach more at the university for about a month. The end of Oct. she will return to Tana for a conference then head back to her site in Mahanoro where she will teach another school year. She has decided to extend another 6 months to teach another school year. So instead of coming home in January, she'll return in July. She is doing good! till the next update......Becky (Mom)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Letter from Kinsey
Received a letter from Kinsey the other day that I wanted to share. Tried to scan it so it would be in her writing, but won't scan so you could read. So here it is.
Dad & Mom Thurs. may 27,2010
I'm praying you have a great Memorial Weekend. I don't have any plans of today, but I.m sure something will come along. I won't have Monday off, but I'm not complaining. We've had enough days off lately. I'm sure when I'm back home, I'll be wishing for a Malagasy "Bridge Holiday". The grass is always greener...
On Monday the twin high school girls who are fairly good at English came over and we made lunch. It turned into an all-day affair. We all took naps after lunch.(I love this Malagasy custom, Do you think I can bring back nap time in my future HS Classroom? Then we made papaya salad-so good! You saute onions, with curry,salt & pepper then add shredded papaya. Cook til soft. After you remove form heat you add a few tablespoons of vinegar. Sounds kind of weird, but trust me Delicious. Then we changed (the dress I was wearing evidently too closely resembled the kind pregnant women wear so I was forced to put on shorts) and we walked to the beach.
There was a small stage, some decorations and women with stands of fried food. Looked just like a carnival at home. I even smelled hot dogs, which I obviously imagined.(I'm not even overly fond of hot dogs but the atmosphere was right & I haven't had one in a long time) There was karaoke & then a presidential candidate showed up. They had a raffle & gave away prizes(all more practical than we're used to: big bars of soap they use to wash laundry,shovels, hugh bundles of second-hand clothes.) There was supposed to be a dance contest but if it happened, it was after I left. And this is what happens the day after Pentecost. One friend asked what we traditionally do in America for Pentecost Monday. Um, work? Most people probably don't even realize it's Pentecost. I know I complain about how many random days we have off but honestly, Malagasy people so know how to enjoy life. They're happy with so little, often singing and dancing. Ready to have a party for the smallest reason. It's a gift. Somehow we forgot about that in America.
"No Yelling!" I should make this my new motto, too. I know it's hard for you to imagine daddy, but I speak quite loud in my classes and lately have taken to raising my voice when they're impolite and don't do their exercises.
Thurs. June 3
Where does the time go? On June 12th it will be 2 yrs. since I first arrived in Madagascar. And Grandpa's 80th birthday :)
In my CARE class(the adult workers of an American NGO), we were talking about a famous Malagasy singer who will perform in our town this weekend. One of the women said, "Kinsey you are famous in Mahanoro" Ha! I don't know about famous, but certainly known by all people in town, and they expect me to know/ remember everyone's names. Yeah, right. I am one and they are many. I like to give my students nicknames, mainly the boys since they're so outspoken. I have Mr. Tsiky(Mr. Smiley because he talks all the time and smiles so big everytime I look at him to be quiet) I have Mr. Yes and a Mr. No. No matter what question I ask, those are their responses respectively, (me, " Do you have any questions? "Mr. Yes: "Yes".
Me: "What is your question?" "Mr. Yes: No question.") I alternate who I call Mr. Crazy because they think it's hilarious when I use that word. The gasy word for crazy isn't as flexible as ours, which is probably why they think it's so funny. Today my students in my first class started calling a boy Mr, Papaya. I didn't get it for a long time but finally figured our the "paza maska"(ripe papaya) is slangfor "cocky". I had told the same boy a few weeks ago not to be cocky because he often shows off. At least they listen to me and remember what I say sometimes.
Fri. June 4th
I reas a book recently that said,"Everything you're sure is right can be wrong in another place."
You definitely learn that in PC. In Malagasy the word "very" means lost but in English it's a lot or really. Sometimes it's not a problem of saying the wrong word but pronouncing a word incorrectly - put the stress on the wrong part of a word and the person will look at you like you're crazy. 'Lanana' is road but lal'ana is a law. The book I reas was called "Poisonwood Bible" One of my favorite word examples in the book was how in the Congo, the words for "Father in Heaven" could mean,"Father of fish bait" depending on a tiny change in the way you say it. It was a good book -thought provoking. Mainly about a pastor who takes his family to Africa as a missionary. His first mistake is that he arrives and wants to baptize all the village children in the river. Even though everyone repeatedly tells him "no" he is set on it. Only later, after he's turned most of the people off from him and consequently God, does he find out that a child was eaten by a crocodile recently. They were simply afraid and grew to think he wanted to feed them to the crocodiles. And his second mistake was not slowing down enough to really learn the culture and the language. His favorite saying was "Jesus is bangala!" Unfortunately, bangala can mean 'most precious', 'most insufferable' and 'poisonwood'. I can't help but wonder if sometimes we get in the way of God. We try to tell people about him with words but sometimes there are no words or we use the wrong ones. Perhaps if the man would have lived alongside the people, talked with them but not at them, learned about their ways, they would have felt Jesus love for them. Actions speak louder than words.
Deep stuff, I know. I have lots of time on my hands! I love you all! Thank you for all the support :) I think of you often and pray for you too. I hope you can feel the love even across the oceans! Love Kinsey Jo Happy 4th of July!!!
Dad & Mom Thurs. may 27,2010
I'm praying you have a great Memorial Weekend. I don't have any plans of today, but I.m sure something will come along. I won't have Monday off, but I'm not complaining. We've had enough days off lately. I'm sure when I'm back home, I'll be wishing for a Malagasy "Bridge Holiday". The grass is always greener...
On Monday the twin high school girls who are fairly good at English came over and we made lunch. It turned into an all-day affair. We all took naps after lunch.(I love this Malagasy custom, Do you think I can bring back nap time in my future HS Classroom? Then we made papaya salad-so good! You saute onions, with curry,salt & pepper then add shredded papaya. Cook til soft. After you remove form heat you add a few tablespoons of vinegar. Sounds kind of weird, but trust me Delicious. Then we changed (the dress I was wearing evidently too closely resembled the kind pregnant women wear so I was forced to put on shorts) and we walked to the beach.
There was a small stage, some decorations and women with stands of fried food. Looked just like a carnival at home. I even smelled hot dogs, which I obviously imagined.(I'm not even overly fond of hot dogs but the atmosphere was right & I haven't had one in a long time) There was karaoke & then a presidential candidate showed up. They had a raffle & gave away prizes(all more practical than we're used to: big bars of soap they use to wash laundry,shovels, hugh bundles of second-hand clothes.) There was supposed to be a dance contest but if it happened, it was after I left. And this is what happens the day after Pentecost. One friend asked what we traditionally do in America for Pentecost Monday. Um, work? Most people probably don't even realize it's Pentecost. I know I complain about how many random days we have off but honestly, Malagasy people so know how to enjoy life. They're happy with so little, often singing and dancing. Ready to have a party for the smallest reason. It's a gift. Somehow we forgot about that in America.
"No Yelling!" I should make this my new motto, too. I know it's hard for you to imagine daddy, but I speak quite loud in my classes and lately have taken to raising my voice when they're impolite and don't do their exercises.
Thurs. June 3
Where does the time go? On June 12th it will be 2 yrs. since I first arrived in Madagascar. And Grandpa's 80th birthday :)
In my CARE class(the adult workers of an American NGO), we were talking about a famous Malagasy singer who will perform in our town this weekend. One of the women said, "Kinsey you are famous in Mahanoro" Ha! I don't know about famous, but certainly known by all people in town, and they expect me to know/ remember everyone's names. Yeah, right. I am one and they are many. I like to give my students nicknames, mainly the boys since they're so outspoken. I have Mr. Tsiky(Mr. Smiley because he talks all the time and smiles so big everytime I look at him to be quiet) I have Mr. Yes and a Mr. No. No matter what question I ask, those are their responses respectively, (me, " Do you have any questions? "Mr. Yes: "Yes".
Me: "What is your question?" "Mr. Yes: No question.") I alternate who I call Mr. Crazy because they think it's hilarious when I use that word. The gasy word for crazy isn't as flexible as ours, which is probably why they think it's so funny. Today my students in my first class started calling a boy Mr, Papaya. I didn't get it for a long time but finally figured our the "paza maska"(ripe papaya) is slangfor "cocky". I had told the same boy a few weeks ago not to be cocky because he often shows off. At least they listen to me and remember what I say sometimes.
Fri. June 4th
I reas a book recently that said,"Everything you're sure is right can be wrong in another place."
You definitely learn that in PC. In Malagasy the word "very" means lost but in English it's a lot or really. Sometimes it's not a problem of saying the wrong word but pronouncing a word incorrectly - put the stress on the wrong part of a word and the person will look at you like you're crazy. 'Lanana' is road but lal'ana is a law. The book I reas was called "Poisonwood Bible" One of my favorite word examples in the book was how in the Congo, the words for "Father in Heaven" could mean,"Father of fish bait" depending on a tiny change in the way you say it. It was a good book -thought provoking. Mainly about a pastor who takes his family to Africa as a missionary. His first mistake is that he arrives and wants to baptize all the village children in the river. Even though everyone repeatedly tells him "no" he is set on it. Only later, after he's turned most of the people off from him and consequently God, does he find out that a child was eaten by a crocodile recently. They were simply afraid and grew to think he wanted to feed them to the crocodiles. And his second mistake was not slowing down enough to really learn the culture and the language. His favorite saying was "Jesus is bangala!" Unfortunately, bangala can mean 'most precious', 'most insufferable' and 'poisonwood'. I can't help but wonder if sometimes we get in the way of God. We try to tell people about him with words but sometimes there are no words or we use the wrong ones. Perhaps if the man would have lived alongside the people, talked with them but not at them, learned about their ways, they would have felt Jesus love for them. Actions speak louder than words.
Deep stuff, I know. I have lots of time on my hands! I love you all! Thank you for all the support :) I think of you often and pray for you too. I hope you can feel the love even across the oceans! Love Kinsey Jo Happy 4th of July!!!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Update from Mom
Talked to Kinsey today. She is doing good and staying busy. Couple of weeks ago her friend Megan came to her site. Megan, Kinsey and a new french girl who teachs french at the school went on a bike ride to check out a small village on the main road that is between Kinsey and Megan's site. It was 15 km (9miles one way). After riding 3 miles the french girl asked how much further? When the arrived at village Kinsey and Megan walked around to check it out, the other girl laid down and took a nap.
Kinsey plays basketball quite a bit with her students. She doen't give them and breaks. She is still as competitive as she was in high school.
This afternoon she and a friend were going to karaoke, then this evening they were going to a big concert. Was suppose to have barbeque with some friends because they asked her things she does on Memorial Day and she said barbeque. So they want to have one now, had to change to next week due to a conflict.
Kinsey wanted to let everyone to know not to send her anything (letters,packages) to her address after mid June. School is out July 17th. Then she goes for some training of trainers(so they can train in coming educational voluteers.) Then the end of July she packs up all her stuff to move. She will then go to training center in Tana(capital) to train the new arrivials. Thne on for a vacation(which she seems to do quite often) :). Then the first of September she will go to Diego(most northern town) to teach English at the Univeresity, for the last four months of her service.
Her address there will be: Kinsey Wethers,PVC
6 Rue Commandant Marchand
Place Kabary,
Antsiranana 201,
Madagascar.
So she will be busy the next few months. Another new adventure. WOW!
Becky(Mom)
Kinsey plays basketball quite a bit with her students. She doen't give them and breaks. She is still as competitive as she was in high school.
This afternoon she and a friend were going to karaoke, then this evening they were going to a big concert. Was suppose to have barbeque with some friends because they asked her things she does on Memorial Day and she said barbeque. So they want to have one now, had to change to next week due to a conflict.
Kinsey wanted to let everyone to know not to send her anything (letters,packages) to her address after mid June. School is out July 17th. Then she goes for some training of trainers(so they can train in coming educational voluteers.) Then the end of July she packs up all her stuff to move. She will then go to training center in Tana(capital) to train the new arrivials. Thne on for a vacation(which she seems to do quite often) :). Then the first of September she will go to Diego(most northern town) to teach English at the Univeresity, for the last four months of her service.
Her address there will be: Kinsey Wethers,PVC
6 Rue Commandant Marchand
Place Kabary,
Antsiranana 201,
Madagascar.
So she will be busy the next few months. Another new adventure. WOW!
Becky(Mom)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Update from Mom
Talked to Kinsey last week. She is going good. She went to do some training a few weeks ago. She meet up with the other Educational Volunteers and Peace Corp staff. She also went on a vacation to a National Park with some of her friends.
The taxi brusse ride is always adventure, she said they decide which one to take by how many bags, chickens, bicycles etc. they have on the roof of it. If they don't have anything up there then they don't go with them not a good one. They always have extra 5 gal jug of gasoline in front, doesn't make her feel to comfortable since she is always towards the front.
Got her from her vacation, her roof had leaked. While she was gone one of her friends was watching the house and there was 1-2" of waster on ground in house, they got that out of there, but she has mold on her desk and her clean clothes on her shelves that she had to rewash.
She is back at her site now. Busy teaching til 6PM, but it starts getting dark there around 5:30pm so it is hard to teach on the blackboard, that is hard to see. She tries to do oral lessons then. Some of the students complained they could see and she said you don't need to see to speak. She will be teaching until June 21st then exams. 1st week of July for grades and review. July 16th "Grand Vacation" field trip to National Park Andasible close to Moranga(old banking town).
Some of her malagasy friends invited her for dinner the other night. They had eel. Said it tasted like fish. Texture was different. She wasn't going to go but she heard her dad tell her "Kinsey you should try it".
A week ago we tried for 5 days to call her and the operator kept saying it was invalid #. Finally we got through. I try and text her and she never gets my texts only her sisters. She can text us fine. Guess that international calling for you.
She has done load pictures on her facebook, I will try to put some on here for the ones with out facebook. For some resaon when she tries to down load pictures to her blog it won't work.
It is great to talk to her and hear her laugh!!!
The taxi brusse ride is always adventure, she said they decide which one to take by how many bags, chickens, bicycles etc. they have on the roof of it. If they don't have anything up there then they don't go with them not a good one. They always have extra 5 gal jug of gasoline in front, doesn't make her feel to comfortable since she is always towards the front.
Got her from her vacation, her roof had leaked. While she was gone one of her friends was watching the house and there was 1-2" of waster on ground in house, they got that out of there, but she has mold on her desk and her clean clothes on her shelves that she had to rewash.
She is back at her site now. Busy teaching til 6PM, but it starts getting dark there around 5:30pm so it is hard to teach on the blackboard, that is hard to see. She tries to do oral lessons then. Some of the students complained they could see and she said you don't need to see to speak. She will be teaching until June 21st then exams. 1st week of July for grades and review. July 16th "Grand Vacation" field trip to National Park Andasible close to Moranga(old banking town).
Some of her malagasy friends invited her for dinner the other night. They had eel. Said it tasted like fish. Texture was different. She wasn't going to go but she heard her dad tell her "Kinsey you should try it".
A week ago we tried for 5 days to call her and the operator kept saying it was invalid #. Finally we got through. I try and text her and she never gets my texts only her sisters. She can text us fine. Guess that international calling for you.
She has done load pictures on her facebook, I will try to put some on here for the ones with out facebook. For some resaon when she tries to down load pictures to her blog it won't work.
It is great to talk to her and hear her laugh!!!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Two Weeks Notice
Dear Mr. Rat,
I hope you ate well last night, so well that you are well nourished and strong enough to find a new home. This may come asa shock to you, but I am not enjoying your company in my kitchen. I’ll admit, I may have given you the wrong message by leaving a whole pineapple uncovered so you could nibble a hole in the side of it. And it wasn’t very smart of me to leave the fridge door propped open with a half eaten chocolate bar and a bag of uncooked rice inside. My bad. I can understand how you would have seen those as welcoming gifts. Still, if you thought I was politely offering these things with you, there was no reason to jump out of the fridge or the shower at me. I can deal with flying cockroaches; however, your kind scare me by simply scurrying near my feet let alone when airborne.
Please consider this your two week notice. Even if you did stop chewing away at my candles, stealing my dish washing sponges and leaving behind dropping, I would still not welcome you with open arms. Especially if you’re bringing along company in the form of Plague carrying fleas. In this case, more is not merrier.
Thank you ever so kindly,
Kinsey
P.S.- Could you please tell your cousin, Miss Mouse in My House, that I would appreciate if she stopped leaving droppings on my clean clothes and startling me by leaping out of my packages from the U.S. She is welcome to stay as long as the only evidence of her presence is the occasional glimpse I catch of her dashing across my floor in the late evening. Remind her that this is a fair request since I saved her from drowning in my water pail. Also, I did not go after her with my broom and insect spray like I did to the giant spider who was hanging out on the window way too close to my bed. I appreciate your cooperation.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CALLING OVERSEAS
1. There is almost always a delay and it takes getting use to. Say a few sentences and then wait for them to be delivered to me. Ten wit a little more for me to respond and for my words to travel across the ocean to you.
2. Sometimes the connection is garbled and it sounds like we’re talking under water. First, try standing still with your left arm raised in the air. If that doesn’t work, try standing outside on the porch. And finally, you can try hanging up and calling back again. You might get a better connection.
3. More often than not we experience periods of silence, several seconds nearing half a minute (not to be confused with the ever-present delay). Be patient. Don’t hang up right away. The connection usually comes back (especially if both parties hold up their left arms).
4. It is the exact opposite of uncommon for the call to completely cut out after several minutes of conversation. Just call back. And don’t get frustrated if it happens three or four times. We may just have to try again tomorrow.
5. Do not be concerned if you dial my number and are told that the number is “invalid”. That person, whoever she is, is lying or at least momentarily confused. Hang up and try again, or again and again.
6. Remember there is a time difference. Madagascar is seven hours ahead of Michigan time (as of the Spring Forward). I go to bed around 9 or 9:30 almost every night (and not because I’m a grandma like one friend accused, but because I wake up between 5:15 and 6:30 every morning). You can also text me which is cheaper for you and makes me just as happy.
7. My family uses Pingo, one friend has a calling card and I’ve heard Skype works, too.
8. Remember, technology is flawed. Don’t get mad, just laugh. Even if the connection is fuzzy, the happiness in your laughter still comes through loud and clear (It’s hard not to laugh with your left arm up in the air).
2. Sometimes the connection is garbled and it sounds like we’re talking under water. First, try standing still with your left arm raised in the air. If that doesn’t work, try standing outside on the porch. And finally, you can try hanging up and calling back again. You might get a better connection.
3. More often than not we experience periods of silence, several seconds nearing half a minute (not to be confused with the ever-present delay). Be patient. Don’t hang up right away. The connection usually comes back (especially if both parties hold up their left arms).
4. It is the exact opposite of uncommon for the call to completely cut out after several minutes of conversation. Just call back. And don’t get frustrated if it happens three or four times. We may just have to try again tomorrow.
5. Do not be concerned if you dial my number and are told that the number is “invalid”. That person, whoever she is, is lying or at least momentarily confused. Hang up and try again, or again and again.
6. Remember there is a time difference. Madagascar is seven hours ahead of Michigan time (as of the Spring Forward). I go to bed around 9 or 9:30 almost every night (and not because I’m a grandma like one friend accused, but because I wake up between 5:15 and 6:30 every morning). You can also text me which is cheaper for you and makes me just as happy.
7. My family uses Pingo, one friend has a calling card and I’ve heard Skype works, too.
8. Remember, technology is flawed. Don’t get mad, just laugh. Even if the connection is fuzzy, the happiness in your laughter still comes through loud and clear (It’s hard not to laugh with your left arm up in the air).
Friday, February 12, 2010
quick update...
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
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sary = Picture
A building in Tana, the capital.
This was taken during our Re-Instatement Workshop. The Education PCVs were finally able to do some fun cross-sectoral activities. Here we were learning how to double-dig a garden and then mix in manure. * * * * * * *
I'm back in Tana for a day after visiting the new trainees at the training center in Mantasoa. The 36 trainees were transfered here from Niger, but all seem in good spirits despite all they've been through. They will be installed at their sites at the end of January, and one SED (Small Enterprise Development) volunteer will be my site partner:) One of the new trainees is also from Holland, MI, so we talked about Hope College, Russ' and the Tulip Festival!
Tomorrow I'm headed back towards my site and will spend New Year's Eve in Vatomandry at my friend Megan's site. I'll start teaching my classes again on the 5th of January.
For Christmas, I was in Ambatodrazaka with Megan, Chris and Katie. On Christmas day we had sandwiches on baguettes with La Vache (a spreadable cheese) and carrot/cucumber salad since everything was closed in the afternoon. Not exactly what you imagine for Christmas lunch but tastey anyway. Thankfully there was a Chinese restaurant open for dinner that evening.
We also had the chance to visit a dance club in Ambato where it was not unusual at all for people to dance in front of mirrors by themselves. In fact, that seemed to be why they were placed on the wall: so people could watch themselves dance. Awkward. I don't want to watch myself dance; I know it doesn't look that great!
Today Megan and I spent a lot of time getting lost and trying to find our way around Tana. It was funny at first and sort of annoying towards the end; however, we were able to use our Malagasy in order to ask people for directions. That was satisfying. Somewhere in the middle of our journey Megan ended up asking a drunk man who was on his way to get his brother's death certificate and the man's wife for directions. We think they were just coming from the funeral and that the man was most likely drunk. Oops. It says a lot that he stopped to help us anway. Most Malagasy people will stop to help you if you speak to them in their language.
The main problem towards the end of our journey was that the people we were asking how to find the American Cultural Center were often confusing it with the French Cultural Center. So, we would walk in one direction for several blocks and then ask another person for directions only to be told to go back in the direction we came from. Ha ha. This happened several times before we found a Malagasy man, who had a hard time speaking Malagasy to us instead of French, but who let us ride in a taxi with him and paid for us. When we finally got to our destination, it was closed. So of course we had to walk back to where we came from to go find lunch somewhere else.
That's all for now. Sorry I couldn't post a lot of pictures. The Internet is extremely slow today and I'm getting frustrated since I've only successfully posted two pictures in 1 hr 18 minutes 58 seconds. The last few I've tried to post came up with an error message. More next time. Miss you all!
That's all for now. Sorry I couldn't post a lot of pictures. The Internet is extremely slow today and I'm getting frustrated since I've only successfully posted two pictures in 1 hr 18 minutes 58 seconds. The last few I've tried to post came up with an error message. More next time. Miss you all!
~Kinsey
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tratra Ny Krismasy!
Sunday, December 20, 2009:
As I write this, I’m at my new site Mahanoro. It’s much bigger than my old town, but I’m slowly adjusting. It’s hard not to compare everything to Anosibe An’Ala. Most of the local people do not understand why I’m not thrilled to be here. I’ll admit, I love that I can hear the ocean waves from my house, that the ocean is probably not even a city block away, that there is an abundance of shrimp for me to eat. But I miss my friends in AAA. I miss knowing people and people recognizing me. I guess it comes down to the fact that I don’t exactly like change…oh well.
My house is located within the compound of the middle school (C.E.G.). When school is in session, I must walk through the middle of all of the classrooms and the crowds of students in their light blue uniform blouses. Yikes! I’m getting good at walking past the stares--shoulders straight, eyes focused ahead or hidden behind my sunglasses. It doesn’t seem to matter what I do. If they greet me in English and I respond in English, they giggle because I talked to them. If they speak to me in Malagasy and I respond in Malagasy, they laugh because I can speak their language. The American tax dollars are spent sending entertainment to developing countries in the form of Peace Corps Volunteers.
Maybe now is a good time to mention that all thoughts written here are solely mine and they do not represent the ideas of the United States government or Peace Corps. Most of the time I’m just trying to make sense of what’s going on around me, laugh off the awkward moments, make light of a difficult situation. I’m sorry if I offend anyone. I do like Mahanoro and being a PCV.
Back to what I was saying. Living at the middle school is often annoying because there are always students trying to get a glance of what I’m doing, but my house is nice. Many volunteers would label it as Posh Corps. Yes, I have a toilet, but I must flush it with a bucket of water. The same bucket sits under my bathroom sink, which leaks even though the electrician/plumber has tried to fix it twice. And yes, I have a shower (our in my kitchen). Only cold water, but I’ve found no use for hot water except for cooking. It’s in the high 80s most days. And yes, I have electricity, most of the time. It worked all the time when I first arrived. Then they began shutting off the power to half the town one night, half the next to save money. At the beginning of this week it seemed to work only a few hours during the day, and now it’s still on at almost 8 p.m. Don’t ever try to gamble in Madagascar. Things that are consistent are bound to change soon. Even the water doesn’t work sometimes and then I must fetch it from across the main road. No problem. Fetching water is free exercise.
I’m teaching two sections of 2nde (10th grade) at the Lycee (high school) and two sections of 6eme (6th grade) at the C.E.G. (middle school). My 2nde classes have about 75 students in each section. They have English class twice a week for two hours each time. My 6eme classes have about 50 students in each section, and they also study twice a week but once for an hour and then for two. Since the school year began in October, I didn’t give exams at the end of this term. I did warn my high school students that we’d have an oral exam after Christmas vacation. They’re not too thrilled even though I told them what I’d ask them, questions like, “What is your name?” and “How many brothers and sister do you have?” Speaking is the hardest part for them. And it will be hard to get them to all practice speaking when I have so many students in one class. My middle school students are excited to do learn anything. They eagerly count as high as they can in English when I write numbers on the board. It’s refreshing.
I have more cock roaches here, but they seem to come out mainly at night when I’m safely tucked into my mosquito net. They don’t really bother me since they don’t bite; however, they are really dirty. They leave little dropping throughout the night, reminders the next morning that they’ve been looking for my fruit or crumbs I’ve dropped. I’d rather have cock roaches than spiders any day. Cock roaches are too loud for their own good, so you can always hear them coming. Spiders can hide anywhere. Yuck.
Yesterday (Saturday, Dec. 19), I finally found a basketball to buy and played at the court near my house. I love playing basketball in this country. Most of the time the boys are too afraid to get too close. Ha ha. And they never think I’m going to be any good at first. I love to prove them wrong. I haven’t seen any girls play here yet. Maybe I’ll encourage them. Some funny translations…when you swish the ball, they say, ‘Tsy taolana” which literally means “No bones”. And when the ball rolls around the rim before going in they say, “Manasa lovia” which means “to wash the plate”.
What else? I bought meat at the market for the first time this past week…well, I bought it meaning I handed the man the money and I made my PCV friend Megan carry it. It just grosses me out here. Flies everywhere. And the smell of meat is so strong with the cows tail draped over one end of the table, its intestines on the other end and its legs in the wheel barrow in next to the table. Doesn’t exactly make me hungry. I guess that doesn’t even bother me anymore. What does is that the man who puts your meat in the bag has meat and blood all over his hands, so it gets on the outside of the bag he hands to me. And the butcher I hand my money too gives me my change, which the woman before me paid him by laying on the hind quarter of meat. It just makes me want to Clorox everything and myself.
There is an amazing little yellow store in my town that sells baked goods and cold, homemade yogurt. I love going there on hot afternoons for a cool treat or getting what we think of as banana bread for breakfast. They call our banana bread cake banane. So every now and then I have cake for breakfast (Note: Malagasy banana bread is a peeled and fried banana, gooey on the inside). The fun part about this store is that the front and back wall are full of hardware parts and the right side and wall is a pharmacy. Evidently, they even make real cakes with frosting and everything. Most businesses in Madagascar are multi-faceted.
I went to a hotely (restaurant) in my town the other day to try out their “milk shakes”. Now, this place is special because it actually has menus and you can order whatever you want from the menu. Most hotelys here are like little sheds or hole-in-the-wall places with several side dish choices (everything is served with rice) written on a blackboard. And it’s not uncommon to ask for one of the listed items only to be told they don’t have it or “Misy fa lany” (There is but it’s gone). So I was shocked the first time I went there and was able to have anything I wanted and then shocked again when I read “Milk shakes”. So I returned for lunch and to try a milk shake justifying my outing by the fact that I needed some form of calcium for the day anyway. Unfortunately, it turned out to only be cold chocolate milk. But at least it was something cold on a hot day and at least it was chocolate.
Well, that’s all for now. More stories to follow. I’m happy to be back in Madagascar and looking forward to having something to do after vacation. It’s hard to start any other English classes or projects right before a long vacation. I’ve been reading a lot and wandering aimlessly through town (and I only got lost once).
If you write me a letter, I’ll write back!! Or I have much better cell phone reception at site, so you can call. Thanks for all of the thoughts and support. Until next time…
~Kinsey
As I write this, I’m at my new site Mahanoro. It’s much bigger than my old town, but I’m slowly adjusting. It’s hard not to compare everything to Anosibe An’Ala. Most of the local people do not understand why I’m not thrilled to be here. I’ll admit, I love that I can hear the ocean waves from my house, that the ocean is probably not even a city block away, that there is an abundance of shrimp for me to eat. But I miss my friends in AAA. I miss knowing people and people recognizing me. I guess it comes down to the fact that I don’t exactly like change…oh well.
My house is located within the compound of the middle school (C.E.G.). When school is in session, I must walk through the middle of all of the classrooms and the crowds of students in their light blue uniform blouses. Yikes! I’m getting good at walking past the stares--shoulders straight, eyes focused ahead or hidden behind my sunglasses. It doesn’t seem to matter what I do. If they greet me in English and I respond in English, they giggle because I talked to them. If they speak to me in Malagasy and I respond in Malagasy, they laugh because I can speak their language. The American tax dollars are spent sending entertainment to developing countries in the form of Peace Corps Volunteers.
Maybe now is a good time to mention that all thoughts written here are solely mine and they do not represent the ideas of the United States government or Peace Corps. Most of the time I’m just trying to make sense of what’s going on around me, laugh off the awkward moments, make light of a difficult situation. I’m sorry if I offend anyone. I do like Mahanoro and being a PCV.
Back to what I was saying. Living at the middle school is often annoying because there are always students trying to get a glance of what I’m doing, but my house is nice. Many volunteers would label it as Posh Corps. Yes, I have a toilet, but I must flush it with a bucket of water. The same bucket sits under my bathroom sink, which leaks even though the electrician/plumber has tried to fix it twice. And yes, I have a shower (our in my kitchen). Only cold water, but I’ve found no use for hot water except for cooking. It’s in the high 80s most days. And yes, I have electricity, most of the time. It worked all the time when I first arrived. Then they began shutting off the power to half the town one night, half the next to save money. At the beginning of this week it seemed to work only a few hours during the day, and now it’s still on at almost 8 p.m. Don’t ever try to gamble in Madagascar. Things that are consistent are bound to change soon. Even the water doesn’t work sometimes and then I must fetch it from across the main road. No problem. Fetching water is free exercise.
I’m teaching two sections of 2nde (10th grade) at the Lycee (high school) and two sections of 6eme (6th grade) at the C.E.G. (middle school). My 2nde classes have about 75 students in each section. They have English class twice a week for two hours each time. My 6eme classes have about 50 students in each section, and they also study twice a week but once for an hour and then for two. Since the school year began in October, I didn’t give exams at the end of this term. I did warn my high school students that we’d have an oral exam after Christmas vacation. They’re not too thrilled even though I told them what I’d ask them, questions like, “What is your name?” and “How many brothers and sister do you have?” Speaking is the hardest part for them. And it will be hard to get them to all practice speaking when I have so many students in one class. My middle school students are excited to do learn anything. They eagerly count as high as they can in English when I write numbers on the board. It’s refreshing.
I have more cock roaches here, but they seem to come out mainly at night when I’m safely tucked into my mosquito net. They don’t really bother me since they don’t bite; however, they are really dirty. They leave little dropping throughout the night, reminders the next morning that they’ve been looking for my fruit or crumbs I’ve dropped. I’d rather have cock roaches than spiders any day. Cock roaches are too loud for their own good, so you can always hear them coming. Spiders can hide anywhere. Yuck.
Yesterday (Saturday, Dec. 19), I finally found a basketball to buy and played at the court near my house. I love playing basketball in this country. Most of the time the boys are too afraid to get too close. Ha ha. And they never think I’m going to be any good at first. I love to prove them wrong. I haven’t seen any girls play here yet. Maybe I’ll encourage them. Some funny translations…when you swish the ball, they say, ‘Tsy taolana” which literally means “No bones”. And when the ball rolls around the rim before going in they say, “Manasa lovia” which means “to wash the plate”.
What else? I bought meat at the market for the first time this past week…well, I bought it meaning I handed the man the money and I made my PCV friend Megan carry it. It just grosses me out here. Flies everywhere. And the smell of meat is so strong with the cows tail draped over one end of the table, its intestines on the other end and its legs in the wheel barrow in next to the table. Doesn’t exactly make me hungry. I guess that doesn’t even bother me anymore. What does is that the man who puts your meat in the bag has meat and blood all over his hands, so it gets on the outside of the bag he hands to me. And the butcher I hand my money too gives me my change, which the woman before me paid him by laying on the hind quarter of meat. It just makes me want to Clorox everything and myself.
There is an amazing little yellow store in my town that sells baked goods and cold, homemade yogurt. I love going there on hot afternoons for a cool treat or getting what we think of as banana bread for breakfast. They call our banana bread cake banane. So every now and then I have cake for breakfast (Note: Malagasy banana bread is a peeled and fried banana, gooey on the inside). The fun part about this store is that the front and back wall are full of hardware parts and the right side and wall is a pharmacy. Evidently, they even make real cakes with frosting and everything. Most businesses in Madagascar are multi-faceted.
I went to a hotely (restaurant) in my town the other day to try out their “milk shakes”. Now, this place is special because it actually has menus and you can order whatever you want from the menu. Most hotelys here are like little sheds or hole-in-the-wall places with several side dish choices (everything is served with rice) written on a blackboard. And it’s not uncommon to ask for one of the listed items only to be told they don’t have it or “Misy fa lany” (There is but it’s gone). So I was shocked the first time I went there and was able to have anything I wanted and then shocked again when I read “Milk shakes”. So I returned for lunch and to try a milk shake justifying my outing by the fact that I needed some form of calcium for the day anyway. Unfortunately, it turned out to only be cold chocolate milk. But at least it was something cold on a hot day and at least it was chocolate.
Well, that’s all for now. More stories to follow. I’m happy to be back in Madagascar and looking forward to having something to do after vacation. It’s hard to start any other English classes or projects right before a long vacation. I’ve been reading a lot and wandering aimlessly through town (and I only got lost once).
If you write me a letter, I’ll write back!! Or I have much better cell phone reception at site, so you can call. Thanks for all of the thoughts and support. Until next time…
~Kinsey
“Each affects the other and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.” --Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Monday, December 7, 2009
Update from Madagascar
Talked to Kinsey Sun morning here. (It is an 8 hour difference with daylight savings time.)
She is doing good, looking forward to getting her cooking gas for her stove(10-15 days) in normal delivery time by Taxi brousse. Been eating alots of vegetable sandwiches!
Her home is much busier this time. Only 1 block from Indian Ocean, hears the waves even on calm days. This is cyclone season. Very Hot!! and Humid. Road noise, traffic, chickens & turkeys just outside of 1/2 fenced yard.(Someone may have took the other 1/2 for firewood) that's a BIG problem, they are burning everything in Madagascar for fuel,cooking & heat.
No fishing report yet. Only boats spotted are like dugout canoes, not motors. Ocean isn't good for swimming - Sharks...
Taught the 1st time Thurs. 75 high school students in each of the 2 classes. They were pretty impressed that she spoke in malgasy to them and not english. Tues. she will teach high school then middle school.(wasn't suppose to start middle school til after new year), but the middle school students want to start now, so she will teach them 4 times before break.
It is a much bigger town, more tourist so they are accustom to seeing white people. You know how the locals treat the "fudgies". It takes a little time in all cultures.
Phone reception is good. She would love to hear you!
That's all for now, look for new update in a week.
Becky (Kinsey's Mom)
She is doing good, looking forward to getting her cooking gas for her stove(10-15 days) in normal delivery time by Taxi brousse. Been eating alots of vegetable sandwiches!
Her home is much busier this time. Only 1 block from Indian Ocean, hears the waves even on calm days. This is cyclone season. Very Hot!! and Humid. Road noise, traffic, chickens & turkeys just outside of 1/2 fenced yard.(Someone may have took the other 1/2 for firewood) that's a BIG problem, they are burning everything in Madagascar for fuel,cooking & heat.
No fishing report yet. Only boats spotted are like dugout canoes, not motors. Ocean isn't good for swimming - Sharks...
Taught the 1st time Thurs. 75 high school students in each of the 2 classes. They were pretty impressed that she spoke in malgasy to them and not english. Tues. she will teach high school then middle school.(wasn't suppose to start middle school til after new year), but the middle school students want to start now, so she will teach them 4 times before break.
It is a much bigger town, more tourist so they are accustom to seeing white people. You know how the locals treat the "fudgies". It takes a little time in all cultures.
Phone reception is good. She would love to hear you!
That's all for now, look for new update in a week.
Becky (Kinsey's Mom)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Back in Madagascar
Kinsey arrived in Madagascar on November 17 and after a week of training, Thanksgiving lunch at the Country Director’s house and swearing-in (again) at the US Ambassador’s house, departed for her site on Wednesday, November 25.
Her new site is located on the Indian Ocean, and the town has population of almost 40,000 people with a large number of foreigners. The weather is hot now as they are entering their summer – around 90 degrees during the day and only down to 81 degrees by 9:00 at night!
Megan, another PCV and friend of Kinsey’s, frequently visited the former PCV that lived at Kinsey’s new site, and will stay for a few days to show Kinsey around and help her get acquainted in the new town.
Starting on December 1, she will be teaching at the high school for four hours every Tuesday and Thursday. After the first of the year, she will also be teaching at the middle school two days per week.
If you want to call Kinsey, her phone number is 011 261 32 58 637 26. (I would suggest using the international call card company, PINGO, (check out pingo.com) if you don't have an international calling plan for your phone.)
Kinsey sounds good and is happy to be back in Madagascar. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she learns her way around the new site and makes friends.
Mallery
(Kinsey’s sister)
Her new site is located on the Indian Ocean, and the town has population of almost 40,000 people with a large number of foreigners. The weather is hot now as they are entering their summer – around 90 degrees during the day and only down to 81 degrees by 9:00 at night!
Megan, another PCV and friend of Kinsey’s, frequently visited the former PCV that lived at Kinsey’s new site, and will stay for a few days to show Kinsey around and help her get acquainted in the new town.
Starting on December 1, she will be teaching at the high school for four hours every Tuesday and Thursday. After the first of the year, she will also be teaching at the middle school two days per week.
If you want to call Kinsey, her phone number is 011 261 32 58 637 26. (I would suggest using the international call card company, PINGO, (check out pingo.com) if you don't have an international calling plan for your phone.)
Kinsey sounds good and is happy to be back in Madagascar. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she learns her way around the new site and makes friends.
Mallery
(Kinsey’s sister)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Second Time Around
Tomorrow I will embark on the second act of my Peace Corps Madagascar journey. I will depart home and the yellow dinosaur with dad, mom and Mal in the new (gently used) motorhome dad and mom will vacation in this winter.
I leave Traverse City at 8 am and have a layover in Detroit where I'll meet up with two PCV friends and fly to D.C. We'll meet up with the rest of the 11 returning volunteers and 4 Peace Corps Response Volunteers (they've already served in PC and will help out in Mcar for a shorter time). We fly out of D.C. after 5 pm and will arrive in South Africa 17 hours later...ugh. One night's stay there and then we'll fly to Tana on November 17th.
Although I am sad that I will not be returning to my original site, Anosibe An' Ala, I am looking forward to many new adventures in Mahanoro. The biggest difference between my old and new site will be the toilet and running water that I will have this time. While I am not excited to be classifed as "Posh Corps" because of these luxuries, I know I will be thankful every time I have stomach issues.
Mahanoro is on the East Coast just south of Vatomandry. I will be able to walk to the beach! And have fresh sea food whenever I want:) Feel free to come visit me.
Just like last time, I will be teaching English in the middle school. This time I will also be teaching in the high school. Since I served nine months before we were evacuated, I have about 15 months left of my service.
I'll keep you all updated as much as possible and my sister and mom will update this blog when I call them. Thank you for your support so far. Watch out Madagascar. Here I come!
I leave Traverse City at 8 am and have a layover in Detroit where I'll meet up with two PCV friends and fly to D.C. We'll meet up with the rest of the 11 returning volunteers and 4 Peace Corps Response Volunteers (they've already served in PC and will help out in Mcar for a shorter time). We fly out of D.C. after 5 pm and will arrive in South Africa 17 hours later...ugh. One night's stay there and then we'll fly to Tana on November 17th.
Although I am sad that I will not be returning to my original site, Anosibe An' Ala, I am looking forward to many new adventures in Mahanoro. The biggest difference between my old and new site will be the toilet and running water that I will have this time. While I am not excited to be classifed as "Posh Corps" because of these luxuries, I know I will be thankful every time I have stomach issues.
Mahanoro is on the East Coast just south of Vatomandry. I will be able to walk to the beach! And have fresh sea food whenever I want:) Feel free to come visit me.
Just like last time, I will be teaching English in the middle school. This time I will also be teaching in the high school. Since I served nine months before we were evacuated, I have about 15 months left of my service.
I'll keep you all updated as much as possible and my sister and mom will update this blog when I call them. Thank you for your support so far. Watch out Madagascar. Here I come!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Surprise?
Sorry it's been so long since I updated my blog. For those of you who are not aware, I AM HOME IN BEAR LAKE now. After I was Consolidated at the PC training center for a little over two weeks in February, I went back to site for about three weeks. Then, the political situation in Madagascar worsened and Peace Corps decided to suspend the program. So, all PCVs were Evacuated to South Africa where we stayed for a week for medical clearance. I then decided to go on vacation for a few weeks before coming home. Kruger National Park is a great place for a safari and Cape Town is a beautiful city. I recommend them both if you ever find yourself in South Africa.
I'm in the process of organizing my pictures now. With over 1,500 it will take a while, but I will share them soon with anyone who is interested. Thank you again for you thoughts and concerns. Happy Easter and see you all soon.
~Kinsey
I'm in the process of organizing my pictures now. With over 1,500 it will take a while, but I will share them soon with anyone who is interested. Thank you again for you thoughts and concerns. Happy Easter and see you all soon.
~Kinsey
A view near the market in my town.
Saying goodbye to one of my classes.Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Update from Kinsey's Sister
After a weekend with no violence in the country, Kinsey and the 120+ Peace Corps Volunteers in
For those of you who are unaware of the situation in
Please continue to keep the leaders of
Kinsey’s Favorite Sister
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
more pictures from Christmas Vacation
Here are more pictures of vacation. Kinsey tried to upload them but won't work. Sometimes it does sometimes it doesn't. So she e-mail them to us to put on her blog. So here they are. (Becky/ Kinsey's Mom)
hotel in tana: This is a little hole-in-the-wall hotel in the capital. Still doesn't convey the feeling of the whole situation, but it's a start.
me on Emerald Isle.....
the hotel grand and the pool/swim-up bar. This is the fancy hotel we went to twice while staying in Diego. You can pay 10,000 Ariary($5.23 U.S.) to swim in the pool for the afternoon (which we did) it has a swim-up bar and everything. To stay in the hotel it costs around 150,00 Ar per night. ($78.43 U.S.). Not exactly a place I thought I'd find myself during Peace Corps, but it was nice to pretend for a few afternoons.
glass protection: This was in Diego, but can be seen all over the country in larger cities. People cement pieces of glass along the tops of the cement walls that surround their houses. Looks prettier than barbed wire, but probably doesn't feel much better.
lady of the north with face powder: This was one of the ladies on Emerald Isle who was giving masssages and/or braiding hair. The women in the northern parts of the country often wear this yellow powder on their faces to protect themselves from the sun.
diego fruit ladies: These ladies walk around selling fruit to everyone they see, especially foreigners.
floweres: more for Quinn and everyone else who asks what kind of flowers madagascar has.
view of hideout from boat: This is a picture of the abandonded building from the water. We passed by it on the boat we took to Emerald Isle. Funny enoug, you can buy postcards with this building on it as it is now. Why? Not sure. It was a fancy hotel or military building back in the day.
in hide-out: Lucy, me, Dorothy. It's a pretty sketchy building, so we were acting out the situation. It's safe during the day, but I don't recommend going there after dark.
view of bay from the hideout: This is an old abandoned building that sits right on the bay in Diego. The view is beautiful and it's quite peaceful up there since few people go up there.
corn on cob in brousse:We were passing through one of several larger towns on our way up to Diego. It must have been markey day because there were so many people in town, the vehicles were having a hard time going sown the road. But is did make it easier for the people on the streets to run up to our brousse and try to sell us random food and items: maybe bananas, dried fish, sunglasses. We opted for the corn on the cob; nice and hot, but lacking butter and salt. Hey, we'll take what we can get.
houses along the road.
trees along the road.
host family: Went back to visit my host family the friday after my In-Service traning. My host mom and host sisters love to give people bunny ears.
hotel in tana: This is a little hole-in-the-wall hotel in the capital. Still doesn't convey the feeling of the whole situation, but it's a start.
me on Emerald Isle.....
the hotel grand and the pool/swim-up bar. This is the fancy hotel we went to twice while staying in Diego. You can pay 10,000 Ariary($5.23 U.S.) to swim in the pool for the afternoon (which we did) it has a swim-up bar and everything. To stay in the hotel it costs around 150,00 Ar per night. ($78.43 U.S.). Not exactly a place I thought I'd find myself during Peace Corps, but it was nice to pretend for a few afternoons.
glass protection: This was in Diego, but can be seen all over the country in larger cities. People cement pieces of glass along the tops of the cement walls that surround their houses. Looks prettier than barbed wire, but probably doesn't feel much better.
lady of the north with face powder: This was one of the ladies on Emerald Isle who was giving masssages and/or braiding hair. The women in the northern parts of the country often wear this yellow powder on their faces to protect themselves from the sun.
diego fruit ladies: These ladies walk around selling fruit to everyone they see, especially foreigners.
floweres: more for Quinn and everyone else who asks what kind of flowers madagascar has.
view of hideout from boat: This is a picture of the abandonded building from the water. We passed by it on the boat we took to Emerald Isle. Funny enoug, you can buy postcards with this building on it as it is now. Why? Not sure. It was a fancy hotel or military building back in the day.
in hide-out: Lucy, me, Dorothy. It's a pretty sketchy building, so we were acting out the situation. It's safe during the day, but I don't recommend going there after dark.
view of bay from the hideout: This is an old abandoned building that sits right on the bay in Diego. The view is beautiful and it's quite peaceful up there since few people go up there.
corn on cob in brousse:We were passing through one of several larger towns on our way up to Diego. It must have been markey day because there were so many people in town, the vehicles were having a hard time going sown the road. But is did make it easier for the people on the streets to run up to our brousse and try to sell us random food and items: maybe bananas, dried fish, sunglasses. We opted for the corn on the cob; nice and hot, but lacking butter and salt. Hey, we'll take what we can get.
houses along the road.
trees along the road.
host family: Went back to visit my host family the friday after my In-Service traning. My host mom and host sisters love to give people bunny ears.Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas in Paradise
Some coral-like formations along the beach.
One of the wooden/grass huts on the beach.
Some Malagasy people we passed on the way.
On the ride out to Emerad Isle. Can we say GORGEOUS!!!
This is Sugar Loaf, a little piece of land that stands in a protected part of the bay. Five of my friends and I tried to swim out to it. Only two of them made it. Four of us turned around when we got 3/4 of the way and encountered jelly fish. Don't worry, they weren't that poisonous. Just stung a little and then tingled. Anyway, it looked a lot closer from shore and it was hard to see by the time the two boys made it back. Definitely should have left a little sooner in the afternoon. Thankfully those jelly fish weren't sharks. For My Daddy
Christmas 2008: Diego, very northern tip of Madagascar. Take about a 2 hour boat ride out to a private beach. A few miles away from the beach, the water starts to turn this amazing color of teal blue. The water is so clear and shallow you can see the coral. Once you arrive at the beach, place your bag in a little wooden and grass hut. Relax in the bath-water temperature Emerald Sea. Grab a snorkel and a pair of goggles to catch a glimps of some tropical fish. Get a massage (oh yes, I DID!) on the beach or your hair braided (opted out of this one, but have already done it at my site). Fresh fish and coconut rice for lunch. Sounds like a dream and it kind of felt like it. Definitely didn't feel like Peace Corps, but didn't feel like Christmas either.
Sarah and me in the boat before we took off.
Me as we neared Emerald Isle. Notice the change in the color of the water?!
This is the type of boat we went out on. Big, wooden, holds about 25 people and a cooler full of supplies.
Here you go dad: This guy caught some fish for one of the other groups of tourists that were at the beach for lunch. He had a mask, snorkel, and a spear gun as well.
The remains of our fish lunch. These guys kept on bringing us fish, all different kinds and all delicious.
This is the fish they caught while we were headed out to Emerald Isle. They were dragging some sort of bait behind us the whole way. When they got this fish, one of the Malagasy men ran to the front of the boat, got the spear gun, ran back and shot the fish. Still not quite sure why. Tasted good though.
Sarah and me in the boat before we took off. 
Me as we neared Emerald Isle. Notice the change in the color of the water?!
This is the type of boat we went out on. Big, wooden, holds about 25 people and a cooler full of supplies.
Here you go dad: This guy caught some fish for one of the other groups of tourists that were at the beach for lunch. He had a mask, snorkel, and a spear gun as well.
The remains of our fish lunch. These guys kept on bringing us fish, all different kinds and all delicious. 
This is the fish they caught while we were headed out to Emerald Isle. They were dragging some sort of bait behind us the whole way. When they got this fish, one of the Malagasy men ran to the front of the boat, got the spear gun, ran back and shot the fish. Still not quite sure why. Tasted good though. **Note: My dad will turn 49 again on January 10, 2009. Please, make sure to wish him a Happy Birthday.
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