six months.

September 3rd marked six months living in Madagascar. There is an expression here amongst Peace Corps Volunteers, "the days go slow but time flies." It perfectly describes these last six months. Sometimes the hours crawl at my site, only to realize that by staying focused on small tasks and accomplishments, the months move along quite quickly.

So, Peace Corps flew me down to the capital city of Antananarivo (Tana, for short) last weekend for our six-month training. It's been wonderful to reconnect with the other volunteers from my training group, see everyone's presentations of their sites, and to understand that my joys and frustrations are not just my own. Four people from our original group of 25 have now returned back to the United States. It is hard to live here, but gets easier with every passing day.

I have been in the capital for about a week now, and will be leaving today for a smaller city south of here called Antsirabe, where there are beautiful volcanic lakes, hiking, and even a brewery. I fly back north to Diego next Saturday and return to my village shortly thereafter. It will be strange after almost two weeks of speaking English, gorging myself on non-Malagasy foods and traveling with a large group of friends to living alone in my hut again. Happily though, I have found myself pining for my village, missing the little life I've created for myself there.

My time in Tana has been intense in many ways. For one thing, it is a big, dirty, sprawling city (about 10 million people live here). Raw sewage and trash fill the canals. Some of the lakes bubble with green, toxic sludge. I experienced my first true attempt at pickpocketing in all my years of traveling abroad. Children beg incessantly and it requires a sense of hardness. Getting around on taxi buses is a test in patience and your ability to withstand discomfort on many levels. But also, there is a beauty here, a rawness and exposure to life that I find so endearing. It is so difficult to describe...

For now I just want to say that I am enjoying my time here and hope that you all will continue to read my stories, share with your loved ones, comment on my blog and ask me questions. Goal Three of Peace Corps speaks to educating Americans about life in foreign countries, and I endeavor to do so with all my entries over the next couple years.

More to come...