lists.

i wrote the following in my journal back on march 20th.

malagasy food i love:
-mofo akondro (fried banana). but it's so bad for me. but i can't stop eating them.
-all the different bean dishes my host mom makes\
-caroty and cocombre salads with lots of vinagre
-mofo gasy with voanjo (malagasy fried bread cakes with peanuts)- yum.
-manasy (pineapple). to die for, sweet and juicy.
-ananas (bitter greens, akin to chard).
-atody with tomatoes, peppers and onion. the eggs here taste better than any egg in the states.

malagasy food i don't love:
-mofo de pain- like wonderbread, but stale and hard.
-mofo de pain, fried, in lots and lots of oil.
-trondo (fish)- my sister catches these little fish the size of my thumb. lots of bones, and fried in so much oil it's more like a fish cracker.
-paty or other "american" dishes my mom makes (pasta).
-sort of corn porridge. meh.

things that i enjoy:
-the weather; rain, sun, warm
-walking around village at dusk or dawn
-learning, studying, discovering daily
-the people here, incredibly kind and patient
-having healthy intestines
-time at the training center to shower and relax away from village life
-walking everywhere

i don't enjoy:
-not being in control of what i eat
-not being able to communicate with my family better
-feeling so uncertain of what is acceptable behavior/ dress
-my moldy, crumbly room
-not having alone time

new address & phone.

26132 797 7927

vanessa many, PCV
bureau corps de la paix
6 rue comandant marchand
place kabary
antsiranana 201
madagascar

both my old phone and address work, but things will get to me faster if you send to my new address or phone.

i would love letters from home, photos, and umm... cheezits, please!

i'll be back around internet in a month.

love to all.

tomorrow's the day.

After two months of intensive training and living with a Malagasy host family, I am officially ready to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. Perhaps "ready" isn't exactly the right word, for I still barely speak the language and desperately want to spend more stime studying, but nonetheless, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. And tomorrow's the day... the day I finally haul my two bags and a carload of newly-bought household items to my beachside hut and settle in for two years. In keeping with the theme of most of my experience in Peace Corps thus far, I feel fairly relaxed about the great unknown.

Perhaps one of the best things about living in Madagascar is the sense of contentment here. Not only does it eminate from the kind actions of the Malagasy people who speak always with quiet voices, but I have found such joy in the beautiful and diverse environment. At my village, I was surrounded by green rolling hills, lush with trees, flowers and interesting songbirds, as well as vast expanses of rice paddies, rivers and red earth, and each day enjoyed both sunrise and sunset. And now I have moved to the far north, with its crystal blue ocean, white sand beaches, coconnut trees and much more vibrant African culture. Women in beautiful brightly-colored lambas sell tropical fruits and vanilla on the street, and delicious and cheap seafood is available everywhere.

I truly feel at home, which is strange to say after only two months- and a few days in the north- but the pace of life and mentality of the people are things I feel very much akin to.

However, it is not always easy to live here, where life is always happening right in front of you. All the cruel parts, the parts that get hidden in American culture, are exposed here. There is no hiding the trash in the trash can that magically gets taken away to a place where we never see it again. There is no perfectly-wrapped meat in sanitary packaging kept at just the right temperature; here you see (and smell) all parts of the animal on the chopping block at the sweltering outdoor market, complete with flies. And again, there is no hiding from the stench of human waste in the toilet houses (called kabones). There is no avoiding being shouted at by street children who live everywhere and call out, "Vazaha! Vazaha!" (a derogatory word for "French foreigner.") Life is exposed here, sometimes uncomfortably so.

But I like it this way. It feels real, the way I think life should be lived.

One thing I especially long for is privacy and the chance to cook my own food after two months of living in an extremely small house with my host family, which consisted of my host mom and three children, the youngest crying incessantly. And soon, very soon indeed, I will be living alone! Then there will be all new challenges to face and experiences to be had. I am blessed to be here.

More to come...

just a tidbit.

typing on french keyboards is tougher than i imagined and our pitstop in this town is brief so i must keep this short! thanks to my dad for updating my blog from my text messages... i love village life and will write great descriptions soon.
this week my training group is touring around the eastern coast of madagascar to check out some national parks- andasibe is one of them- and spend some time learning about plant and animals here as well as a couple days at the ocean. my site placement will be in the far northeast in a fishing village just south of diego suarez and i will be leaving right on the beach and working some w conservation international. more later but please know i am thinking of all my loved ones and would adore letters, emails and especially texts!!! 011 261 34 410 4520 love to all

my day.

I wake daily at 5:00 am to my host sister starting a fire in the outdoor "kitchen". We do chores by candlelight as the village awakens. We eat a simple breakfast then I'm off to culture and language classes all day. My host family is patient, but learning Malagasy is tough. I help with dinner and then go to bed (under a mosquito net) by 8:00 pm to study and sleep.

It is beautiful here. I'm happy and healthy...

arrived safely.

Posted by Vanessa's Dad - Vanessa has arrived safely in Madagascar. She picked up a new cell phone today and called me and asked me to post this update. She's studying with the Peace Corps during the day and is enjoying her host family - a 41 year-old Mom single mom who lives in very small and humble surroundings (no electricity or indoor plumbing). I'm sure Vanessa will describe the sights and sounds in a much more colorful way in the near future. She mentioned she will have limited access to computers but will post more news whe she can.

All in all, she sounds very happy and excited and seems like she's truly in her element... experiencing a new culture, reading by candle light, sleeping under mosquito netting, learning a foreign language and meeting new friends in a different part of the world.

in transit.

Just a quick note to say we've arrived safely in Johannesburg, South Africa after a long but peaceful flight from DC. We had about an hour & a half on the ground to refuel in Dakar, Senegal yesterday, and then another eight hours to Jo-burg, where we landed last night around 7 PM. As soon as we got to our hotel, I quickly made my way to the outdoor pool to swim and enjoy the warm night air, swaying trees and lush tropical plants. Though I had only slept about 3 hours on the plane, I only slept from 10- 2 AM, which seems about on par with everyone else in the group. We're all a little road weary, but excited to be at our final destination this afternoon in the capital city of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Today we'll meet the Peace Corps country directors and spend the night at the headquarters. Tomorrow we'll finally get to our training facilities, and meet our host families. It will be so nice to get settled for a bit after so many months of waiting and wondering.
Hope all is well with everyone! Much love to all.