Peace(corps) Love and Happiness

New News from Erin - Enjoy!

2008-01-24T07:59:00.000-05:00

Bob Dylan sings of a series of dreams… here is my real life version from Madland:

All compiled during December 2007 and January 2008 – My first two months at site

Painting the picture of my little paradise…

In my little village and the 30sq miles surrounding it that I am exploring grow the most unique and stunning flowers in brand new colors and shapes and smells and among them, an array of light and fragile butterflies of hundreds of types flying faster than my eye can almost capture their beauty. The same goes for trees, fruits, chameleons…

Madagascar is not your typical Africa, if there ever was such a thing.
Further, the North of Madagascar is nothing like the rest of the huge island. Every inch of this country has its own very special features; I am becoming most familiar with our wonderful Northern peculiarities.
We hold a treasure of national parks and rainforests boasting more flora and fauna than most of the world combined. We have a wide peninsula and bays filled with quaint and deserted islands of white sand and turquoise waters filling their puzzle and separating the Mozambique Channel from the Indian Ocean, a space which once was the pirates' most favorite haven. We drape ourselves in cool and colorful lambas (tropical-patterned cloth dresses and scarves), sway and shake to rhythmic tribal dances and songs, and turn the soles of our feet redder than Georgia Bulldog red from our deep and sandy clay. I am so grateful I get to call this place home! I have finally realized that I am blessed to be living in poverty. Granted, my poverty is in paradise and it is merely a poverty of things. Well, sometimes I feel like it's more than that – when I’m homesick and missing y’all. But, being so far away from so many things has been a wonderful gift so far – it opens your senses to so much more and trains your mind to be happy with little stuff but lots of learning and love.

It's not 9 to 5 but it sure is work…

It should not be called work, because I love almost every second of it, but it is work and it is 24/7.

What I teach about and why:
1. Malaria prevention and treatment – because my little region of Northern Madagascar has one of the very highest rates of malaria in the world. I promote the hell out of mosquito nets and I follow my village friends home to make sure they are sleeping in them properly.
I beg the mothers that bring their children sick with tazo moka (mosquito fever) to our rural clinic to make sure they continue to take the full dosage of medicine even if they feel better so they do not become immune to it.
2. HIV/AIDS and other STD prevention – because Madagascar is so lucky!
We only have a 0.9% rate of AIDS. We need to keep it that low through mass education and empowerment. Volunteers and (Non-Government Organization) NGOs across the island are holding big awareness festivals which I cannot wait to get more involved with! We do have a very high rate of syphilis though which makes catching AIDS much easier. So I do a lot of telling people it's good to get tested.
3. Family planning – because women have a choice, and it is free here.
The growth rate and cyclical poverty is such a problem that the government has remarkably made birth control free to all women. But, many are scared of it or uneducated about it. I tell them everything they want to know and hope they will choose the right path for themselves, one that, hopefully, will allow them to have only the number of kids they want, spaced in a healthy way and able to feed and educate each one well.
4. Clean water – because diarrhea kills tons of precious babies here.
We do not have clean water. We fetch water from taps and wells in large buckets. Animals and dirt and microbes and mosquitoes and dirty farming hands love these buckets. Drinking, washing and cooking with clean water are simple though. I explain the two choices: boil or filter and bleach and use soap. I got this fun, cool jerry-can from PSI which keeps the water inside and clean, the kids helped me decorate it and they come by my house at least twice a day to wash their hands and they even tell the rest of the community about when it is important to wash your hands, it's precious, I love them!
5. Promote child and mother vaccines and breastfeeding – y’all can figure this one out; we do it in America, too.
6. Planting organic gardens with healthy food – because they can afford this and they enjoy gardening and it provides their entire family with the nutrients and vitamins they need to live healthy lives. My site-mate, Erin, and the whole elementary school just finished a huge, beautiful model garden… I might finally be able to get food in Sakaramy other than fruit!
7. English – because I know it. Madagascar just added English as its 3rd official language but students do not begin learning it until high school and a tiny percentage of Gasy make it even to elementary school. They are expanding their tourism industry (you should all come!) and want much more American/ Aussie/ British business. Teaching my friends and children in Sakaramy gives them a huge leg up at the cusp of this new trend.

Population Services International:
I am so lucky to get to work with PSI here in Diego. It is a USAID funded NGO but the whole staff up here is the most mazoto (hardworking) group of Malagasy. They have a cinomobile which rides out to the rural villages to show films on AIDS, malaria, nutrition and clean water. They have peer educators for the youth and for the commercial sex workers and I get to hang out with, learn from and help all of them! They mass-promote and sell affordable mosquito nets, water purifying bleach, jerry-cans, malaria treatment meds, STD meds, birth control etc. They also have these great, totally not fady (taboo) clinics all around the city which are super successful. They are awesome!

How a mango tree taught my community…

The more creative I get the more fun it is for me and the more receptive my community is. To talk about family planning, I drew a mango tree with the rainforest and mountain in the background and all the crazy flowers that grow around our paths so it looked just like Sakaramy, a comforting site for a new and uncomfortable subject. The roots of the tree were the problems associated with having too many kids. The trunk is the solution, all the methods of family planning they have to choose from. And then there are the branches, leaves and fruit which are the positive results. We go through to mark the tree together and talk so openly about a subject which just a couple years ago were totally fady (taboo). I can see the light bulb go off in each person’s mind. A few days later, one of the sweet young moms in my class came back with her sick children. After the doctor finished helping them she picked up a packet of medicine for herself… it was birth control pills! She explained to the other young mothers I had gathered and was talking with all about family planning (everything she had learned from the mango tree) and told them why the pill was good but even added that if they were suspicious their husbands were cheating or if they had multiple partners (which many folks around my village do) they should use condoms because that would prevent both pregnancy and AIDS and other STDs. I was floating on cloud nine in happiness! I reached out my fist to give this angel a donakely (quick little fist punch, like guys do back in the States, too – we all congratulate each other this way up here), and then, all of a sudden, felt like I was in one of those creepy laugh-houses of the old school fairs because the entire room exploded in laughter of my oh so very Gasy gesture. Within 5 minutes I had accomplished three of my greatest goals: 1) to make people laugh in their own language; 2) to educate my community in a way they really grasp and act on it; 3) to help in a sustainable way where when I leave I know they will keep improving and developing on their own. Pretty awesome moment!

Big yellow school bus never seemed so luxurious…

Taxi-brousse (bush taxi) rides are a huge and very regular adventure.
They pack you in to a little car or van like you are the last gumball they are trying to fit into the gumball machine. It's not just people they pack, its live chickens, goats, babies breastfeeding, boys fist-fighting, cartons of eggs, giant and prickly jack fruits, sacks and weaved baskets full of litchis oozing, piles of long sugar can sticks. Nothing would surprise me in a taxi-brose. If the car is made to seat 5, they will fit at least 14 people in it. If the van has 9 seat-belts, 25-30 of us will pile in all right in some David Copperfield magic trick type way. These overly intimidating rides are actually a wonderful time and place for me to preach about health, the environment, community. My co-riders find it hilarious and beyond belief that I speak Gassy, better yet, their very specific and isolated dialect of Baklava…which is great, once the laughter and hooting stops; because they will actually listen to and believe everything I tell them. I have made good friends on these close rides who I visit at the bus stops around Diego.

I pretend I am in a waterfall…

My shower lies in my backyard. It is inside four wooden planks, on top of smoothing rocks filled with black widows and poisonous red centipedes. If I close my eyes and pour the water over my head just right, I can sometimes pretend I’m in the beautiful sacred waterfall up the road at Amber Mountain. But then I quickly have to reopen them to make sure nothing deadly is climbing on me.
My toilet is right next to my shower. Inside four corrugated metal sheets. It is a simple hole in the ground with your usual flies and spider webs. Fancy. But since everything in Sakaramy is beautiful – even the flies are an iridescent June-bug green, but they bite.

Goodbye!

One of my all time favorite kids is six-year-old Celio. He is happy sitting in my lap all day giggling the world's cutest laugh. He has the biggest, brightest smile and wide eyes. Celio has a good chance in this battle of a world that is one of the planet's poorest nations.
His dad is the new Mayor of Sakaramy and our three surrounding villages, he used to be the doctor, he is who requested a Peace Corps volunteer. Celio is the youngest of nine children and lives with his big brothers and sisters in Diego during the week where they go to a decent school. On weekends and holidays, he runs to my house to say "goodbye!" That is the one word Celio always remembers in English. I am really close with the whole family and consider Stephanie, the 17 year-old daughter, to be one of my best Gasy friends. She is great at English and wants to be a journalist and to go to college in America.
I really hope I can help make this wish of hers come true!

A few realizations on nature…

Nature is so strong and literally awesome! A few weeks ago I was hiking with Stephanie; we were working on each others colloquial English, French and Gasy skills. We hiked four hours through cow pastures, creeks full of women washing colorful clothes and children swinging from vines with mangos in their mouths. Past naked kids running to jump in the cool water hole, up mud redder and juicier than a blood orange and passed by baobabs with their ultimate presence of strength and old African wisdom. We talked our way through maize fields and stopped to visit a family friend of hers who lived in a forest of papaya trees with his whole family in a tiny palm-thatched tee-pee. He shared some sweet potato and guava for our trek. We even passed by a lookout where we could see miles away to my friends little fishing village in a bay off the Indian Ocean, the closest other PCV to my town.

Where we would ultimately end up was the coolest part of all. There are four villages in my Commune – mine is at the center with the rural clinic, mayor's office and elementary school. This village we hiked to is the farthest away, way off the beaten path, but has something very special of its own: the first ever wind-energy generator in Madagascar. A Swiss NGO installed three wind generators and this tiny village of 700 people has electricity! It's pretty cool – the power of the wind. My village is hoping the NGO will expand and plant some wind-power for us as well. This is a huge step of energy progress here. Madagascar is so special and about as unique as a single snowflake but its environment is quickly being raped of its natural resources in unnatural ways. My site mate, Erin, is an eco-tourism and environmental education volunteer. She built us the coolest thing – a solar oven! It's simply a cardboard box painted black inside with some aluminum foil reflectors and a piece of glass on top. She's already made peanut-butter bread and chocolate chip cookies in it – all masiro! (delicious). The sun is pretty amazingly powerful, too.
Without it, I would never be able to listen to my Ipod or talk to y’all on the phone!

F*R*I*E*N*D*S

It's only been a couple months at site but I already have some very special and helpful friends. I can't wait for my Gasy to get good enough to be able to form closer relationships! These are the people I will be mentioning in my letters and emails and updates…

Stephanie – Already mentioned her in the hiking/Celio stories

Maria – She has the sweetest disposition but is also so much fun! She comes over every day to hang out in the shade or go for a walk under the clouds. She is great about teaching me about fomba (Gasy culture).
We help each other with out Gasy, French and English skills. She loves going to morengy (bare-knuckle boxing matches where there is a DJ and tons of people gather to watch the fight and catch up with each other since they live in far-off villages). Maria has three kids – Danie, Fiaed and Estelle. Danie is 21 and also a good friend of mine but she has a 6 month old baby boy and a 3 year old daughter who take up most of her time. Danie is beautiful – she could be a super model in the States but is stuck living here taking care of two children and she's a year younger than I am. It's weird that almost all of the girls my own age are already well into supporting many babies and kids. That's something we take for granted back home – we are all very lucky to have the dreams and chance to achieve those dreams which detain us from early motherhood and set us right away on a totally different life path. Danie's daughter is Roberta, who is inseparable from Estelle, Maria's 3-year-old daughter. It's a little like Father of the Bride Part II. Estelle and Roberta are so adorable! They love to give high fives and then run off giggling. Fiaed is Maria's son – he is 17 and was building a fence around our house but then he stole Erin's harmonica. It is so sad that he gave up that trust and money we were paying him, to steal something he doesn't even know how to use. That's how life is here for many people though – they are so desperate to survive. Maria was married before I got here to a teacher named Modest. Being a teacher, doctor, or in the gendarmerie are the most secure jobs in the village. However, he got greedy and stole a neighbor's cow, took all of him and Maria's cash and ran away to the incredibly rugged and almost unsurpassable tip of Madagascar north of Diego. Villagers do not have bank accounts, so Maria was left with nothing. She is a great Gasy cook and talented at sewing traditional lambas and lace so Erin and I are trying to motivate her to open a roadside stand because so many tourists pass by everyday between Diego and Amber Mountain.

Tahiry and Noel – A married couple in Sakaramy that I love! They are 28 and 32 and don't have kids yet because they have goals they want to accomplish first – which gives me a lot of hope. Tahiry works for ANGAP – a USAID funded NGO which runs most of our national parks. Noel works for the gendarmerie (police, army, and navy - all in one) and is working really hard to be one of the few chosen to go study and work for eight months in America next year. I am working with both of them on their English as well as American cultural awareness.

Madame Tantely – This 60 year old spitfire acts with the pure wisdom of Maya Angelou and my precious grandmother. She has three adoring children and six grandchildren. Her husband was a teacher at the elementary school – but she was the director. She embodies natural empowerment, dignity, might and grace. She has so much energy, compassion and ambition. She now helps a French NGO, Matansaka (Sakalava for strong) teach about gardening. She has a model farm with medicinal plants, banana, mango, papaya, pineapple and moringa trees, green beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic and carrots growing strong all in an unbearable climate and soil where no one else manages to grow much of anything other than rice, beans, coconuts and peanuts. She also takes care of the rain forest behind her house where she's laid paths to see the lemurs. She used to have a restaurant and bungalows for tourists to stay but cyclones ruined them and now she is trying to save money to reopen after this rainy season. To do that, she sells her good food and embroiders traditional Gasy tablecloths, curtains and pillows and also makes delicious fruit jams and sakay (hot pepper mix) to sell at the market in Diego. Her dog just had puppies so I go play with them every day and soon she is giving me my favorite girl to keep! Everyone here loves Bob Marley; he's like common ground for us musically, so I am going to name her Marley.

Fandrama – He was kind of with me since I landed in Madagascar. He has been my favorite artist to listen to on the radio from day one. His music is like a mixture of Caribbean Reggae, Sakalava Salegy, and John Mayer meets Jack Johnson meets the Hanson brothers pop/jam rock. It's fun, pick-me-up, I want to dance but also chill at the same time, gifted music. During training I learned that this great musician is also the Deputy (Congressional Rep to Tana for Diego region). He is only 28 and basically one of the most celebrated and amazing people on the island. Fandrama comes from a village near mine and worked incredibly hard to get to where he is today – still working super hard. He's as charming as my brother and as good at selling himself (and also mosquito nets and water purifying bleach – he helps PSI!) as Paris Hilton. I have gotten to go on some fun adventures with this special Gasy pop-star and politician and look forward to working with him in the years to come. I am writing songs for him in Gasy about malaria prevention and he is making them cool and singing them on the radio. He is also helping with some other amazing projects I will tell y’all more about as they unfold…

Kamar – see Pillsbury doughboy story

Good Reads:

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – Audrey sent this to me, thank you! (but it has not gotten here yet after 4 months… so I listened to it on tape) - a story of how one wonderful writer learns to see the world through her heart but keep her feet on the ground. Amazing!

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman – Jeb gave this to me before I left, thank you! - reading it made me feel like I was elevated on a cloud, feeling way better than content, like a peaceful happiness and tingle had taken over my mind. It's calming, interesting, beautifully put together. I always think about time, but this book gets you really appreciating each second before it passes you by.

They Poured Fire on us from the Sky – Liz Gibbs brought me this on my last night in the US, thank you! Anyone interested in Africa, the human loss from war, innate strength and hope should read this wonderful story of three Lost Boys from Sudan.

The Pillsbury Doughboy…

My all-time favorite cultural exchange thus far was with my friend Kamar, who is already super mahay (knowledgeable/great) at American culture. He is the Peace Corps representative up here for the entire North of Mkar (Mkar = short for Madagasakara – Gasy name for the island, remember this alphabet is missing a few letters, including C).
Kamar is amazing! He takes care of our little Peace Corps transit house/office (the Meva – paradise) and drives around important American diplomats and Peace Corps staff when they visit our isolated part of the island. He is super helpful and always has a smile on his face. And I swear he knows every single person within 400 miles of Diego. His wife has this great little Gasy restaurant by their house out near the airport with the best natural fruit juice in the entire world! Anyways, we were at the Meva one afternoon and everyone was working really hard on different projects and joking around to ease the air, making even the most tedious grant proposals fun and handling them with laid back ease is a wonderful quality we learn as PCVs, and I poked Kamar in his belly and he popped out with the perfect Pillsbury doughboy laugh. It was hilarious! As educated on American pop-culture as he is, there was no way he had ever seen or heard of this cute little cartoon. We all took a long break and in our best Gasy tried to explain this American commercial phenomenon and now whenever I see Kamar we poke each other in the belly and make the precious giggle.

Little town where little baobabs grow… Ambolobozokely AND the rainforest in my front yard… Amber Mountain

Right before Christmas, a sweet lady from the PC-HQ in DC came to visit Madagascar. It was such a great Christmas present – candy treats from America and all! We went to visit our closest neighbor a couple hours south-east of Sakaramy in a tiny fishing village. The drive was beautiful with small colorful little villages, palm made huts stacked high on stilts, creeks rushing down from Amber Mountain. Then we turned onto her dirt path and the rollercoaster ride began. The perfect tangible way to reflect my quick changes and surges of emotion here in Madagascar (homesickness one minute followed by a pure joy of realizing someone's life is going to be better after learning how to keep their baby healthy from me). At the beginning, the land was vast and open, I could see for miles on end. Then, instead of fences separating land and keeping animals in or out, they had planted the prettiest spiny and flowering cactus. A few miles further, banana and coconut trees lined the path. As we got closer we passed tons of zebu (strong and horned Gasy cows/bulls) and a bunch of short and squat baobab trees. The village was beautiful, nestled right in a rocky little bay off the Indian Ocean and full of long lakanas (fishing canoes). There were trees leaning into the water like my favorite tree from childhood which we would climb and dangle our toes into the Chattahoochee River. It was so fun to get to see another volunteer in her village.

We also all went back past my village to Amber Mountain National Park in Joffreville. Every ten minutes it felt like we were in a different rainforest with brand new sites to awe-over and try to take the perfect picture of. Pictures cannot do this wonderland justice. There was actually a point where I felt like I was literally in Alice and Wonderland – the trees shot up so high and the variety of ferns and orchids and shades of green sweeping across the rainbow of flowers, the crazy swaying of trees bending over to reach the sunlight for their strength – it was like a 1970s concert poster. We saw Crowned and Samford lemurs with babies on their backs and with crisp white beards, the world's smallest chameleons, huge and neon colored Panther chameleons, Strangler Figs, even the Ramy tree which my village is named after. My favorite part was the Sacred Waterfall which is so gorgeous and after thousands of years of being prayed and worshiped in, you can feel the good spirit and love.

Faly Krismasy ndreky Tratry Taona Vaovao – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas morning we woke up early in the Diego Meva and made sugar and cinnamon Christmas cookies! I was so lucky that a super cool group of environment volunteers from the group about to be done with their service decided to spend the holidays in Diego. We spent the whole day at the Grand Hotel resort pool where we swam, sang Christmas songs at the swim-up bar, had meaningful and uplifting conversations, played volleyball with a blow-up snowman, and enjoyed a real Christmas lunch under a tropical Christmas tree. We even ran in to the US Embassy doctor and his family on their holiday vacation which was a nice taste of home for me with their Southern Louisiana accents.

The next day we rode out to Ramena Beach all along the coast of our big, peacock blue, Diego Bay. We hopped on a dinky lakana with a sail and headed off to Emerald Island, a journey I can only compare with the sheer beauty of the Whitsunday Islands in Australia – these two sailing trips are by far the prettiest and most free-feeling experiences I think one can ever have. We sailed through the deep sapphire waters of the Bay and then passed an old French WWII base with two lighthouses still standing strong against the rock and wind.
We crossed through the channel of crashing waves between rainbow colored sand cliffs, black tsingy and green thorn forests, The water became crystal clear and we could see the coral right below the surface. By the time the sister of the Captain finished fully braiding my head, we were out in the wild Indian Ocean – a bright turquoise water filled with little green islands lined with bright white sand and lipstick red bush flowers. We sailed right to the shore of Emerald Island where we saw flying fish and dolphins. The Gasy Captain jumped off the boat with flippers and a spear. He came back with four huge types of tropical fish and he and his younger brother and sister made us the most delicious lunch right there in the sand!

That night we went out for pizza and hung out at this tavern near the Meva. I looked around and felt like I could be anywhere in the world inside this tavern – Ireland, Austin, Athens, NYC, Charlottesville, Charlotte, Atlanta, LA, San Francisco, London, Berne, Johannesburg, Melbourne, Diego… it reminded me of how much I missed all of you back home but also of how this is one single world and wherever we are, there we are, we should soak up all that moment has to offer and then move on to the next moment with grace.

For New Years I had a bad bee sting and so I waited to celebrate a few days later with Fandrama. He was holding a huge party in Diego that first Saturday of the New Year and invited me to come spread the word all day. We went to all the radio stations across Diego which was perfect because it helped me connect with them so now I am training my friends in Sakaramy about health messages and they are going to have shows on these stations. Radio is by far the best way to reach people here since so many are illiterate and have no money or electricity for TV. We even went to the one TV station up here which was like being at a sketch, rural filming of Bin Laden with the look of the place, but it's better than nothing! It's amazing to have this chance to merge all of my passions for media, music and service here! We went to his friend's house and had a lunch party where I got to meet his sweet wife and adorable 9 month old baby girl and all of his friends. Riding in his truck was so fun because he would wave out the window to all the kids running alongside and chasing the truck yelling his name and keeping us afloat. We all talked about American culture and music and they were dying to know the difference between rum and whisky, it's so funny the things people wonder about us in America!

Back alleys, bright nightclubs and the crazy bottle lady

Diego is such a pleasant, perfect place on first glance. Just like many American cities, it's natural beauty, tropical tourist feel, and development hides the sheer poverty lying just behind the glam hotels and posh shops. Poverty is looming in the alleys and dressed up at the fancy restaurants in the form of commercial sex workers. I had my first night out with the PSI peer educator, an experience I will work on two nights a month. We go to talk to the girls in the evening before they begin to work with their clients. This work is legal here and therefore very organized and relatively safe, but still so sad.
Step one is to get these girls healthy and practicing their work in a safer way. Hopefully after they trust me, have been tested and understand and use protection, we can work on empowering them to find better jobs. It is so sad because many young, pretty Gasy girls are kicked out of their village home at 14 and sent to find money in Diego, this is their only means. They asked startling questions and I am really looking forward to getting to know them and hopefully instilling behavior change and hope in their hearts.

Another product of this poverty is the bottle lady. Everyone from the tourists to the Mayor to the market sellers and especially the Peace Corps volunteers around Diego know her. This is another sad part of the developing world. There are so many crucial priorities, such as clean water, basic hygiene, elementary education, ahead of taking care of the mentally handicapped. In the US, this lady would have gotten help from a young age, but here she runs around the whole town knocking people on the heads with her plastic bottle and yelling at them in gibberish. A lot of the sad things we see, we have to turn into jokes to be able to mentally manage them. On the surface, she is a funny break in the heat, but in truth, it's sad and it makes you realize that there is no way to help everyone right now. This is why every single person who has anything to offer – wisdom, finances, love, toys, pictures, smiles – needs to share it with the world.
Together, we can make a huge difference but alone it sometimes gets overwhelming. Still, we tread on.

Animals who think they live with me

Bats, rats and cats… ain't cool.

Boogie Woogie… how music and development are coming to my town!

I was so inspired by the Music Resource Center in Charlottesville that I wanted my kids to have one, too. My whole community has been meeting a few times a week to plan and write our proposal which I am sent the US Embassy here for their special self-help fund. My village is going to build the building and hopefully we will get the grant and be able to buy tons of traditional Gasy instruments and also some others from America and around the world. It's going to be MRC/youth development.
So we are also hoping to have a small library (none of the kids or school has books!) and also have a way for the kids to learn English.
It's going to be totally sustainable because the kids are going to make and sell crafts and CDs to all the tourists which pass by! I am praying so hard this works out. The committee is already planning a huge Easter party so they can raise money for the building materials.
So cute and exciting!

Caterpillar Tractors

A few days ago this super cool American film crew got a flat tire near my village and I helped translate for them and they came over to my little village. They are making a documentary for Caterpillar (the big yellow CAT tractors) because the United Nations and CAT built the road which connects Diego (which used to be like an island within the island) with the rest of Madagascar. It's a really cool story and they filmed my precious kids singing and dancing and interviewed us about loving the PC Madland life – it was really fun!

Wow! That's a lot… enjoy! Write me soon all about what you are up to!
Let me know if you have any questions or need clarification since I have to type these up so fast. I love and miss y’all!

xoxo,
Erin

PS = thank you so much to all of you who have been amazing about writing letters and emails, sending packages and CDs and praying for me and our work out here! HUGE thanks to you, mom, who wants me to come home more than anyone but is still amazing and encouraging through the rough nights to help me realize how good it is for me to take a step back and stay… I love you!

Here’s an addition to Erin’s e-mailed blog addition – I just spoke with Erin:

Erin was on her way back to Sakaramy after being in Diego. She was feeling a little sad and the sky opened with a storm…adding to her sadness. People already stare at Erin just because she looks so different…with this pouring rain and her wearing a white t-shirt, the scares intensified. Without going into more detail, she was feeling pretty miserable when suddenly, along her walk, she could hear Bob Marley letting her know “everything will be all right!” Every home she was passing had their radio on and “Everything is going to be all right” was heard from every home…this brought that wonderful smile back to Erin’s face and heart…THANKS BOB!!!

As always, Erin went on and on about hearing from y’all…THANKS Y’ALL!!! Each of you brings hope, happiness, encouragement and strength to Erin. Please realize your importance… Erin’s and my tremendous appreciation for each of you…PLEASE KEEP UP ALL Y’ALL ARE DOING – writing, e-mailing, sending surprises, calling. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

What Erin has been up to since Jan. 1

2008-01-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

Erin hopes that everyone is enjoying a very healthy, happy new year! She knows y’all have been very busy and GREATLY appreciates the time you have taken to write, to send packages, to e-mail and to call. Each of you is very special to Erin and your keeping in touch means to world to her…and she’s a world away in so many ways!

Erin, too, has been busy. It’s the extremely hot, wet season…so Erin especially enjoys a change for the heat and the humidity. Besides her usual work to help improve health in her village and in the surrounding villages, Erin has had some added excitement. A Peace Corps Volunteer who has extended her 27 months has befriended Erin. This young lady is INCREDIBLE! She has built a successful radio station from scratch…and by “scratch”, I mean that she put it together with sticks and debris…with her amazing dedication and grant money, the radio station is now a permanent working structure providing jobs and information. This remarkable young lady is also creating a national park. At this point, the area has been declared a national reserve and she has had the village build an ego-lodge proving jobs in the lodge and the restaurant for the villagers along with providing environmental protection – pretty astonishing – just one young lady made these enormous differences…WOW! What a great mentor for Erin! You can be sure; Erin has a few ideas of her own taking shape in her mind! Erin enjoyed a delicious dinner with the second in command at the US Embassy. She was asked to accompany him to a meeting which was a delightful experience for Erin. This past Saturday night was a very new and different experience for Erin!!! She spent the evening educating the prostitutes in Diego. (O.K., y’all…y’all can stop laughing.) Sexual tourism is rampant in Diego. These young girls, some as young as 10 years old, are unaware of the health risks and how to minimize them. Prostitution is legal for girls 18 and older; however, they, too, need to know how to protect themselves. Erin worked with the PSI (Population Services International) – another organization helping throughout the world. The work really saddened Erin – realizing what some have to do in order to survive and to help their families survive – however, PSI had asked that she do this twice a month and she will. Next week, the director of her Peace Corps program will be up in Diego, so Erin is looking forward to working with her.

Erin wanted me to share this information – “some of my fav fruits…pls put the links on my blog so everyone can see what I eat! xoxoxo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_fruit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litchi “
She eats a lot of rice, but she didn’t give me a link for that!

I’m hoping that the technology specialist at school will be able to add some pictures to this blog. Here are explanations for the pictures –

Erin's Peace Corps Training group (probably Sept. 2007)

Erin's PCT group on a field trip to a national park (probably Oct. 2007)

Erin and a couple of PCT's walking down a path near the training village (Oct./ Nov. 2007)

Erin and another PCT in Lac Mantasoa a couple of days before swearing in 12-02-07

Erin and Franka - her Sakalava instructor - the day before swearing in 12-03-07

Boys playing near Erin's village in northern Madagascar 12-16-07 (very different in the north!)

Orchid Erin saw on a walk 12-21-07

Lemur Erin saw on a walk 12-21-07

Erin and Celio - a favorite child in her village 12-22-07

Erin in Diego at Christmas with other PCV's in other villages 12-25-07

Erin and Celio on a walk near her village 12-30-07

Notice how very different it is in the northern region where Erin lives and the plateau region where she was trained.

Pictures from Erin - WOW! The Tech man at my school is GREAT!!!

2008-01-22T09:21:00.000-05:00

Finally, Erin can share some pictures from Madagascar with y'all...thank you Ken! Hopefully, I'll be able to write an explanation next to the pictures; otherwise, I'll figure out a way to let y'all know what y'all are seeing. Here goes...I'm having difficulty getting the pictures on here. I'm fixing to push a button to see if that helps, so if this shows up on the blog without any pictures...OOPS!!!

I forgot something funny!!!

2008-01-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe I forgot the cutest thing that Erin said!

She was telling me about how she's adjusting...they braid her hair and she wears a lamba...the traditional dress. Erin went on to say that she "looked Malagasy." When I laughed and repeated that she "looked Malagasy", she said..."OK, like an albino Maligasy!" Isn't she cute!?!

Faly Vaovao Taona! (Happy New Year!)

2008-01-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

OK...y'all caught me! That's Happy New Year in Malagasy, not Sakalava...I left my Sakalava word list at school and I'm on winter break.

Wishing y’all a very happy, healthy new year and hoping that everyone had a joyous holiday…and wahoo – boohoo!!! (UVA lost to Texas Tech in a heartbreaker!)

Erin has been in her village, Sakaramy, for nearly a month now. Sakaramy is in northern Madagascar where it is quite warm! There’s no electricity or running water; however, Erin adapted to her host/training village without those “luxuries”, so she’s doing fine without them now, too. She does get to go to Diego (Antsiranana) every so often where she stays at the Peace Corps House. Diego is the 5th largest city in Madagascar and the city runs on a generator so they have electricity most of the time. Erin says that Diego is beautiful! There is much beauty around her village, too. Her village is near the base of the Amber Mountain National Park. When she takes hikes near her village, she sees remarkably beautiful flowers and various sights. The villagers proudly share the magnificence of their country. Erin’s enjoyed some special adventures already!

The Peace Corps sent someone from DC to visit. Erin was thrilled to enjoy the company of another American. They went to visit another volunteer at a site on the coast. Erin saw many gorgeous sights on their drive. (I think the other site was only about 20 kilometers away, but it took 2 hours to get there.) There’s only one paved road in northern Madagascar, so travel is difficult. Erin truly enjoyed visiting with another volunteer and seeing the achievements made by the hard work of the PCV’s. Erin found it interesting to see that some cows, zebos, were enclosed by beautiful flowering cacti plants rather than by fences. They also enjoyed a meal from the ocean which was a very pleasant change from rice and/or peanut butter. (Erin makes great peanut butter – she actually shells, cooks and crushes the peanuts herself!)

Over Christmas, Erin went to stay at the Peace Corps House in Diego. There, she met some other volunteers – two married couples and two girls. They all decided to take the taxi-busse to the beach. At the beach, they met a wealthy Malagasy man and his family. Erin and the other PCV’s got to go sailing with the family. On their way to an island, the boat’s captain drove overboard and speared a bunch of fish. When they got to the island, the crew prepared a delicious meal for everyone. Erin felt like a tourist instead of a poor PCV. She said the island was incredible…and so was the food!!! On the other day that she had in Diego during her 2-day Christmas Break, she and the other PCV’s when swimming at the hotel next to the Peace Corps House and enjoyed the Christmas brunch the hotel had. There, she met a doctor for the American Embassy and his family. They are from New Orleans and are leaving in Antananarivo for two years. He was at Erin’s swearing in ceremony.

After an exciting two days, it was time for Erin to return to her village…the taxi-busse ride brought her back to her reality…27 people piled into an old (1930’s) French station wagon meant for seven passengers…Erin was on the lap of an old man with a pregnant lady and child on Erin’s lap and a mal-nutrientioned girl on Erin’s other knee…you get the picture…and three baskets of chickens and two goats tied to the top of the vehicle!!!

When Erin called the next day, she sounded very settled and content. While she was out with some of the villagers, her site mate, Erin Cross, had made a solar oven out of cardboard and black paint. Erin C., an environmental volunteer, had actually cooked 4 loaves of peanut butter bread in two hours. This is really thrilling!!! If they can find a way to cook without destroying the rainforest, this would be fantastic! Cooking without burning all the wood would also help tremendously with health issues. All the smoke is unhealthy for the people as well as for the environment. Y’all, this could be great!!!

There are so many health issues! Erin is still amazed when she’s working with young women who are only 25 or 26 and have 7 or 8 children already…and are pregnant with another!!!

There’s so much to tell; however, I just noticed that I’m already on page three…and y’all know I must get in my little plea(se)...and thank you. Thank you to all of y’all who take the time out of your busy, busy days and evenings to write to Erin and to send surprises. The first thing she tells me when we talk is that she’s received letters and/or packages…y’all, hearing from each of you is what gives Erin the strength and courage to do what she’s doing. Y’all are a MOST IMPORTANT part of her journey! So, thank you! thank you! thank you! and please keep it up!

Remember, too, that I am here to help y’all in any way I can. Please know how appreciative I am of each of you!!! I hope this new year is filled with excellent health and much happiness for each of you!

Hooray! Ankitiny from Erin...again (Hooray! Really from Erin again)

2007-12-20T21:39:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope your holiday season is off to a great start! I am typing this quickly on a French keyboard, so I am sorry for the errors and if I missed sending this to anyone. It is also on my blog... this is my latest entry; I encourage you all to read it when you have a chance.
www.themasoandro@blogspot.com
My mom tries to update it for me every week or so. I miss you all and wish you the happiest of holidays! I am thinking about and praying for each of you all the way over here.

Dec 17th, 2007
Hey yall! I miss you each so very much! I've been at site for about 2 weeks now and I really like it most of the time. I have definitely broken down to my mom a couple times because it's really the most challenging experience of my life, but I get through those moments and the next day, or even just a couple hours later, I feel great and remember why I am here.

My village is absolutely beautiful! I literally live in paradise. I don't really have a "typical" day but I usually wake up around 6, eat something, take my malaria meds, and hang out until school starts at 7:30 with my site mate and around 40 little 5-16 year old boys before they go to their elementary school. We practice English and Gasy, throw a ball around my front yard of bright red dirt, play cards, or just pick fun at each other and laugh a lot. I also really enjoy making homemade peanut butter… some of the boys will bring by peanuts to sell and I shell them, roast them, skin them, then pound them in my mortar with my pistol – yeah, that's right – I have a mortal and pistol! HAHA! Then I add a little sugar and salt and oil and pound away, it's a great way to get out the frustration of the begging children and utter poverty I live with. I've been making a lot of food with the peanut butter – one of my fav meals is peanut butter and hot sauce pasta, I think I may even eat it back in America. But who knows, those lines are so blurred by now. I cannot even image what it is like to be able to put something in the microwave and eat it 2 minutes later and feel full. It blows my mind how easy it is to make food at home. We have to catch and pluck and kill and clean and cook a chicken over a fire before we can even think about how "good" it’s going to taste. Anyways, I hope my community will catch on to my peanut butter making because it's a decent source of protein for them to add to their sole rice meals.

One of my other favorite stress relievers is my daily runs or hikes with the boys. The little girls are really shy still, but hopefully next time I write I can tell you about the progress I'm making with them. Before it gets too hot out, or once the sun begins to set but in the special middle time before the mosquitoes perpetrate, they take me just a few minutes away to the most beautiful places I've seen in my life, more wonderful than any scene I could have ever dreamt up. I also enjoy going to the small market and hanging out with all the women, most of whom are pregnant, I have a lot of family planning to teach, and just letting my eyes enjoy the sparkling colors of the tomatoes, the limes, the papaya, mango, crazy jack fruit that tastes like starbursts, the rice bread and coconut candies, and the flowing in the delicate breeze lambas the women all wear around their little bodies and their heads with weaved baskets and water buckets pilled high. The ground is the brightest red, even redder than Georgia clay, and the sky is huge and the blue of so many of your eyes that I miss, and the thousands of different palm trees and flowering bushes are every kind of green… but this market just bustles with life and color among the otherwise scene of blue, green and red. Sometimes I feel like these parts of my day, which sometimes go on all day, are just a playground for my eyes – it's all so new and lovely. I have never seen flowers like the ones in my village. Near the water pumps there are a plethora – I am going to send my mom home with a CD full of pictures when she comes in June so yall will all finally be able to see the graceful wonders soon! Then, on the hikes, the flowers are even more unbelievable. Yesterday we hiked for a couple hours through this dry grassland packed with huge strong zebu cows and ended up stumbling down these huge red boulders all the way to this massive lake surrounded by a swamp filled with big Australian type swamp birds, crocodiles and these lily pad/orchid hybrid flowers floating throughout the muddy green bullet-type thick leafy grass bubbles – they were huge, the size of my forearm, and bright purple with white inside full of yellow spots that looks like stars dancing inside them.

These people I am living and working with may be some of the poorest in the world, but G-d's presence cannot be doubted with this sheer beauty all around us. Even the little boys gasp and enjoy and frolic in the fairyland just down the road from their little shacks. It is so cool to be able to enjoy these moments of freedom and happiness with them when so much of their life is about barely getting by and simply trying so hard to survive. Erin, my great, laid-back, amazing with these boys, thoughtful and so helpful site mate, and I play soccer with the boys most afternoons. Well, they play, and I try to get a hold of or block the ball, I have a lot of progress to make with both the art of Gasy soccer and language. I work, too, I swear, it's not all amazing hikes and games. I work three days a week at the rural health clinic. My doctor speaks French to me, which I don't understand, still need to learn that better, too. But, despite our lack of clear communication, we've been working pretty well together. I hope it grows and improves. We give vaccines once a week with a cooler full from Diego since we have no power to keep them cool all week. He gives the vaccines and I explain them to the moms, kids, or pregnant girls. We also give out mosquito nets and explain how to use them, how important they are, and we help them clean and re-medicate them, too. A lot of my work there is while the young ladies and babies are waiting for the doctor. Gasy time makes it okay for him to be late, it's just the culture. I give little speeches and demos about cleaning water, family planning, getting tested for AIDS, preparing cheap but healthy foods, brushing teeth, mosquito-proofing their homes etc. Let me know if y'all have any fun ideas for me to teach them!

Once a week I come in to Diego. It's just like New Orleans – both good and bad points. It keeps me in touch with yall, lets me get a cold drink or ice cream, and reminds me that Madagascar is progressing and I need to work hard to help my village improve, too. Today is my first day to work with PSI (Population Services International) so next time I will tell you more about how great it is. It's an American NGO funded by USAID. Everyone who works in the Diego office is Gasy, they speak French more than Sakalava, too, so I really need to improve both languages – one for my village and one for the city. Any pointers are warmly welcome! I will be working with them and their peer educators who help empower the tons of young commercial sex workers. Diego is a huge tourist town, and everywhere you turn, you see a precious 14 year old Gasy girl with a 65 year old French man. I'm not trying to be hard on the French, it's just a fact of life here – there are many great French people here, too. Anyways, I will work on helping these girls realize that they are better than that, that they should value themselves more, and find other ways to make money. Many families kick the girls out and they have to fend for themselves and this is the easiest way. It's so sad, this sexual tourism, and I am thrilled to be a part of fighting it.

Lastly, there are a few projects I am really looking forward to making happen here. I have become friends with a couple of the big musicians here and I'm hoping to work with them in some cool ways. I am not supposed to start planning big things like this until after 3 months at site, evaluating their needs etc… But I do have a few goals that I hope work out and I know will do a ton of good. Just something to pray and think about in the meantime. Let me know y’all’s ideas… I am writing songs in Gasy with health, environment, community messages in them and Fandrama (y’all should all check him out, he's a rocking artist and also a government rep from Diego and only 28!) is hoping to be able to sing them… not sure if it will actually happen as I hope, but I wrote my first last night and it would be so cool because thousands of people go to his concerts and everyone listens to him on the radio – radio is the best way to reach Gasy people because so many are illiterate and almost none have power for TV etc. Erin and I really love the kids in our community but they fight and beg so much, again, it's their culture. There are a lot of vacant and decaying cement buildings in Sakaramy because it used to be mostly French, I would love to start up some sort of music resource center for the kids and a kind of youth development center where they can hang out when it's raining or too hot or there's too many mosquitoes outside. (There is a great model of one in Cville!) Again, I cannot really start any of these projects for a few months, but please think about them and let me know any ideas you have, thank you! Lastly, soccer and music being the biggest two things here, it would be my dream to have an AIDS/Malaria awareness raising festival with soccer and music. There are a lot of wealthy vahaza (white folks from France etc.) in Diego so I'm hoping we could charge them to come, give out free AIDS testing, mosquito nets etc to the Gasy and use the money to help with some kind of safe house for the very young commercial sex workers. There are a few really cool orphanage/girls home type places in Tana and I haven't found one here yet, so I would like to help or help start one – or even just plant the idea because these wishes of mine may be much more than I can do in 2 years in this laid-back red island. Please let me know any idea you have, thank you so much!

Finally, a very simple and easy idea you can directly help with for almost free! Whenever you go to a fast food restaurant and get a free toy, please send the toys to me here or to my mom to send me and it can be the beginning of something for the kids to play with to keep them out of the street. Thank you so much! I love and miss y’all so much! I hope everything is going great back there for you! Have a very HAPPY HOLIDAY season and know you're in my thoughts and prayers.
Please keep in touch!

xoxo,
Erin

Ankitiny from Erin Again (Really from Erin Again)

2007-12-06T18:50:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all...I'm not sure why the last blog written appears twice!?!?! This time, though, you are not seeing double...the title is almost the same as a blog from a couple of weeks ago because this, too, is really from Erin. I received an e-mail today asking me to post this for her -- it's very current! (And current in Madagascar is quite unusual! You may notice Erin referring to the nearby city as Diego -- and you may not be able to locate Diego on a map. Diego's name was changed to Antsiranana in 1975. You can probably find Antsiranana on the map; however, change is slow in Madagascar and the local people still call it Diego.) Now for what you really want to be reading...ENJOY! (Remember, Erin is writing on a French keyboard so there could be some little oddities.)

Hey y’all! I hope you are doing great, had a very happy Thanksgiving and are now looking forward to the rest of the holiday festivities. This past month since I had internet to write you last has been quite a ride.

I would like to share my thanks as I missed that chance back home in the States with y’all:

THANKS…

For the constant amazement God lets me stand in

For my supportive friends at home, serving around the world and my new and priceless friends here in Madagascar

For the Peace Corps… this is the most humbling, exciting, exhausting, real, overwhelming, simple, inspiring, frustrating, empowering experience I have ever had. I love its mission and goals more each day – to foster peace and friendship in this world, to share our skills with those in need in a sustainable way together, to learn a new culture which is the best reflection of our own, and to share our American ways in which, thanks to Mr. Sabato, it is engrained in me that "politics is a good thing." I was afraid my idealism would get lost and flounder, but instead, in these 3 months which have flown by but in which some moments have felt like eternity, a sense of pragmatism and reality has been sprinkled among my lofty dreams in a way in which I will forever be grateful for the incredible Peace Corps training.

For the laughter and joy felt amid the expectations gone awry… the resilience and support and positive attitudes of my training group and our outstanding trainers, PC staff, host families and other rockin' volunteers.

For a clear mind as I walk into my new home tomorrow.

Of course, in the back of my rainbows and sunflowers mind I have some plans which I would love to have be a significant part of my service here (holding a huge soccer tournament and concert in which we raise tons of awareness about AIDS and Malaria for all the Malagasy in the Diego area, in which we raise money from the wealthy vazahs to open a safe house for learning for the overflowing amount of commercial sex workers who are precious 14 year old girls being pressured by their families to makemoney in order to merely survive, to teach all the wonderful children I meet how to actually speak English so they can have a chance at making an honest living as a tour guide and helping promote a greener Mkar so they can maintain their unbelievable landscapes and plant and animal life like nowhere else in the world, installing solar panels at a nearby rural health clinic so the villagers can finally get vaccinated, persuading people to drink clean water, use mosquito nets and plant their own gardens, helping with a country-wide PC effort with my friends through bike races, marathons, concerts and camps to help give the Gasy the knowledge to improve their own lives…) but this is not my job. My job for these first 3 months as a volunteer is to observe. To take it all in and try to grasp what my community wants and what they feel they need. I wish I could jump right in and see my great impact, but it's gonna be slow, it's also going to be something I only facilitate, they will do it all on their own, because they can.It's pretty awesome but also scary as hell.

For this beautiful country I now get to call home!

For the wonderful Peace Corps doctors who got my through my first tropical belly ache.

For Ellen reminding me that that there is no language barrier to a smile...and also for the success of immersion in Sakalava

For giving a 15 minute speech in Sakalava about Malaria prevention and treatment

For the conversations and encouragement among the volunteers and our Gasy friends as we all work together here

For the PC approach to development as we share our love, hope, passion and skills with these great but needy little villages… how we take the ingenious Gasy resourcefulness and encourage our new friends, students, Gasy families to work together to better their own lives.

For the relationships. A week ago I was thinking too much and becoming slightly overwhelmed. Julia reminded me that we need to work one person at a time. Building relationships is the key to stirring about a better knowledge, attitude and behavior changes.

For y’all's support and love across oceans, keep it up, I love and miss y’all!

Thought y’all may be interested in my journal entry and reflections as I walked away from my host family's home for the last time, into the amazing sunrise and future of 2 years serving in this special country:

"How do I feel so okay leaving this home, it's like looking back atall the beautiful places and people I left in Costa Rica, Australiaand other great vacations. Is my heart hardening as I learn to notexpect anything, as I grow frustrated but my mind and eyes open more widely with every step. Life really is a merry-go-round – a carnival – but this is more than a vacation. This is my life – this come and go and leave some hopefully lasting and helpful footprints along the way. I passed the rolling hills streaming up smoke as they burn what's left of their precious forests so they can plant more rice, the rice paddies that go on forever and are more shades of green than all of Ireland. Ireland, what a special place, special trip with my grandma. I think about all those I left at home. My beloved friends and family. I realize how much I miss everyone. I think about my friends also doing mission trips and volunteer work all across this world. We are so lucky, but there is so much need. Because we are so blessed, it is our moral duty to help others. Imagine what John Lennon was singing about – all the people living life in peace. I smile and look behind me, then beside and fast far in front of me. The young school children giggle, yell ino voavoa (what's up), giggle more, stop to quickly wash their bare feet in the dirty puddle and then scurry off to class wherethey will learn in the ancient French style of teachers writing on the board and they copy in their falling apart notebooks. The red dust flicks up and makes my legs look tanner than they actually are in these temperate highlands. I dream about my new site. The intense heat which will soon melt my heart up North. I refocus on the now and feel the cool early morning breeze on the back of my neck through my fully braided head. I begin to pass the homes which housed and comforted my dear friends. We all walk, one big white pile, down the hills which so acutely feel like the Virginia/West Virginia border. I remember our killer rafting trips and the good ole song of wahoowa. Back here, we laugh at our last nights amusements, our precious families and our final understanding of that tiny village which nourished us with rice3 times a day but with the patience and love of a real family, wevent, we stand amazed at the sky. I remember that its beauty is partly from the intense pollution. I remember why I am here. This is it, this is my life in Madagascar. But it's all abruptly about to change. I pray for peace, friendships, safety, health and more fun-packed adventures to come – most importantly, that I actually continue to make a great impact on these Malagasy brothers and sisters of ours."So, I'm off to site. I will write y’all again hopefully aroundChristmas. Please stay in touch! Also, let me know what y’all wouldlike to read about… what should I relay to my sweet momma for you?What questions do y’all have? And fill me in on all life where you are right now!Oh yeah! My site! Haha, sorry, that's probably the biggest thing y’all want to know… My village is called Sakaramy. It is named after the Ramy trees which used to be all over. There used to be these beautiful trees everywhere, as well as many lemurs. However, they burnt them all for need of wood and ate all the lemurs. Lucky, I have an amazing site mate whose focus is eco-tourism and environmental education. Her name is Erin, too. She's from Wisconsin and 25 and really great and laid back and helpful, caring and fun. I am so lucky and blessed to have someone to work with and really make a great lasting impact in our community. Sakaramy is a commune, so we have a mayor and 4 tiny villages around us. There are around 1,200 people that I will be reaching out to around my community. We are only a short 17 miles away (which takes about an hour on our roads) from Diego which is the coolest city I've been to in the world. It is colorful, clean, has great old French colonial architecture, a peacock blue bay, nice hotels and restaurants for the slight occasion in which we can splurge on ice cream and visiting a 5 star resort with a swim-up bar! The city is about 25 minutes away from a beautiful beach and 3 white sand bays on the Indian Ocean. I cannot wait to go there in a few weeks for Christmas! Sakaramy is right between this rocking city and another great little town called Joffreville. Joffreville is the base for Amber Mountain National Park. We are a 10 minute drive/hour walk andwill be working there and Diego a lot as well. Amber Mountain is an ancient volcano with a rain forest on top of it, waterfalls, lemurs and chameleons galore. From the top (which I will see any day now!) you can see all the tip top of Madagascar and where the Indian Ocean, Diego Bay and Mozambique Channel all meet in a beautiful, unique blue. We have 2 elementary schools right by our house and I will be working a lot with these kids on early empowerment and youth development. I will teach them about clean water, brushing their teeth, teach them some English, nutrition, gardening, malaria prevention, life skills through fun games… I will also be going to the middle and high schools and clubs around Diego to explain that AIDS is a real threat and weneed to prevent it while we have this special chance. I will help give confidence and facilitate peer education for the sexual tourism girls so they can continue and education and find a healthier, safer career. I am so excited about the next 2 years! It is going to be pretty rough at times… sometimes I just want a real shower, air conditioning in this intense heat (it's around 100 at day and 86 at night but there is no way to cool down at all), to be able to talk as often as I want to y’all, to hug y’all for goodness sake! But, my training has been outstanding, I am so grateful for the challenges I've already made it through and I am pumped for this adventure, this journey and this incredible way to make a difference. Thanks for all of the encouragement, I love and miss y’all so much!

Please stay in touch and keep me posted on everything you are up to! Come visit!

xoxo,
Erin

Feo of Erin - Feno Sary (The Voice of Erin - Full a Picture

2007-12-04T19:53:00.002-05:00

The title is the best I can do for Sakalava to English word choice – limited words!

Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and have plans for a fabulous holiday season! Before taking y’all through Erin’s very eventful past 2+ weeks, I know Erin would first want to wish each of y’all a very healthy, happy new year!

Now, let’s go back to the Monday before Thanksgiving…
Erin got sick…REALLY, REALLY sick and had to be taken to Antananarivo (Tana, the capital). We still don’t know what she had…we do know that she was very, very dehydrated. Finally, by Thursday (Thanksgiving) she was re-hydrated, but the doctors would not allow her to leave Antananarivo, so she could not join her PCT group at the PC Thanksgiving celebration. Erin was disappointed and then…WOW! The head of PC Madagascar had some of Erin’s clean clothes delivered to her, she was cleaned up and she went to the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy's home Thanksgiving. She said it was amazing! She learned so much – some of the information was disheartening. There are no factories in northern Madagascar which would provide jobs and help tremendously in this greatly impoverished area. One reason for this is to perpetuate the situation since this area of the country isn’t supportive of the current government. Can you imagine – lack of integrity in the government!?! Thanksgiving was a very unique and enjoyable experience for her! By Friday, the doctors decided that Erin was well enough to return to her host family. Erin was very pleased…her time with them would be ending soon.

The next week, Erin and the other PCT’s left their host families to go to Antananarivo for the last of their training. I think I had mentioned in earlier blogs that Erin had some serious concerns about her site placement. Safety and security are HUGE issues and the PC Security man agreed. The village had not built Erin’s house although they said they had done so…this is of great importance since it indicates the village is committed to having the volunteer - and the volunteer needs a place to live. (Saying that they had done do when they hadn’t is a big concern, too!) The PC wanted Erin to go to the site-the house was finally built- and try to open the new site. Erin was uncomfortable with this for several reasons. Her safety was her first concern. She was also uncomfortable with the idea of “trying” the site since commitment to the site is very important. To make a long story, actually a very long night, short…last Thursday afternoon through Friday morning…Erin’s returning home was a possibility. If Erin were given the ultimatum to go to the site or to come home – as heartbreaking as it would have been, Erin would have come home. (That’s how very seriously endangered Erin was!) Happily, Erin is going to another site. They, too, have not had a healthcare communicator. This site is also in challenging northern Madagascar. Most importantly, Erin feels safe in this village. The village has an environmental PCV – also named Erin. (I think her name is Erin Cross.) Our Erin is SO HAPPY!!!

This morning, I heard from Erin after her swearing in. She said the ceremony was incredible! She sounded as thrilled as she had been after her walk down the Lawn. She is enjoying her last evening with the other PCV’s (no longer PCT’s…officially volunteers, not trainees!), She’s also enjoying running water and electricity…as of 6:00 AM tomorrow morning – she’s off to Sakaramy where there is no running water, no electricity…back to poverty-life. And she will enjoy her two years of service helping her people to be healthier.

Y’all, please write Erin…including CD’s and small surprises is great, too! During her 10 weeks of training, she was with the other PCT’s…now she is quite isolated, so hearing from y’all is even more imperative. Remember, y’all are a tremendous source of inspiration, encouragement, strength and love!

There are several funny stories that I have not included out of respect for y’all’s time during this busy, busy time of year. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions/concerns/etc. (See previous blogs for my contact information if needed.)

Before I conclude, I want to take a moment to thank y’all for being here for Erin. Every time we speak, she first mentions y’all – missing y’all, appreciating y’all for the letters she’s received (and e-mails I’ve received – copied and mailed to her), talking to y’all, occasionally….THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I do my best to reply to y’all, leave messages of thanks…and for anyone I’ve missed, I apologize. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU…from the bottom of my heart!!! I, too, wish y'all a new year filled with much happiness and good health!

Feo of Erin - Feno Sary (The Voice of Erin - Full a Picture

2007-12-04T19:53:00.001-05:00

Feo of Erin – Feno Sary (The Voice of Erin – Full a Picture)
This is the best I can do for Sakalava to English word choice – limited words!

Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and have plans for a fabulous holiday season! Before taking y’all through Erin’s very eventful past 2+ weeks, I know Erin would first want to wish each of y’all a very healthy, happy new year!

Now, let’s go back to the Monday before Thanksgiving…
Erin got sick…REALLY, REALLY sick and had to be taken to Antananarivo (Tana, the capital). We still don’t know what she had…we do know that she was very, very dehydrated. Finally, by Thursday (Thanksgiving) she was re-hydrated, but the doctors would not allow her to leave Antananarivo, so she could not join her PCT group at the PC Thanksgiving celebration. Erin was disappointed and then…WOW! The head of PC Madagascar had some of Erin’s clean clothes sent to her, she was cleaned up and she went to the Deputy Ambassador’s mansion for Thanksgiving. She said it was amazing! She learned so much – some of the information was disheartening. There are no factories in northern Madagascar which would provide jobs and help tremendously in this greatly impoverished area. One reason for this is to perpetuate the situation since this area of the country isn’t supportive of the current government. Can you imagine – lack of integrity in the government!?! This was a very unique and enjoyable experience for her! By Friday, the doctors decided that Erin was well enough to return to her host family. Erin was very pleased…her time with them would be ending soon.

The next week, Erin and the other PCT’s left their host families to go to Antananarivo for the last of their training. I think I had mentioned in earlier blogs that Erin had some serious concerns about her site placement. Safety and security are HUGE issues and the PC Security man agreed. The village had not built Erin’s house although they said they had done so…this is a big thing since it indicates the village is committed to having the volunteer. (Saying that they have when they hadn’t is a big concern, too!) The PC wanted Erin to go to the site-the house was finally built- and try to open the new site. Erin was uncomfortable with this for several reasons. Her safety was her first concern. She was also uncomfortable with the idea of “trying” the site since commitment to the site is very important. To make a long story, actually a very long night, short…last Thursday afternoon through Friday morning…Erin’s returning home was a possibility. If Erin were given the ultimatum to go to the site or to come home – as heartbreaking as it would have been, Erin would have come home. (That’s how very seriously endangered Erin was!) Happily, Erin is going to another site. They, too, have not had a healthcare communicator. This site is also in challenging north Madagascar. Most importantly, Erin feels safe in this village. The village has an environmental PCV – also named Erin. (I think her name is Erin Cross.) Our Erin is SO HAPPY!!!

This morning, I heard from Erin after her swearing in. She said the ceremony was incredible! She sounded as thrilled as she had been after her walk down the Lawn. She is enjoying her last evening with the other PCV’s (no longer PCT’s…officially volunteers, not trainees!), She’s also enjoying running water and electricity…as of 6:00 AM tomorrow morning – she’s off to Sakaramy where there is no running water, no electricity…back to poverty-life. And she will enjoy her two years of service helping her people to be healthier.

Y’all, please write Erin…including CD’s and small surprises is great, too! During her 10 weeks of training, she was with the other PCT’s…now she is quite isolated, so hearing from y’all is even more imperative. Remember, y’all are a tremendous source of inspiration, encouragement, strength and love!

There are several funny stories that I have not included out of respect for y’all’s time during this busy, busy time of year. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions/concerns/etc. (See previous blogs for my contact information if needed.)

Before I conclude, I want to take a moment to thank y’all for being here for Erin. Every time we speak, she first mentions y’all – missing y’all, appreciating y’all for the letters she’s received (and e-mails I’ve received – copied and mailed to her), talking to y’all, occasionally….THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I do my best to reply to y’all, leave messages of thanks…and for anyone I’ve missed, I apologize. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU…from the bottom of my heart!!!

Ankitiny from Erin (Really from Erin...don't know "from" in Sakalava)

2007-11-27T22:23:00.000-05:00

This is a letter I received from Erin on 11/26/07 that she asked me to post on her blog. (Mail is a little slow!) Erin sends this with her love and appreciation for each of y'all! Enjoy!

"10/22/07

…this is a compilation of why I love the Peace Corps and Madagascar…
WHY I LOVE PEACE CORPS MADAGASCAR:
1. Our trainers are amazing! Ex. Franka (my Sakalava
mpamplanatra [teacher]) figured out how to say “you rock” in
English so she could tell me that I rock – she is botrabotra-be
[so cute]. She also remembers everything…even if I only tell
her once. The first week I told her “ zoky-tanynaka pihira,
Eric anarany” [My older brother is a musician; his name’s Eric]
and when we get mail or a call from home, she always asks,
“How is Eric?” She has been miasa [working] for the PC efitra
taona [four years], so former PCT’s taught her the funniest
things – when she forgets something, she always says “brain
fart” – it’s precious!
2. As you can tell, I am finally beginning to think in “Gasy”. The
volunteers taking mefloquin (malaria prevention medicine which
gives you crazy dreams) are starting to dream in “Gasy”. The
PC does an unbelievable job with our language training. Y’all
better keep in touch mahay [super well] so that I don’t forget
English – HA! HA! Seriously, though, what really stands out for
me about the PC is the fact that we go into our villages speaking
their specific dialect. It’s such a great way to go to these “off
the map” places and really express how much we care about
them. They feel so worthy to have us come all the way bokany
Ameriky [from America] and work with them in their own
language. Many NGO’s (non-government organizations) here
only speak French although only the well-educated know French
and we can truly help the masses of illiterate people because we
can communicate with them.
3. PC totally knows when we are at our last wit and prevents us
from breaking down by being very thoughtful. For both
Halloween and Thanksgiving during training they are taking us
to a PC house with great American food, hot showers, lake we
can canoe in, etc. I can’t wait! Every Thursday during training,
we eat lunch as a group and Gaby, the Tana cook (who used to be
a chef at the nicest restaurant in Tana – but we stole him!)
makes us a delicious lunch. They make the transition very
doable. Also, once a month, when I get to my site, I will get to
go to the prettiest city in Madagascar for phone/email/hot
shower/bank/market/etc. I am so lucky to get to live near
Diego. By the time you read this, I may have already visited it
:-).
4.The volunteers across the country/across sectors work on
killer projects together. I can’t wait for the bike races, soccer
tournaments, etc. We get to go on “business trips” for these.
5. After a long hard day, on my walk home up the hills, through
the rice fields…I get to see a magical sunset – maty maoandro –
the sun dies – and I know that G-d is nigh because amid the
poverty, the lack of comforts, the stress of learning so much,
the pain of missing y’all, the adorable curious kids are
ambitiously wanting to always hand out with us, the super muddy
paths, the rain-soaked clothes, the dirty EVERYTHING, the
smelly kabone (the area where people go to the bathroom
outside), the rooster which crow way too early, the akoho we
have to learn how to kill [chicken] with our bare hands, the
setroko [smoke] which blazes all harivo [evening] and gives
every tsaiky [child] in our village aretin-tratra [ARI], I know
G-d is with us here; He’s everywhere. We are all humans and
neighbors and because He said we need to take care of each
other, it’s the greatest honor to me that I get to be here
learning so much about life, about the other (something that I
can’t read…sorry y’all!) of the world’s population sharing their
joy under the big blue sky.

10/24/07
6. I am so happy today! Three environmental volunteers from
around Madagascar came to talk to us. One named Erin, too,
lives only 15 miles away from me (when I move to my site)!
She told me all about Diego. It sounds great! There are 9 of
us who will bank there. (The nine are not from Erin’s
training group…they are nine PCV’s who are from another
sector.) There’s a nice hotel near the PC House where we can
use the pool! She also said the beaches and national parks up
north are incredible. She said you get use to the heat quickly
- plus I would much rather be in the tropical part of
Madagascar because the weather here on the plateau is not good. Diego has no electrical
towers – all of the power is through generators so sometimes internet/phones don’t work but
we are learning a lot of patience already so I will survive. I only get mail/phone/internet
once a month for 3 days and will only be able to mail y’all once a month, too, when I go to
Diego. Sorry you will have to wait for so long! Y’all better write a lot so I can take the letters
back to site and read them all month. It was so great to hear more about where I’m going!
The volunteers up there work together a lot which will be awesome! Emily, on e of the super
mahay [great] volunteers who trained us is almost done with her service and lives near Diego
so she left me a ton of her supplies – pots, silverware, etc. in Diego which is incredible! Oh,
and the music and the dancing up north sounds so much fun, too! I can’t wait for my site
visit! My new address is:

Erin Levin, PCV
Peace Corps Regional House
6 Rue Commandant
Marchard-Place
Kabary 201
Antsiranana MADAGASCAR

Please send mail there starting by Nov. 15! I hear we need more DVD’s, so feel free to send
those! THANKS!
7. My sister, Meltine, is adorable! She has a notebook where she writes down the song lyrics
she hears on the radio, radio is huge here, and half the songs they play are in English so last
night she made me sing them to the whole family and I had to try to explain what they mean
which was so hard! 1 – I don’t speak the same language as my host family – they speak
Malagasy and are from Merina – Indosian Island tribe – and I an living far north and speak
Sakalava – they are from south western Africa. 2 – I have a horrible voice. 3 – Some of the
songs are a bit dirty – lots of Shakira and Fergie, etc. It was hilarious – like something out of
Saturday Night Live. J (Y’all, I don’t know what kind of radio Erin is talking about since they
have no electricity…maybe some sort of transistor radio…y’all may be much to young to even
know what that is!)
8. We are already making a difference. I had a huge fear that I would get here and be totally
consumed with the poverty and become disillusioned. However, because we live in the
poverty, it becomes a way of life and we realize what we need to do to survive and can share
these skills mixed with our wonderful American educations and seriously improve the
conditions of life for all those around us. For example, my Mom is sitting right next to me
right now reading a newsletter I gave her in Gasy about getting vaccines for children and
where around our village, babies get vitamin A pills, weighed, etc. She will go tell everyone
around us what she learned! News here travels very fast somehow – especially when it is
something a vazah [white person] tells them. It’s really cool here, though, because our
families consider us real family now and not even vazahs anymore. Looking different, but
speaking their language, is the most advantageous way to disseminate information. People
flock to us and really listen to us. The challenge is really persuading and training them that
these behavior changes are crucial and good for them. Luckily, our training is the best and I
love talking to people – I’ve just got to take baby steps! Awww….my Mom just showed me
where is says that sweet potatoes and carrots have lots of vitamin A because that’s what we
had for lunch and she’s so proud! AND, my sister, Chantall, who is 22, just came in with her
botrabotra [very cute] 2 and 3 year old daughters who are in their church dresses because
they just went to the CSB [clinic] to get vaccinated! YEA! These are the moments when I feel
like here really has so much hope for this world to be better.”

(This is a letter that Erin wrote and asked me to post on her blog. Later this week, I will write
a lot from the conversation we had, so stay tuned…Erin is feeling much better – however, she
had been taken to Antananarivo – the capital – because she had to get re-hydrated after
getting very sick…still waiting for the lab reports to, hopefully, learn what she had. After 4-5
days of re-hydration, she’s back in her host village. There are lots of stories that go with this…
her Mom lamenting over her sick child that was taken away for 5 days and her sick cow! Hope
everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please know that both Erin and I are so very
thankful for the support, encouragement and love y’all share through your letters/packages to
Erin.)

With tremendous gratefulness,

Erin’s Mom

Jijy miaro Erin (Conversation with Erin)

2007-11-18T16:50:00.000-05:00

Fitiavana (love) from Erin to all of y’all! She is asking that y’all keep her in your prayers and that y’all, please; continue to be so supportive – she needs y’all now – more than ever! Erin is concerned about her site placement. She was up there last week and there are security issues. Erin is not certain that she – as a Peace Corps Volunteer – is really wanted in the village. Her house was not built even though they had told the Peace Corps that it was. (The building of the house/hut is important because it demonstrates their want and willingness to have the Peace Corps come into their village.) Without going into detail, Erin’s visit was nothing like when she first arrived in the village of her host family – and remember, she’s in that village without the other (17? or less now) volunteers who are with families in a nearby village where she goes for training. Please write letters sending encouragement – help Erin to maintain her incredible attitude; help her to ward off disappointment and disillusionment. Whether she is placed in Sadjoavato (where she is feeling fearful to go) or Sakaramy (where I think we are hoping for), there is SO MUCH work to be done. The northern region is even more impoverished than the plateau region we have described in earlier blog entries. The northern region is the poorest, most neglected area of this country – which is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. Erin said that with all the hard work she will be doing over the next two years, she will not even see a difference – she will be laying the groundwork for change. Giving so much of oneself and not seeing the outcome is difficult and Erin really wants and needs the encouragement, strength and love that y’all have been giving to her. She differentiated the plateau region from the northern region by comparing the plateau to the poorest areas of West Virginia – with rice patties, though – and the north to the Sudan. Erin asked that we help her to see the bright side – “this is much harder than I ever thought it would be. Everyone, please help!”

Erin was a little naïve…perhaps an understatement!!! She was upset to learn that prostitution is legal for those 18 years and older, that khat is legal and that there is corruption. When the taxi busse is pulled over by the “police” and the driver gave him money, Erin thought they driver was paying a toll…not a bribe because of something that was been done illegally! Seriously, thought, Erin is VERY concerned about the “sexual tourism”. Many YOUNG girls 11, 12, 13 year olds are being made up to look 18 and “sold” to French businessmen or tourists because they and their families desperately need the money. Erin wants to find a way to empower these young girls; she wants to help them find other ways to earn money and to break this horrible cycle. She is even thinking about establishing some sort of “safe” house for these young girls so they will be safe, they can learn a money-making craft/skill, and they will no longer have to prostitute themselves. Erin was hoping that some of you may have some ideas that you could share with her; that y’all may have some advice. (I know that WSB is going to have a segment on something similar to this right here in the Atlanta area, so I’m going to call them tomorrow to get a transcript.) Also, Erin is very concerned that most of the people in the north believe that AIDS is not real; that it was made up by governments to get money for drugs and that condoms were to be used to stop procreation and end their survivial. Erin wants to find some visual testimontials from other African nations that demonstrate the harsh realities of HIV and AIDS. Do any of y'all have any ideas to help Erin with this challenge? Please share whatever you know. Thanks!!!

And now for a little Erin humor…
Erin just completed an intensive survival course – starting a fire without matches, first aid, etc. For the last activity, the PCV’s were going to make their own “snack” according to the trainers. Erin had to catch a chicken, wring its neck, clean out the insides, pluck it and fry it…that was to be her snack! After doing all that she HAD to do, she no longer had an appetite for chicken!!! As gross as this is…imagining Erin doing all this may make you laugh…hey, I don’t eat chicken, anyway!!!

Please, please keep those encouraging letters, the CD’s she so very much enjoys and everything else coming to Erin. Y’all mean so very much to her and she is going to begin her MOST difficult challenge! Remember, if you’d like to send small packages, use the bubbled envelopes and don’t go over 3 pounds. Tape up the bubbled envelope to detour people from breaking into it. Send “religious books”, “educational items” and “personal, feminine hygiene items” if you have to fill out the little customs form. Her new address is:

Erin Levin, PCV
Peace Corps Regional House
6 Rue Commandant
Marchard-Place
Karaby 201
Antsiranana MADAGASCAR

If there’s anything I can do to help you help Erin, please, do not hesitate to call (770) 403 – 2141 or to e-mail me levinb@fultonschools.org or brl259@aol.com or write
695 Saint Regis Lane
Alpharetta, GA 30022

And, please know how very much I appreciate each of you for being the incredible friend you are!!!
With tremendous thanks!
Brenda

Mbalatrara Jiaby (Hi everyone)!

2007-11-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

(This is actually from Erin - sent via facebook since she didn't have gmail access, Please excuse any misspelled words, other errors and oddities - she used a French keyboard and did the best she could in a limited amount of time. Tomorrow, I will post another addition to this blog based on the conversation we had early this morning. Y'all, please enjoy this one from Erin and please read tomorrow's addition because Erin REALLY needs y'all! I hope y'all realize y'all's importance to Erin and that the support Erin receives from y'all truly helps her to help others. So, y'all, too, are making a difference through Erin's Peace Corps experience - MUCH THANKS!!!) ENJOY!

Thank you all so much for your letters, emails, calling me back when I can talk, thoughts, prayers, friendship and love. The past six weeks have been quite a ride…

I have:

-Checked my Gmail ONE TIME. I should be able to check it once a month when the weather is good and I can get to Deigo… but snail mail is still the best. Even better, email me then also print it and send it
to: Erin Levin, PCV
Peace Corps Regional House
6 Rue Commandant
Marchand-Place
Kabary 201
Antsiranana Madagascar

Don’t forget to write Airmail and Par Avion! If it is a package, please send it in a package envelope which is hard to break in to… the Antsiranana
(Diego) Post Office is known for breaking into boxes which are not over-tapped. In other communication news, I have a tiny, tiny bit of cell phone service when it is windy at my site! I will text message you and then you can call me back – yay!!!  Phone Number: (must dial 011 to get out of states on some phones) 261-33-088-1952 and/or
261-32-514-0123

-Seen 6 types of lemurs (ankomba) which are so cute and totally worth a trip to Madagascar if I’m not a good enough reason… you all need to visit! This place is beautiful! Every few miles whole landscapes change. It’s so incredible that through the poverty there is this innate beauty here. Through the trash, smoke, shacks and millions of babies everywhere, there are the cool waterfalls, the volcanoes with rainforests on top of them, the thousands of miles of beaches with peacock blue (that’s right mom!) or turquoise or red waters. There are the plentiful fruit trees full of mangos, bananas, papaya, coconuts, lechees, jack fruit, and pibosy.

-Hung out on the side of the road with 30 Gasy (in a car which in America would hold a max of 12) because our Bush Taxi (taxi-brousse) broke down… 4 times and counting. This is actually REALLY fun once you get used to it. It’s a great chance to get to know folks and prove that you are not a vazah (foreigner). All the people in Mahitsitady (the village we live in with our host families), Ambatalona (the town on the main road near our village)… and now starting in Deigo (my AMAZING banking town) and hopefully soon in Sadjoavato (my site for 2 years) call me Gasy now. It’s really cute. Even today when I was visiting my site this weekend, I sort of found a host family there. I will be living behind the rural health clinic (they are building my house right now – it’s made out of palm – pretty cool, huh?) The mom and older sister and her fiancé (who is a rainforest guide so actually speaks some English) showed me all around and when the precious little kids would yell “Salute Vazah!” (Most white people are rich French businessmen), I shouted back “Mbalatsara Gasy!” which totally blew them away because “Hello” in Gasy is “Manao Hoana” but up here they speak Sakalava and the kids can not believe I do too, so by the end of the day they were all calling me Gasy too which made my day! It’s so hot here that by the end of 25 more months I may even look like one, but with white hair 

-Seen a dozen types of geckos and chameleons which are really cool creatures, I kind of want one as a pet

-Learned a language, yeah a whole language, I am not quite fluent but I am shocked at how well I got by on this week on my own up here… thank goodness for our incredible Gasy PC staff and Franka, my amazing Sakalava teacher! Fa Mbala Mianatra (But Still Learning) Mbalatsara – literally means, “still good?!”

-Built a clay stove (fantana mitsitsy – improved stove) for my host family so they will have less smoke and less colds and use less wood and charcoal and save themselves and their precious forest which they are tearing away everyday by burning massive amounts of trash, slash-and-burning the land to plant rice paddies, etc. Here, the people live day to day. They work in the fields today to put rice on the table tonight. It’s very hard for them to think about tomorrow, needless to say 10 years from now. If they keep going this rate with slash-and-burn, their beautiful country full of lush rainforest, animals and plants which exist only here, will disappear way too soon.
(Just another reason you all need to hurry up and visit me). It’s so amazing that these small feasible actions, if taught to enough people and disseminated widely and actually implemented, can truly make them healthier, happier and sustain their lives and land.

-Learned to cook (mandoky) for the first time in my life and learned to make the best peanut butter (tutu-pistasy) ever!

-Slipped down cliffs of red mud (teny mena) and still sat through class all day

-Mastered the art of purifying water (rano madio – clean water)

-Begun to learn how to carry buckets of water and bags of rice and peanuts and veggies and fruits on my head… it is way harder than it looks

-Been constantly stared at and shocked many people when I burst out the Gasy

-Pretty much only used a “kabone” hole in the ground, and “ladosy” rock with a “lamba” cloth or kakazu “palm-type tree sticks – around it to go to the bathroom and bucket-shower. Oh and washed all my insanely dirty clothes in an even dirtier river/rice paddy… I will not be clean until I get home December 2009. BUT it’s totally cool. The no power, no water, no nothing was pretty easy to get used to. I think it took about 20 hours to feel comfortable enough with it. A huge point of the Peace Corps, and why it is working, is because we all actually live with the people we are working with and helping at the same level they are at.
Having so little is actually more rewarding to me than having so much.
It makes me feel equal to my friends and family here and hopefully it will hugely help me integrate into Sadjoavato. I am opening the site and they are a bit skeptical but I will hopefully win them over. It is the most humbling and challenging experience of my life and I have never felt God’s presence so strongly. Everyday is a rollercoaster but thankfully because our purpose here is so evident, it is worth it for me.

-Eaten rice (vary) three times a day every day… except on the rare occasion in Tana or Diego where there is pizza, cold cokes, ice cream etc 

-Woken up every morning at 4:30am to the rooster… but it’s okay because there is nothing to do after dark so I’m usually fast asleep by 9:30pm (candles only last so long for letter writing/reading and there are only so many batteries and sunlight for the music…)

-Taught 46 seven and eight year-old how to brush their teeth and seen the biggest smiles on their faces when we got to give them tooth brushes

-Become a part of two new families – my host family in the Highlands and in Sadjoavato. I love them both dearly and it should warm all of your hearts to know the patience, kindness and love they have so openly shared with me. Compared to even a homeless family in the states, they have nothing, yet they find a way to share with me. Even if it is just teaching me how to pick a mango or jack fruit that’s ripe or find a place with shade and a breeze.

-Watched a soccer (labolle) match packed with an audience that would make up 5 surrounding villages on a cliff 3 miles away from anything… it was nuts!thanks again .)

-Had one of my good PC friends family’s cow have a baby cow and that night they ate the placenta for dinner (sakafo gasy – Malagasy food they say)

-Seen the most beautiful sunsets and stars of my life and been totally refreshed by them in a way I never thought imaginable

-Made friends with an incredible Gasy band called the Spesialista and had them teach me the Gasy drums, Velia and rain-shaker. Benja-Gasy, the lead singer got so excited when I said I was a PC volunteer and told me that he was one of the very few men in Madagascar with a vasectomy and that he is famous and will come tell all the men I want him to. It was pretty awesome and hilarious. I am going to buy a valia from him (it’s a very think piece of bamboo that’s about at long as my shoulder to elbow and has 20 strings around it, I love it!

-Rode on a ferris wheel moved by hand and made for people way tinier than I am

-Had this realization about what I am doing here: Because my new friends, neighbors, and family here do not quite understand seeing past today, it helps so much to empower them by letting them know how much we care. If they feel worth it, they will change their behavior to prevent STDs and AIDS and having too many babies too young, and they will take advantage of the free vaccines for their babies and the free vitamins and mosquito nets and because they are promoting eco-tourism so much back home, they will take my free English lessons so they can be tour guides and they will see the future and they will stop burning every tree so that their soil will not totally erode and their children can live a better life than they did. The ideal “American dream” is a possibility here and I am so grateful for the opportunity to help.
However, whatever “help” I am providing is nothing compared to what I am receiving from their everyday lessons of grace and humility and sharing and cheer amid poverty.

-Arrived at my site for a visit and there was no home for me. The one thing the community must do to prove to the PC they deserve and want a volunteer badly enough is build us a house all together. It was my first time crying since the first day here. It hurt so bad to think I was giving 2 years to them and they did not even want me. However, it’s been a great few days because of that. First of all, what I am giving is so small compared to what I am learning from the Malagasy people and my time living here. I saw Gasy time put in to action, it’s slow and laid-back to the core. I have this challenge to explain my purpose and prove myself to them. I am the first American they have ever met. I am trying to make yall all look good . I got to squeeze out the energy from my toenails and make everyone laugh with the few Sakalava jokes I can say. I got to introduce myself to the town in a meeting and have every man’s hand pop up to ask if I was married, have Jean-Claude (the great nurse) shout that yes I am and that my husband lives in America (haha) and every man said “that is far, she needs a boyfriend here” and Jean-Claude said my husband is strong, it was hilarious because only me and his great family knew the truth. Everyone asked Jean-Claude questions about me and it was so fun to understand them and quickly respond myself. I am learning to be tough enough to get by, patient enough to wait, kind enough to care, and hopeful enough to stay. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers that I can continue to grow in this way and stay healthy, safe and happy. Thank you 

-And so much more… It’s been amazing, it’s been rough, it’s been dirty, it’s been peaceful, it’s been life altering and mind-opening and it’s only been 6 weeks. Here’s to the next 25 months… please be in touch often and stay well and enjoy your life to the fullest and keep me posted on it!

Sambitsara (both good, goodbye),
Erin

Be Manoratra (Much to Write) Erin - fatatra, fitiavana & mahomby! (Erin - strong, love & to succeed!)

2007-11-12T21:29:00.000-05:00

Ah ha! Y’all noticed the language change!?! We’ve switched from Malagasy to Sakalava…less words from which to select; however, I’ll do the best I can. There truly is so much to tell…here goes…

I’d like to think the phone call that awakened me a few nights ago was really just a scary dream…and I’m very thankful that we can laugh about it now… Erin had made her first visit to her site and was returning to Antsiranana (also known as Diego) when the taxi-brusse (a form of transportation that is any motorized vehicle that crams as many people – and more – as humanly possible into it along with chickens, other animals and various cargo) caught on fire leaving the occupants on the side of the road. As Erin was trying to describe her situation, there was constant pecking on the phone and it was not the connection…it was chickens flying onto Erin pecking at the phone. As directed, I called her back in 22 minutes – she had said to wait 30 minutes, but y’all I just couldn’t. She was happily riding again and nearly in Antsiranana. (Whew! We survived that little mishap!) Since then, I have enjoyed several conversations with Erin and even an e-mail that I’d like to share a section of with y’all. (Remember, when I add parentheses, I’m adding an explanation not included in what I’m quoting.)

“I love Jean-Claude (that’s the “nurse” with whom she will be working in her village) and his family and all of their friends in Sadjoavato (that’s her site). Each day of the three days there got better. The kids stopped calling me Vazah (that’s “foreigner” which is somewhat derogatory) and started calling me Gasy because I speak to them in Sakalava. The English teacher in the middle school explained to me that he is not mahay “good” so I told him I would help which made the whole town happy. The Mayor, who at first did not want me, is the only person in town with power – she has a generator – and today told me I can charge me cell phone at her house and told me that she will help me to get girls to use girl condoms since the men will not use them. (Y’all, I’m tempted to make a comment here, but I won’t.) She had the whole town get tested for AIDS and no one has it here but there are a ton of STDs and she wants me to help her talk to all the teenage girls about that. Things are looking way up! They are almost done building my house. It’s made of palm wood, tin and leaves. Kamar (he’s a wonderful man – the Peace Corps driver) came to pick me up today and looked at the house, ladosy and kabone (y’all, I don’t know what ladosy and kabone mean). The kabone and ladosy are nice and private which is great. (HOORAY for the kabone and ladosy!!!) He said he is going to check on my house before I get there to make sure he approves of it. He is making them put some mosquito nets in the cracks to prevent the rats and mosquitoes. There is room for a bed, a chair and a dresser and there is a small room to the side for a small table and stove and there is a place for me to hang a hammock in the shade. They are fixing the fence around the clinic and making a lock so only we can get in it. They promised me and Komar all of these things so it should all be done by the time I get here Dec. 5th – 6th. If not, I will stay at the Meva (the Peace Corps House in Antsiranana) until it’s done, and if it is never safe enough for the PC standards they will not get me. Relax, smile. I am smiling so you should too. I love you and be thrilled that I sort of have cell service and can talk to you more than we thought!”

Here’s some very important information for y’all. Erin will text message you and if you can, please call her back immediately because cell service is sporadic. One cell phone works in one place and the other in another place. The first number I give you is the one I think she will use more often-
011 261 325140123
The other number is – 011 261 330881952
Please do not leave messages for Erin –
Retrieving messages is difficult and very costly.

Please write Erin as often as you can – she is very isolated and hearing from y’all means the world to her. Please make and send CD's. Her new address is –

Erin Levin, PCV
Peace Corps Regional House
6 Rue Commandant Marchand-Place
Kabary 201
Antsiranana MADAGASCAR

Erin couldn’t get her g-mail to work so she had to make any internet connects through face book. I’m not sure what I’m talking about, I just know that she face-booked a friend so I could receive an e-mail from her. Y’all, please keep Erin in your thoughts and PRAYERS!!! Y’all take care!

Iraka (a messenger),
Brenda

Bebe kokoa filazana avy Erin avy tsia vaovao manoratra 10/12/07 sy vaovao filazana sahona telefaonina antso (Short version - old & new news from Erin)

2007-11-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

Bebe kokoa filazana avy Erin avy tsia vaovao taratasy manoratra 10/12/07 sy vaovao filazana sahona telefaonina antso (More information from Erin no new [I couldn’t find the word for “older”] letter written 10/12/07 and new information from telephone call)

Hey, y’all! Hope everyone is well and enjoying life! Oh, before I begin, I must make a correction in my past blogs for Erin. I referred to Erin and those going through training with her as “PCV’s”. Well, until they are sworn in around Dec. 5, they are NOT PCV’s, they are PCT’s (Peace Corps Trainees)…I send Erin copies of the blogs I post for her and she made me aware of my mistake. OOPS! Let’s start with the information that Erin requested I post on her blog from the letter –

“1) Tell Pat that I LOVE the CD that he made me and that
EVERYONE else should send me CD’s they make, too!
Please!!!
2) I need Sydney’s address so I can write her back. (So Sydney, wherever you are in this whole wide world, please send me your address so I can get it to Erin –
levinb@fultonschools.org or brl259@aol.com
or better, yet, write Erin again enclosing your return address: Erin Levin, PCV
Bureau du Corps de la Paix
BP 12091
Poste Zoom Ankorodrano
Antananarivo 101
MADAGASCAR

Thank you!)

3) That I love it here! It is so beautiful, peaceful and simple.
There is so much purpose for us here on a daily basis. I
feel like I am really helping my family and village live more
healthy lives by washing hands, using a latrine, washing food
in clean water, etc. I also learn so much everyday from the
PC staff, PCV and my fellow trainees…especially from my
family and the villagers. They are so happy and having bare
minimum stuff – no toys, no power, no showers, no
chocolate, no beach, no money, TOO MUCH RICE but they
love each other fully and always have a sincere smile on their
faces. While at times it is vary, very hard to be here with
no comforts we are used to, they are so thankful to us for
being here. They manage to share so much with us even
when they don’t even have enough –it’s how the world should
be. Together, joyful, grateful for the little things like the
amazing sunsets and stars that go on for miles.

A note on Grandma’s card –
It is precious! She even sealed it with a smiley face sticker! I know that I am not one to talk because I have HORRIBLE handwriting, but I think I get it from Grandma! Please see if you can get her to manage to write more neatly! Thanks! I really want to see what she has to say because I love her so much!

I am going to write the other folks back and write you more this weekend. I love and miss you so much! Oh, and about my site, I am getting much more excited because one of the volunteers training us this week lives up near me and loves it. I will get to wear lambas (cloth made/scarf dresses) to work and every day. She says it’s much, much more “African” than here on the plateau and that it’s even more laid back – plus, Sakalava, our dialect – is the easiest!”

And now from yesterday’s phone call –

Erin and the other PCT’s are spending the weekend at this place that was once a French camp and is now owned by the Peace Corps. (Erin was so excited because she was on US property!) Every year, there is a huge festival/carnival held here. The PCT’s are here for the “cultural” experience. There are a lot of French people at the festival and they’re speaking French. The Malagasy people are very taken by the PCT’s because they look similar to the French people; however, they are speaking Malagasy – their language. The festival has rides and Erin was allowed on the Ferris wheel because she is small. There is no electricity, so energy producing the rides to move is by hand! There is lots of music and dancing. The BIGGEST, BEST band in all of Madagascar had a concert there. The band’s name is Specialiste and the leader is Benji-Gasy. Now this probably won’t come as a big surprise…Erin has gotten to be friends with Benji-Gasy and the band. She’s now hoping that she will have them up to her new village and they can do some fund-raising and some health awareness projects with her. Benji-Gasy in the only one in the country who makes a very special Malagasy instrument. I’m looking forward to his making one for Erin and her learning to play it…who knows!?!

Erin did ask that y’all please, please, please make her CD’s and send them to her. I don’t think each of you knows how VERY important your letters, CD’s, etc. are for Erin. In every conversation we have and in each letter I receive from her, it is clear that much of her strength comes from the support she is receiving from each and every one of you. Please know that I, too, greatly appreciate each of you! (And, if you let me know that you’re being so sweet and supportive – just send me your address and I’ll make you some brownies!)

After the festival ends for the PCT’s this weekend, Erin will spend Mon. and Tues. at this location with the “doctor” from her new site and then Wed. or Thurs. she’s off to her new village for a week. Y’all, Erin is really VERY NERVOUS about this and asks that you include her in your prayers…and if you don’t do a lot of praying, please start now!

I’m hoping to hear from her when she’s on her way back from her new site to her host family village. (She has to fly through the capital, so she should be able to call me – HOORAY!) Until then, y’all take care and please write to Erin!

Brenda

Marina(ly) avy Erin mandalo any anamana (Really from Erin via a friend)

2007-10-31T19:13:00.000-04:00

Y’all, this blog entry is really from Erin. I will do my best to read and to write this correctly – conditions for letter writing aren’t the best there…limited light – candle, sun or flashlight and there’s no desk, chair, etc. If I have anything to say, I’ll put it in parentheses. Here goes…enjoy!
10/22/07

Hey y’all! I have not seen my blog but I hear Mom is doing a great job updating it – thanks Mommy! (Ah shucks, you’re welcome, honey!) I am sending this letter with a good friend of mine who is coming back to the states. PC is not for everyone – even the most incredible of people. So hopefully this will actually get to y’all in just a few days – the quickest communication for a while! Madagascar is great! It is a beautiful country with very kind people who are all so glad we are here to work with and help them. My family is huge and precious. Compared to what we have in the states – water, power, tables, chairs, toys, pillows, etc. – they have nothing but – but they have each other and are truly the happiest people I have ever met. They have an inner joy and love for family and neighbors. Listen to the African Children’s Choir song “It Takes a Whole Village” because that does a great job explaining life here. It is simple, rough-around the edges, extremely friendly and in need of more education. I have class all day each day and learn Sakalava – the language dialect of Malagasy which they speak in the far north. I am moving to Sadjoavato in December. It’s 52 kilometers south of Diego which is supposed to be the most beautiful city in Madagascar. I get to visit my site in 2 weeks for a week to see what I need there – bed, mosquito net, pots, locks, etc. It is a brand new site so the 4,000 villagers will meet me as the first American ever. I’m pretty excited but also super nervous, so please keep me in your prayers. I do feel very good about everything though – except missing y’all! We learn skills about cooking and building clay stoves, cleaning food and water, medical skills in case of emergencies, etc. We also learn a ton about the culture which is way different from home. Gasy (that’s short for Malagasy, has nothing to do with eating too many beans!) time is super laid back and if it’s the hot & rainy season, the roads go away and life sort of takes a rest for a few months. All of the volunteers who come down to train us are incredible and really revitalize me with their success stories. Our job is to effectively educate and communicate to our (village) and (to) surrounding villages about simple messages to keep them well. We will plant gardens, teach them to clean water, build latrines, play with the kids and get the community active in AIDS awareness, disseminating vitamin A pills and mosquito nets, plan events together with other volunteers like bike races, soccer tournaments and plays/concerts to share information about malaria, AIDS and nutrition. The training we are getting right now is awesome. Our Malagasy PC staff rocks! They are so fun, hilarious and sweet. I am teaching one of my sisters English at night, too, which is great because it helps both of us a lot. I have already been able to see my presence has a purpose and positive effect on my family here in the village near Tana (where) we train at. They wash their hands before we eat, brush their teeth and cover their mouths when they cough. I know it sounds crazy but these little actions we take for granted are really going to keep them healthy because there are so many illnesses here which are only because of the lack of knowledge of basic hygiene. My site will not have power, water or cell service but I will get to go to Diego once a month to get in touch with y’all – please keep writing letters and I will get you my new address soon – thank you so much for the letters and great gifts! They make my day when I get them! I really hope to get pictures to y’all somehow because this place is unreal! The sunsets rock my world, the stars go on forever, the moon is huge, the rice fields are the greenest green – like Ireland, Grandma! This weekend I got to see a bunch of lemurs which was wild! They are so human-like and graceful in the trees. Oh, and the flowers would have blown your mind! 70% of the flora and fauna on this massive island are endemic and only here. I think you should all come visit for sure! It is my language tutor, Franka’s, birthday today which reminds me, I am so sorry I’m missing all your birthdays. Here is one big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you for your next couple birthdays! We will celebrate a lot when I get back! What’s going on back there??? GO HOOS! I can’t believe we’re having such a great season :-) Are the debates for the election heating up? Any new fun music coming out? Please send me CD’S! How is Deep River Tribe? I wish I could be there working with y’all. I am learning so much here that you would much rather have me when I get back! How are your jobs? How is class? How is married/engaged life?

Jeb – please tell the GRS folks that I really want to talk to them – it would be a perfect program here! The kids love foot-ball! And a lot of my friends in training and I want to expand the AIDS/Malaria ed through soccer tournaments…

so as y’all sit down in your comfy chair at your fast computer in your air conditioned homes with glass windows – don’t take for granted – most of the world cannot even dream of those things. But DON’T feel badly – this island, the 10th poorest country in the world – is full of the most spirited and smiley—with no teeth—people in the world.

I love and miss y’all! Keep in touch!

XOXO
Erin

Tokoa Valisoa(ing) (Very Rewarding)

2007-10-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

Hey y’all! It’s Mama blogger once again. I know some of y’all heard from Erin when she was on the field trip mentioned in the previous blog and some of y’all heard from her a few days ago when she was in Antananarivo (Tana) getting a yellow fever shot. She was so excited to talk with those of you who were available! (I didn’t write about our conversation from the Tana trip since I had been informed that I could call her today.) So, here’s what’s new…

Erin has a very busy schedule for the next few weeks. On Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, the PCT (Peace Corps Trainees) will be taking a trip about 1 ½ hours away from the villages to go to a place that the Peace Corps owns where the Malagasy people have a big “carnival/folk festival” according to what Erin has learned. The PCT’s will spend the weekend enjoying this cultural experience and become more familiar with Malagasy dance and songs. On Mon. and Tues., Erin will stay at this PC place and the “doctor” from her village in northern Madagascar will spend some time with Erin. Then they go to Antananarivo (Tana) and fly to Diego on Wed. or Thurs. so Erin can visit her site – the place she’ll be for the next 2 years. According to what Erin’s been told, the village has built a “house” for her right behind the Community Health Center.

Erin has learned to build a clay stove, so she’ll cook for herself is she has to do so. (Oftentimes, the PCV will find a family in the village that does the cooking and the PCV shares meals with them – paying them for the food and the help.) Erin has learned to make rice and peanut butter.) Her new village is closer to the equator so there should be some good fruit. (I’ve found over a dozen different protein bars – with 10-20 grams of protein – so I’m send those to her with a rating sheet. She can let me know which ones she likes and I’ll send more.)

Erin met an environmental PCV whose name is also Erin. She’s in a village about 5 hours from our Erin…and that’s considered close by in Malagasy terms. The roads are not very good. For example, Erin is about 25 miles away from Diego; however, getting to Diego takes about 4 hours. Our Erin will get to go to Diego every month or so which will be nice since she will stay in the PC House where they have bunk beds with mosquito nets and something similar to a toilet and (cold) shower. (That’s close to 5-star for Erin!) Diego doesn’t have electricity, but they do have generators, so Erin may have power there some of the time on some of her trips there. She may be able to make a couple of phone calls and/or may be able to get on the internet. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Erin said that this experience has been very challenging and very rewarding! She got toothbrushes from the PC to give her village and she has taught them to brush their teeth. Among the other things Erin has taught her village, she has taught them to make clay ovens so they can cook without having to destroy so many trees and without having to create so much smoke – bad for their respiratory system and for the environment.

Most every day is like an emotional rollercoaster. About 1/3 of the time, Erin is so very, very happy. Another 1/3 of the time she misses everyone so much that staying is difficult. I’m guessing that the other 1/3 of the time, she’s so busy learning so much that she doesn’t have time to consider how she’s feeling. Bottom-line, she knows that there is a reason for her being there that is so compelling that she is happy to be there. The people are so incredible! Erin is learning to be calm and patient…and she’s instructing me to be calmer and more patient…pretty funny! She realizes her presence can make a tremendous difference and that’s extraordinarily rewarding!

She sends her love to everyone and misses y’all so much! Many thanks to those who have written…and please continue to do so! When Erin moves to her placement, she’s going to be quite lonely being the only westerner there, so your letters will be a tremendous source of strength and encouragement. Some of y’all have sent me things to mail to her – books, CD’s, etc. Please feel free to do so…mailing things can get very expensive…I send little packages every week so adding something from a friend is no big deal. (695 Saint Regis Lane, Alpharetta GA 30022). If you’ve forgotten, Erin’s address is:
Erin Levin, PCV
Bureau du Corps de la Paix
BP 12091
Poste Zoom Ankorondrano
Antananarivo 101
MADAGASCAR

Please date your letters – no telling when/if she’ll get them. Please, please include your return address on the inside of the letter, too, because the outside may not be readable by the time she receives your letters. Be sure to write "Par Avion" on the outside of the front of the envelope. Thank you!!!

Y’all take care! I hope to be writing again soon.

Lava, lava mizara (Long, long share - Lots to share!)

2007-10-20T19:41:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, y’all, there’s so much to share! I received a letter yesterday, a 2:38 A.M. phone call today and another letter today…I’m ALL smiles!!! I will try not to repeat much from the last blog because Erin mentions a lot in the letters that she shared in last week’s phone call. I’ll quote her as much as I can so this will seem like it’s from Erin. Here goes…

Remember, Erin is in a village by herself near where all the others are living and where training is, so she described the walk she takes a couple of times a day. [She walks home for lunch and returns to training.] " …so I hike down a steep hill in the morning with the cows and chickens and school kids and then balance across the bamboo bridges through the rice patties to then go up a large muddy hill and finally meet the other PCTs and staff at class. [PCT – Peace Corps Trainees] We have class M-F 8-5 and Sat. 8-12. We wake up with the roosters at 4:30 A.M. and take a bucket bath…outside and then fix breakfast and coco brusse clean our floors with a coconut. [I think “coco brusse” is the Malagasy term for the way she’s cleaning the floor.] After class, we help fix dinner, I hang out with my siblings [and I can’t figure out what she’s writing next]. It is only light from 5-5 because it’s freezing cold and still winter. The wind is very harsh but it’s okay because it is unbelievably beautiful and simple here – you would love it!” [Well, I think I’d love it a lot better with toilets!] [She mentions something about some of the things the Peace Corps has provided – a first aid kit, etc. and something about her family hanging up a piñata for her and she wrote "that cracks me up”.] “The language is hard but because I am forced to learn it, I think I will be fine! Oh, one of my baby brothers’s peed on me today which has been the running joke all day. And get this, anytime after dark (5 P.M.) that I have to use the bathroom, I have to use my po (bedside pee pan) which I clean out every morning. It really all starts to come naturally believe it or not. [Now y’all, she did mention either in the next letter or in our phone conversation that she has worked hard to teach her “host” family some health protocol. One thing being that they find a place not too close by to take care of their business…and not on her! This should help the little brother situation!] [She goes on to talk about how much she loves the training staff – most Malagasy – and how thrilled they are when the PCV’s catch on.] “Oh, the other funny thing which has happened is when we finished dinner last night (we eat on the floor in a big circle), they kept yelling ‘brusse’ and motioning to my teeth. One of my sisters walked me to my bag and made me take out my toothbrush. They motioned for me to brush my teeth in front of them (they had never seen it before) and then all began spitting out the window so I would know where to spit. It was pretty funny! They are so cute!”

The next letter shares a lot of what I shared with y’all in the previous blog about her family. She does add more –

“They have a saying here in Malagasy which means ‘we share one cricket’ – we share even the smallest thing – it’s true…”

Then Erin tells about her typical day which is similar to what I’ve just written with one important change…Jeb, if you are reading this, you will appreciate this change!

“My family wakes up at dawn by our rooster and the sun – around 4:30 A.M. They let me rest in the room until 5:30…” [And then she goes on about the bucket bath, the cold mornings, the warm afternoons, etc.] “My house is at the very top of the cliff – it is such beautiful land! Rice patties everywhere – cows everywhere. There are brown, black and the really pretty spotted cows too. The kids are the best part! They are so curious about us and they teach us Malagasy while we teach them English. They sing beautiful songs all the time! There are very pretty wild roses and marigolds that color the green and red land with pink and yellow everywhere! The kids do not have toys – they go to school and work the fields and animals and play with us and each other. It is very simple and lovely. There are ducks, roosters, chameleons, bees, mosquitoes, chickens, cats and wild dogs everywhere.” [Erin continues about the training which was mentioned in the first letter.] [She talks about sleeping on the floor, eating on the floor, etc. and goes on to say-] “I will definitely not be or feel clean until I get back home. No matter how much [I can’t read the word] water or sweeping I do, I am still filthy! We wash our clothes in the rice patty stream on dirty rocks and since my family is one of the largest and most poor, we dry our clothes out in the dirty grass. I love my family so much but it will also be nice to live on my own and try to do things in a more clean way. Thank you for always being so clean, Mommy :-) The Peace Corp who help train us are really happy with how I have handled the situation with my huge family who do not clean. I have begun to teach them to not let the cats eat food off our plates or crawl on us while we eat. I also finally (after 5 days of trying) have convinced by family that we must wash our hands with soap and clean water before eating. I hope that helps keep both them and me healthy. They pee everywhere and I am trying to get them to start using the kabone. [That’s using an area away from where they live to take care of that kind of business.] As simple and common sense as these actions seem, they are huge issues and huge accomplishments for me already. My purpose for being here is always smack in my face which helps me to deal with the frustrations of a language barrier and no comforts. The food is actually delicious! We have rice three times a day but it’s always different. They mix it with carrots, beans, peas, spinach, tomatoes, peanuts or eggs.” [Then she goes on a little more about food and about how long it’s taken her to write this letter. She mentions a few other things and concludes with how great everyone is…and me, too – how sweet!]

When she called, Erin was on the field trip I had mentioned. She sounded great! She went on and on about how VERY much the letters she has received means to her. She wants to know what y’all are doing; she wants to know what’s going on in your lives and in the news. Please, please y’all – keep those letters coming. She did ask for y’all to send CD’s. Music is a huge help when she’s feeling homesick. She’s going to need our support even MORE when she goes to her location in about 6-7 more weeks. She’s going to be so isolated there…the ONLY non-villager of the 4000 people. Please let me know if there’s anything I can to do for y’all to make it easier to keep those letters coming. A HUGE THANK YOU to each of y’all for encouraging Erin!!!

That’s it until the next letter and/or phone call. I’d love for y’all to share whatever y’all are hearing from Erin…if y’all want, I’ll add it to this blog - just e-amil me. Until next time, y’all take care of yourselves!!!

Lehibe mizara (Big share) Word choice is limited!

2007-10-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

Hey, y'all! It's taken me a day to calm down enough to write...read on...

The Peace Corps assigned a specific time with two phone numbers for someone(s) to call each Peace Corps volunteer. HOORAY! I got to call Erin this morning at 8:30 (4:30 P.M. Malagasy time). Y’all, there’s so MUCH to share!

Erin sounded great! As usual, she loves and misses us. She’s feeling fine despite a little cold. (All the PCV’s have a little cold.)

Erin went to Madagascar with no expectations…the Peace Corps strongly suggested to have no expectations. What Erin is so pleasantly amazed by is the people and their dealing with poverty. These people live in poverty far below the poverty found in the US…far beyond anything we can imagine! Yet, these people are happy – happy to love, happy to share, happy to live – what they value is each other! (For all their lives, I’ve told Erin and Eric [her brother] that “happiness is wanting what you have, not having what you want”. These people live this every day – happy to have one another.)

Erin loves her “host” family! Here’s what she knows about the family with whom she lives: (I hope you find the humor in this…)
Her “Mom” is about 58 yrs. old and is a widow.
Her 33 yrs. old “sister” has 3 children living in the home – 2 daughters (15 and 11) and a son (6).
Her 16 yrs. old “sister” speaks a tiny bit of English and is Erin’s new best friend!
Her 26 yrs. old “brother” and his 22 yrs. old wife live in the home with their 2 yrs. old and 4 yrs. old. (These two are Erin’s favorite children; however, she “hasn’t figured out if they are male or female”!!!)
Erin also has not figured out who all the other 6 people in the home are though she knows her “Mom” has 8 children.

Erin is the only PCV in her village. The other 18 PCV’s live in a nearby village with smaller families. Their village is about 10-25 minutes walk away. They are all together at the training center for most of the day. Erin’s village is at a higher elevation and she says the sunsets and the starry sky are among her favorites. They eat rice 3 times a day. (Yuck!) The evenings are cold – around 50 degrees (O.K., Yankees that is cold by southern standards!) and the days warm up to the mid-80’s. (As we have just finished our summer, they are now ending their winter.) The daily living is simple and laid back. Erin has grown accustomed to the dawn to dusk life, no electricity, no water (and all that entails) and day to day living.

One of the strangest things the PCV’s have been adapting to is the reality that they are SUCH a novelty. They are about the only source of entertainment. Remember, the children have no toys, no T.V.’s, no CD players or Ipods, etc. Actually, the adults have none of the things we use all the time – phones, computer, etc. The people want to be near the PCV’s – even just to observe. Erin sat down to write a letter and she realized that her family had encircled her and watched her writing. Wherever she goes, they go – they watch, they wait – they’re curious!

Now, for the future…
When Erin’s training is completed (around Dec.5), she’s going to be placed in a village that has never had a PCV. She will be setting up the program for which she has been trained rather than stepping into an established program. This is very exciting and challenging! She’s going to be farther away than the others. She had been prepared for the PCV’s to meet once every three months at the Peace Corps House in the capital, Antananarivo (Tana for short). Instead, she’ll get to go to their meetings only 3 times during the entire 2 years. Her placement is called a “fly site”. There’s a mountain range to the north of Tana that is not passable by anything but an airplane, so she will fly from Tana to Diego and will catch a bus (or something) to get to her village. This area is in between the mountains and the coast and should be very beautiful (I hope). This area is quite different from the rest of Madagascar since it is isolated due to the impassable mountains. The language is not Malagasy so Erin is now learning Sakalava-north. She has been given her own instructor since she’s the only one learning it. Franka, Erin’s instructor, teaches her about the culture, too. The people are more “African” rather than the African/Asia Pacific blend of most of the Malagasy people. Their culture differs, too, though Erin had no explanation as to how, yet. She said that Franka is “so cute”. Erin will be the only westerner there. The village has about 4000 people. Erin will live behind the community health center – her job – with no electricity, no water/plumbing, no cell phone service, no computer access, etc. Luckily, she will have to go to Diego – likely, once a month, so she’ll go to the Peace Corps House there – HOORAY!

When I get her December (new) address, I will share it with y’all. Please keep writing those letters to Erin – they mean so much to her!!!

Erin is being flown to her placement in 3 weeks so she can write a paper/report for the Peace Corps – something about explaining the needs. (Something like that – my notes were getting messy by this time.) Then she returns to her “host” family to complete training.

The Peace Corps is taking all the PCV’s on a field trip next week. They are going to see the lemurs.

I’m hoping that I may hear from Erin when she’s on her field trip next week and maybe when she goes on her site trip in 3 weeks. If so, I’ll do this blogging thing again. (I'll keep using Malagasy titles until I find Sakalava-north...I haven't been able to find it yet...any suggestions...)

I think I’ve covered just about everything. Y’all, please keep writing letters to Erin. She received some from y’all and she cherishes them! (I love the e-mails some have sent and I copy them to pass on to Erin. Thank you!) Also, please keep Erin in your prayers. Y’all take care!

P.S. Erin, “how wonderful life is with you in the world!” I love you and I’m so proud of you!

Lehibe mitsiky(ing) fo (Big smiling heart)!!!

2007-10-09T18:08:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness!!! What an unexpected, incredible surprise! At 12:11 P.M. Atlanta time (8:11 P.M. Malagasy time) Erin called. Luckily, with years and years of "Erin sound-bytes", I am accustomed to her quick calls. However, I do think she'd have a long, detailed conversation if her phone didn't quit working after just a moment or two.

In a whispering voice (her "host" family was sleeping), she said "I love and miss you so much!" and y'all know she's extending her love and missing to y'all, too. (Those folks must go to sleep very early! I guess with no electricity, there's not a lot to do after dark. And if you're thinking that a nice fire in the middle of the village with everyone sitting around singing would be fun, I think their religious beliefs mention something about not being out after dark, so there goes that idea.)

Erin has been there for about 10 days and no one has come to bring any mail or to pick up any letters she has written. She mentioned how she is so very much looking forward to receiving mail - so y'all please write. Some of y'all have sent sweet e-mails to me and with your permission, I print them and include them in my letters to her.

She said that half of the time her experience is "heavenly" and you can figure out what the other half is like. She sounded really good. Then the connection was lost. A moment later, the phone rang again and Erin said, "I woke up my family - I've got to go - I love and miss you so much!" That's our little Erin!

I tend to end with something about how I probably won't be adding to this blog for a while and then - HOORAY! - there's a call. Since I'm a little superstitious -"stupidsitiouos" according to my children - once again, I may not be adding to this blog until Dec. 5ish. Until that next thrilling call...y'all take care and please keep Erin in your thoughts and prayers.

Sharing Erin's love,
One happy mommy!

Faly! Faly! Minitra (Happy! Happy! Minute)

2007-10-04T20:54:00.000-04:00

Wow! What a THRILL today...and it'll probably have to last until December 5. Erin must have been back on top of that mountain at 10:19 A.M. our time (6:19 P.M. Malagasy time). We spoke for less than a minute when her battery stopped completely. She said, "I love and miss you so much!" (I'm sure that goes to all of y'all, too!) When I asked how she is doing, she answered, "I'm happy, but this is very, very hard!" Then, she said, "I love and miss you!" and that ended our conversation. I'm thinking that she should be able to call, maybe to e-mail, on December 5 because that's when she goes to her swearing in ceremony. It makes sense to me that it would take place in Tana (Antananarivo, the capital). Something to look forward to!!!

I hope y'all are doing well! Remember, please, to keep Erin in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you! Y'all take care and I hope I get to write again, soon!

Mahafinaritra manampoka!!! (Wonderful surprise!!!)

2007-09-29T19:05:00.000-04:00

Much to Erin's surprise, she was atop a mountain this afternoon and her cell phone worked. She sounded GREAT! We spoke briefly because her battery was about to quit...for the southerners, the battery was fixing to go dead. (She won't be able to recharge it - no electricity and very little sunshine for the solar charger.) Well, I'm quite thankful for this tremendous treat! Here's what she shared...

Her host family is nice. They are a large family; sixteen family members living in the home. The structure is four rooms. Now for those of y'all with NYC experience, y'all know that four rooms mean just that; not four bedrooms as some may think. The 16 people sleep in the four rooms - there are no bathrooms (no running water/no plumbing), no kitchens, no family rooms for watching TV, movies, etc. together (no electricity). For now, the 16 other people are sharing three rooms for sleeping and Erin sleeps in the fourth room...I guess that's how it works in the Peace Corps. They walk for miles to the rice patties to get the dirty rice water and bring it back to the village.

Erin mentioned that she received four letters that I had written...I began writing about 6-8 weeks ago. Please write to Erin...she was so excited about the letters (and she had been here when I wrote them, so how exciting could the letters be?!?). Simply receiving mail is a thrill.

Please remember to keep Erin in your prayers! Once again, thank you for being supportive to Erin throughout this (select your descriptive word...) - exciting, amazing, challenging, incredible, fantastic, add your own - experience. (Just wanted y'all to be able to interact a little on this blog since I have no "blogging" experience and I'm uncertain of "blog" protocol.

(Erin, when you get to read the blogs I've added for you, I hope you enjoy them. I love and miss you, sweetheart! We're all here for you!!!)

Take care, everyone!

Atokisana fahatongavana (Safe arrival)

2007-09-28T21:39:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all! Erin has arrived safely in Madagascar. HOORAY! Erin greatly appreciates all the wonderful e-mails and conversations she's had with each of you! Each of you has contributed to helping Erin have the desire, strength and confidence to take this journey. Thank you!

She and the other 18 PCV's (Peace Corps Volunteers) enjoyed staying at the "transit" house, a lovely place for the PCV's to stay the night. The gardens are beautiful and the US Embassy is nearby. It is freezing according to Erin. (Please don't worry, she has a warm fleece pullover, a pair of leggings and a sunny disposition.) All the staff and volunteers who are training Erin and group are "wonderful"! They had just finished their interviews when she called (2:42 A.M. our time/10:42 A.M. Malagasy time). After lunch, they are meeting their host families. Each PCV will spend the weekend with the host family and no others. This begins the "crash" course in learning Malagasy. Erin will point to something and a host family member will say the Malagasy word...let the learning begin! Classes will start on Monday Erin said that she's really feeling good about everything and she sounded great! Erin also mentioned, as the Peace Corps had written to the PCV's family, that she will not have telephone or internet access for at least the next 10 weeks.

Erin asked that everyone write her, please. When you do write, please include your return address inside the letter, too, because the envelope may not be easy to read when/if she receives her mail. Also, please write the date on your letter because there's no telling when she'll get it...they said 4 weeks to never.

On a personal note, I ask y'all to please remember Erin in your thoughts and prayers -keeping Erin healthy, happy, well and strong - mentally, physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. Thank you!

Please feel free to contact me any time: (770) 403-2141 or brl259@aol.com
If Erin has phone access and no internet access, I'll update her blog for her so I can share what she says with y'all. Since we won't be hearing from her for at least 10 weeks, please keep those letters coming to her - we are her only link to home and I know she misses everyone.

I sure hope I'm writing this blog again sooner than later!!! Y'all take care!

Brenda
Erin's Mom

i want to flyyyy to madagascar...

2007-09-24T17:43:00.000-04:00

HI! We have officially finished staging (step one) in DC and fly out to Madagascar tomorrow! It is actually going to take us four days to get to our host families homes - crazy! I LOVE my group! There are 19 of us and they all inspire me so much. We are all in our twenties and most of us actually just graduated in May so we're all pretty equally exited. Some of them have done the coolest things though. I feel like the experiences which have been so amazing to me and blown my mind almost pale in comparison to what a few of them have worked on. Well maybe not, DM, JSA and Dispatch were all pretty wonderful! I wish yall all the best in continuing on with those without me. Gosh, I miss yall! This is the very last time I will have internet until training is over in 10 weeks. So please write me snail mail letters because I won't have internet until December and then only for a day before I go to my site! Which I find out in 6 weeks... stay tuned.

We have learned so much in the past 30 hours. I really feel prepared for at least the first few days while we begin training and our crash course in Malagasy. I really know this is the right thing for me to be doing right now. Everything we have learned this far has even helped me understand the world and my place in it a lot more. They reiterate over and over again that even though we are serving and representing the US, we are there as grassroots volunteers which is awesome. To them, one of the most important things is for us to become close and accepted with our communities and to form relationships and build sustainable communities. They explained that simply having a real conversation over new food and tea with a new friend in our village is a huge accomplishment for one day. That's basically our job. To be there with them, work WITH them, learn with them etc. I'm pumped!

So... have a great 27 months! Know that I will be fine and feel great about everything. My 18 new friends are incredible and many of them remind me of yall. Except that I am the only Southerner. I am going to have all of them, plus all of Madagascar, saying yall by the time I come home :) Please be in touch a lot and know how much I will miss you! Be well :) keep smiling! Even though it's going to get super tough at times, know that I will!

Love,
Erin

PS - The title is because we had to express a certain Peace Corps goal/policy through creative means today and my group sang Lenny Kravitz, "I want to fly" with some different lyrics about integrating into Madagascar... rad I know, haha.

you can take the girl out of the honky tonk but you can't take the honky tonk out of the girl

2007-09-22T19:39:00.000-04:00

Hey yall,

This is the last day with definite internet for me so I want to clear up some mail myths.

1. Send mail all the time! I will miss you so much and want to hear about your life, about the the Braves, about all things Wahoo, about DM, about the Falcons, about DRT, about our family, about your crush, about the weather, about the crazy technology updates, about your new favorite song, about Grey's Anatomy, dear ole KKG, the new adventure sports, your new job, what makes you smile these days in 100 days, when you get engaged, where you move, what you're dreaming about, how much you miss me - haha...

2. Stamps: I think you need an international stamp on the letter. It should be a simple 90 cent stamp and you can get it at the post office. Or here, I think :)
http://www.stamps.com/tools/tips/international/

3. Packages: If you can't hold back and really want to send me something, please send it to my mom. It's just too confusing and expensive for you to do it. Also, there is no guarantee at all that I will actually receive it and I will feel really bad so please let my mom take care of it, thanks. So she knows it is for me, please send to:
Erin Levin
695 Saint Regis Lane
Alpharetta, GA 30022
(I think that my address is going to officially change from Alpharetta to John's Creek in January so starting in 2008 please send to the same address but the city will newly be called John's Creek. We're crazy down here, sorry!)
Thanks for taking care of this mom!!

4. Don't forget to write Par Avion and Airmail on each letter... they each take around 3 weeks to arrive, please number them because some may get lost or not arrive in order. Please also make sure to include your return address inside the letter so I can write you back even if the envelope gets messed up.

Okay, I think that answers all of yalls questions. Thank you so much for all of the awesome encouragement. Be good. Have fun. Go Hoos!

Love,
Erin

PS - In six months or so, I will be pretty settled at my village and ready to start a secondary project. I have some really neat stuff in mind and I will give yall a chance to help by requesting a few little things we have readily available for super cheap in the States but not Madagascar... so you will totally get to be a part of my adventure, don't worry! Gosh, I love and miss you each already and the journey has not even taken off yet! Thanks for everything!

fun stuff

2007-09-16T21:37:00.001-04:00

HI! So I want to leave yall with some fun links to keep you busy for the next couple years...

-These are interesting because they are by actual Malagasy, one of the other volunteers in my staging group sent them to us, yea, we all talk already - it's great!:
http://www.tranofalafa.com/Index.html it's neat for pop-culture info...
and a Malagasy rap music video, has a pretty sad and true story like our rap music videos here... but there is a ton of hope in it too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjR8tr3Zu0I

-To the right is a clock with the current time in Tana, the capital of Madagascar, enjoy!

-What your favorite go-to reference site has to say about the island http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar

-Pretty pictures, cool info, plan a trip to come visit http://www.wildmadagascar.org/

-What the CIA thinks about Madagascar https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ma.html

-From the Embassy of Madagascar in DC http://www.embassy.org/madagascar/

-The news http://www.madonline.com/home.php and http://www.topix.net/world/madagascar

-Great photos http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Africa/Madagascar/

-Planet Earth goes wild in Madagascar (flowers and lemurs) http://www.metacafe.com/watch/456879/planet_earth_madagascar_flowers/ and http://www.metacafe.com/watch/456883/planet_earth_madagascar_lemurs/

Have fun! I will miss yall! I leave on Sunday but feel pretty at peace about everything. Just got to finish packing (thanks mom!) and finish saying bye to yall and follow through with some Deep River Tribe stuff. Don't forget to join in - all the info is in my second posting. Since mail takes to long to get there, start writing now and please write often... address is below, thanks so much! Your support means the world to me.

Love,
Erin

the facts

2007-09-10T18:31:00.000-04:00

I leave in less than two weeks for Staging which is in DC and then we fly out the 25th for Madagascar! Crazy! The past few weeks have been so fun getting to catch up with so many of yall, thanks for all the great times.

Here is what I know about what I will be doing in Madagascar:
The first 10 weeks I will be in training. I will live with a local Malagasy family and go to Peace Corps class all day every day. I am really pumped about living with a family at first so that hopefully it will help me learn Malagasy - the language and the culture.

During those first 10 weeks you can send me lots of mail and love in envelopes! Here is my address from Sept 25th-Dec 4th. Mail takes around three weeks to arrive so start sending it now! After about 6 weeks I will find out my village that I will work in for two years and get yall that address...

Erin Levin, PCT Peace Corps
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 12091
Poste Zoom Ankorondrano
101 Antananarivo
Madagascar

On the envelope please also include both "Airmail" and "Par Avion"

Thank you so much for your support and staying in touch while I am over there! Former volunteers say that mail is the best way to not be homesick... so write a lot! I hear that packages do not always get to us, so don't worry about sending those, thanks though! Oh and it is also important to number letters because sometimes with mail back ups in Africa, we get them all at once...

Also check in to this blog whenever you have a chance. Internet there is flaky but whenever I have a chance I will post on here. I am planning to write in a journal every day and then quickly summarize my life on here for all of you. Whenever I do, it means I have Internet that day so please e-mail me back, that is even more secure than airmail! Thank you :)

So after training, I will move on my own to a rural village or small town in Madagascar. There I will live in a hut-type room with no water or power - 2 years of camping :) - and work with community health outreach through social communications. I will be working with the Malagasy and my community to explain how diseases such as HIV/AIDS are transmitted but doing so through creative means such as sports and play lessons. I will also be working with my neighbors on any other projects they feel like I can help with... most importantly I will be learning with them and making friends with them and living with them in their poverty of material and money but wealth of spirit and love. It's going to be pretty tough at many points but I know in my heart it will be worth it! They say it's a huge roller coaster ride, so don't get upset if I write and sound discouraged - because by the time you get the letter or see it on here, I have already become more comfortable and happy.

I welcome all of your prayers as my departure quickly approaches. I have already been in touch with a few other girls who will be going with me and they seem so great! Thank you again for your love and friendship through this special adventure!

Be in touch a lot while I am still here and I can't wait to get there and start getting your letters about home!

Love,
Erin

this summer

2007-08-16T22:05:00.000-04:00

Just to fill everyone in before I head off to the jungle...

I actually spent my summer in a different jungle - the concrete one. NYC was a challenge but also a great time. I never felt so short or longed to see the sky so badly. But what we did there was literally awe-some. I helped with charity outreach for the Dispatch Foundation, check it out at http://www.dispatchfoundation.org/. Dispatch, the stellar indie-rock band which broke up a few years ago, has a collective passion for Zimbabwe. Brad, Chad and Pete, who make up the former band, are three of the most inspiring guys I've ever met. Working to raise awareness and active their millions of fans was a dream come true. They broke so many indie-band records, gave the show of a lifetime, and most importantly raised much needed for aid to Zimbabwe and opened the eyes of hundreds of thousands of folks around the world. Zimbabwe is falling apart and the world was not watching. It was incredible to be a little part of bringing attention to a crisis of the global human condition, absolutely incredible!

Anyways, before that, as yall know, I was working with many of you at UVA on our Journey project. We were inspired by the life of Dan Eldon (http://www.daneldon.org/) and wanted to live his story and mission for him. We had so much fun! From beer pong tournaments to late night bake sales after crazy concerts on the downtown mall to filmed discussions with renowned professors and free, hot, Mellow Mushroom pizza, it was a thrilling ride. Every cent we raised is going to help build a well in Maputaland, South Africa. For more on that go to http://www.creativevisions.org/.

Sooo - now we are bringing the two together, in a way. It's called Deep River Tribe and it is creative activism for the global community (thanks, David!). It was a huge internal struggle for me to decide between running with this full-time, getting out there in a bio-diesel tour bus and having a ball with college students around the country to let them know they can do this too or fully serving and learning for 27 months in Madagascar. It's in every single one of us to want to put a smile on someone else's face. We each have a beating heart and live in a world, again, under one sun, with one Lord, with deep rivers running through and connecting us all together. We all want to have fun and use our time wisely. Whether you want to throw a huge keg party and charge everyone a donation of a buck, or sell delicious rice krispy treats (thanks, 41U!) after an insane Robert Randolph show in the rain, or hold a homerun derby on a field on Grounds, or join the Peace Corps... do it, but do it for a cause. 1. to have FUN, 2. to HELP and LEARN. Both are needed if this world is going ever be at peace or not be hungry or be fair.

We have some amazing non-profits and towns we have aligned with to start fundraising for: the Elias Fund (http://www.eliasfund.org/), Grassroot Soccer (http://www.grassrootsoccer.org/), Maputaland, Johanassburg and Kliptown South Africa... and some great people, too. Musicians, businessmen, teachers, students, people JUST LIKE YOU. But, we don't want to throw these on anyone. We just want to let the youth of America know what's out there. We want to let their passions come out and help them let that special spirit fly. If you care about the rainforests in Costa Rica or the AIDS epidemic in Africa or the surge of orphans in India or the homeless group which live under the benches right down the street from you fraternity house... show it.

It's been a tough decision to make and I am counting on each of you, my beloved friends and family, to help me know Deep River Tribe will be hugely successful while I am in Madagascar. It is needed here. Please tell everyone you know about DRT. I have been dreaming of this cool $1 campaign... let's make it happen! If you tell at least one more person and ask them to tell one more... and everyone gives even just one dollar, those 1 BILLION people, humans, just like us, which live on LESS THAN $1 A DAY can hopefully survive on more. Thank you so much to everyone who has already clocked countless hours in this, who has supported me and my various causes, who has brought me in to theirs, thank you! I know I am already asking a lot of yall as I leave - for happy thoughts and prayers and CDs with songs which will remind me of home and suggestions on all things Malagasy :) but please add this to the list. Join the Deep River Tribe facebook group and cause, check out what's going on around you and see where your energy and love can help make this world a little bit better. Please click here right now: http://www.change.org/nonprofit_page/nonprofit_home/93061 to join Deep River Tribe.

Thank you SO MUCH! Let's please try to catch up before I go, I'm around...

Love,
Erin

PS - I know this is going to embarrass him so much, but my boss for the Dispatch Foundation is one of the most effective and truly gifted, happy people I have ever met. Well, all of you are, that's why you are reading this, I love yall! But, Jeb has this really great clothing company which totally fits the style of most of yall reading this and not enough of you know about it. So here's my plug for Maax... it's so cute and it's all made in his factory by real people who he treats wonderfully every day in NH... http://www.bluefishriver.com/.

Peace

the masoandro

2007-08-14T23:31:00.000-04:00

Hey yall!

I guess I will start off by explaining what I named this crazy blog thing. It was a running joke in our little yearbook nerd class in 11th grade that when I took over as editor, South was doomed to have a yearbook filled with peace signs, flowers and smiley faces all over it's colorful pages. Well, that didn't happen - but now it's my chance to kind of go fill a little village in rural Madagascar with some smiley faces, flowers, and peace. Pretty corny, eh? Pretty cool, too :)

Now, the name on the actual address is even cornier. masoandro is Malagasy for sun. Since Madagascar is in the Southern hemisphere we won't have all the same stars. Well, Aussies, I will get to share that Southern Cross with yall again! But we will all have the same sun. I know being so far away is going to be a huge challenge for me and for a few of you, so I figure every time we check this thing, we can remember that, right?!

Anyways, enough "creative" emotional stuff. I am starting this blog now so I can figure it out before I get to Madagascar. I have been reading a bunch of other folks blogs that are in training over there now. This is the most descriptive out of the bunch, if you want to get a taste of what I'm in for, check it out. I hope the kid doesn't mind! http://www.adamgascar.blogspot.com/

I'm not sure how often I will get to write from Madagascar, but I think having this is the best way to do it. Yall can each check this whenever you want to procrastinate or have a laugh about me trying to adapt over there. I hear that letters are the best way for you to stay in touch with me and I will put my training address up on here next time.

So, thanks for being excited and sharing this experience with me. It's gunna be an amazing adventure and I'm really glad that you can see parts of it through this. Check in often :)

Hope you are all doing great!

Farewell for now,
Erin