i made it there eventually.

2010/08/06 i made it there eventually.

The Daily Life of a PCT
The trip here was really long. It took about 24 hours in real time. That is all I will say. If you come here I would look into trying to fly direct from Paris, a two hour layover on a tarmac in Senegal is not as restful as one would hope.
First of all, the award goes to Emily H in Cork, IRL for the first letter to arrive. Second place goes to Sue H at UTK. First and second place for phone calls goes to TG then Becky M, respectively. Emily and Sue had enough foresight to send mail weeks before I left so hats off to them. To the rest of you: you are slacking pick it up. Also, I do not have many addresses so if you want anything from me you gotta start the cycle, especially if you moved recently and your names are Morgan or Rachel (not my sister Rachel, I know where you live). I have a cell phone now, and I am seven hours ahead. If you would like to text or call me, do. I am not going to post my number here but for information on how to call me contact my sister Natalie or Tyler and they will fill you in. (Thanks in advance you two hah). So far people have called using calling cards and Vonage and it has worked out well. I also do not have ANY numbers because I did not think I would ever have a phone so if you call me or text me make sure to give me your number and name (if it is a text).
Anyways, so the first ten weeks are training i.e. how to teach and language lessons (Malagasy, dialect for me is Betslieo). My morning starts at 4:15 when the roosters on the other side of my door start pounding and making noises. Then at 5:30 I “scrub” my floor with a coco brosse and my foot, then sweep. And make my bed, which is a new experience for me. Then I eat rice with some accompianment and then if I am up for it that day take a hot bucket shower in the outside shower stall (ladosy). The outhouse here is called a kabone, enough said. Then I have language lessons with two other volunteers who need to learn the same dialect from 8-12. Then we go home for lunch, which is rice and some accompianment, and sometimes I take a siesta because we don’t have to be back til 2. Then from 2-4:30 we usually have some sort of techical training (personal health, education, safety, cross cultural etc). This is Monday – Saturday. BUT THURSDAYS are the best day ever, we go to the Peace Corps Training Center (PCTC) that is in the town, it is like maybe a few kilometers down the street from me. On this day, we go to this summer camp esque area where we have cabins and stuff that we leave there to store in the rooms. There are running showers and toilets that flush and you sit on, and we get fed American esque lunches that day at the PCTC. Last week we had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, baked mac and cheese, sriarcha, salad (and there was beans and rice for the trainers who didn’t like the potatoes and macaroni). Today, August 5th we had pizzaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. At night M-S I go home and sit on the stoop and watch people walk around especially the Americans cause we are an awkward bunch (there are 42 of us scattered around this village). Last night I helped make “peanut butter” in a giant mortar and pistle. My host mom (neny = mom in Malagasy) roasted them in the pan and I stood on the front porch and smushed them, I’m pretty sure it took me twice as long as the neighbor. Brianna is learning a different dialect and is in the health sector so we get separated ALOT but we are in the same cabin so next week when we stay here Thursday and Friday it will be awesome. Sunday is an off day, no training so it gets kinda quiet/boring pretty quick and then Monday comes around again.
I received my site announcement last week too. I am ~400 K south of Tana the capital and am next to national forest parks and what not. I am pretty sure I got placed in the Knoxville of Madagascar and I am pretty cool with that. In addition, I share a house with another PCV that is in the small enterprise sector, she has the first floor and I have the second. I will have more details about the village and area after I go to visit next Saturday for a week. Next Thursday and Friday though the PCTs are all staying at the training center for two nights = awesome.
I need books! I have already finished three of the ones I brought. An inventory of what I have is: A Walk in the Woods, Klosterman IV, A Thousand Years of Solitude, all 5 Hitchhikers Books, A Long Way Gone, the Sun Also Rises, Reading Lolita in Tehran and 1984. SO anything other than that is great, from this list you pretty much have an idea of what I read, I know Tyler has a short list too of books he is thinking about sending. Rumor mill here is when you send packages or anything that isn’t a letter essentially, decorate it with like religious stuff/pictures of Mary/Jesus, especially over seams where it is believed that individuals are less likely to destroy that to get to the insides. ALSO, again do not send boxes if you can help it, large envelopes are quicker and less taxed so I will pay less to get my package. Other wish items: smartwool socks, starbursts, grey or blue UT/OSU whatever long sleeved and short sleeved tshirts, not white or orange. I forgot to bring any cold weather jacket so I’ll take a used coat. I have my rain jacket and a white hoodie, so I failed on cold weather clothing. Drink powders-like gatorade or crystal light etc. TOMS size 8 in dark colors. Hand lotion and burts bees too. I also failed to bring ANY pictures with me so pictures would be great.
ALSO Brianna’s parents sent her a package through FedEx on Saturday and the tracking indicates that it got to Tana on Thursday… so stuff does get here eventually! And it is not as dire as we thought.

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