who won the super bowl?

2012/02/08 who won the super bowl?

my chicken

Hey so first of all my camera was stolen so pictures will be few and far in between until I figure something out. To be clear DO NOT MAIL a camera. I am 117% sure it would be stolen. In the meantime you can enjoy some chicken murder photos.  I received the chicken pictured above as a Happy New Year gift from the staff at the house/compound where I live.  I fattened it for a week.  That chicken was good I ate it on tortillas. To be clear, you may mail tortillas. But after my last post I went on the site visits I had mentioned. It was a really great trip – I got to see sites that I would never have gone to (either because I didn’t really know the volunteer or the road was just miserable). I learned some interesting things about other PC sites and people during my trip. For example, the PC staff member I went on the trip went is really awesome at making cheese, and some volunteers are interesting in creating some sort of AA in their communities (alcohol is a huge problem here). Another volunteer wants to start an income generating cheese production organization and another volunteer is about to be in a documentary with the silk organization she works with. The trip was really interesting to see how so many volunteers’ sites within such a small section of Madagascar are so different.

But the fun riding around in a fancy 4×4 NGO car eating homemade cookies is over, and I am back in Fianarantsoa (where people steal my nice old camera). Back in Fianar when I am not doing work I watch movies with people who are in town. Another lady vol was in town and we watched a terrible chick flick and it was just awful. The reason I bring it up though is because the movie had so many “American” things in it and it freaked us out a little bit. We also gained a bit of perspective into why so many people think we are all rich fancy folks though. Nothing else is going on really. I am starting to work more at my new site and am currently planning a conference with another volunteer about, you know, casual stuff, like HIV/AIDS, health, the environment, life skills and how to teach this to students (and the people we will teach are teachers and we should probably use Malagasy). So I am not stressed at all. Next Tuesday I start private French lessons and that will actually be stress free and hilarious.

A few more random thoughts. First, there is this whole Ryan Gosling tumblr meme that I don’t quite understand the origins of because I live in Madagascar. But as someone who studied international development and lives in this country I really like http://developmentryangosling.tumblr.com/ because I do understand the jokes. For example, the January 21st post I appreciate because I have been connecting different volunteers recently who have talked to me about getting more information on starting VLSs in their communities. Man they all make me laugh. Second, I will get around to updating photos in a few days so stick around. Third, would anyone be angry if I came back to the states for a month or two then bounced to Asia? Thoughts?

apple crumble

Last, and most importantly, APPLES, PINEAPPLES, PEARS, AVOCADOS, PERSIMMONS, PLUMS, GRAPES, PEACHES are all in season or starting to be. I am lamenting the loss of lychees and mangoes though, my last season with them.

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