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
