A Letter Home Part II

September 30
I just got back from spending the morning with Ben and Laza. We learned a lot and then went down to the town (Ambataloana) again. On our way back, we met up with a bunch of other trainees and their families who were coming back from church. Apparently, the pastor had them stand up and said something about them - I think the only words they caught wre "misaotra" (thanks) and Jeso (you can guess that one), Oh, and Corps de la Paix....

Dad-I don't think you have to worry much about worms while I'm here. We filter our water first throough cloth ( so no Guinea worm) then throough a metal filter (which catches other parasites and some bacteria) and then bleach it to kill off anything that might have survived - apparently e. coli is the biggee. It's also far too cold to run around barefoot or swim in the lake - although we're told it's "lavi-davitra" - a little closer than lavitra, which is far. Hopefully, we'll get to visit it - maybe next weekend - but not swim, as it's prohibited and schisto is not fun.

The list of things that are prohibited during training is quite long, but very logical. No fresh water swimming, no going out at night (because of witches), no biking without a helmet, no driving, no boating without a life jacket, no marijuana, no alcohol. The only one that will change when we become PCVs instead of PCTs, is that we'll be allowed to drink in moderation. There's so much to do to try to get used to a new place, that all of the prohibited things hardly matter.

The food in Malutsitady, by the way, is fantastic. We're out in the country and they grow tons of fruit and vegetables themselves. Today I went out to the garden (zardaina) with my Mom and Aina and picked peas. She showed me where they grow lettuce, carrots , potatoes, and many other things I didn't quite pick up on. I'm learning tons, though.And all the host families have received a detailed cooking/food prep lesson from the PCMO. My family has really taken it to heart - they bleach all their water, even though I have a separate drinking supply.They soak and/or boil everything, and are careful to wash their hands and dishes.It sounds like everyone is not so lucky, so I'm glad to have such a great family. It's only been 2 days, but we're already having (broken) conversation. Miezaka aho (I'm progressing). They're improving their English, and I'm improving my Malagasy, and I think we're all enjoying it.They keep asking questions about the USA and my Malagasy isn't good enough yet to make the distinction between Boston and USA clear, so my explanation that we have beef , but no cows, confused my host mother immensely. Laza taught me urban vs. rural, but it's still hard. We'll get there. I'm really looking forward to speaking Malagasy well enough to really tell them about home. ....


Love, Becca