Friday, September 28, 2007
the deep south
greetings from madagascar. i apologize profusely for making anyone read that last update; why i thought writing it at 4 am was a good idea, i'm not sure. anyway, i don't have time really but i'm here. i love it. it's a lot to adjust to all at once, but it's good. the peace corps transit house where we are right now is really really nice, and this afternoon we head to our training site, sans electricity, and i presume internet as well, so i don't know when i can update next. i'll be sending mail when i can (almost $1.25 a pop to the u.s.?!). and when we get out of the training site i'll find some internet somewhere. i'm a little daunted at the thought of no electricity at all for ten weeks, maybe more, but i guess i'll get used to it. no ipod for a couple months is hardly a big deal when people around me are starving to death, i guess? our standards are so different, and maybe they shouldn't be. alas...i need to go let one of the other 18 trainees use this one computer, but keep in touch, please. madagascar will never replace any of you faithful blog readers in my heart.
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22 comments:
Hi kathryn,
So glad you made it to Madagascar - safe and sound. You are in our thoughts and prayers - and we hope you have many exciting and meaningful experiences.
Love, Miss Anne and Mike
Hi Kathryn! It was so great to get your email and to know that you are there and, even without electricity, happy. Too bad about the ipod--I know you will miss it. Have you gotten any mail yet? I'll be curious to know how long it is taking the hundreds of cards that I have sent to get there. Well, OK, not hundreds. Hope things continue to go well. Stay safe, healthy, and happy. I love you! Mom
Hey Kathryn!
I'm so glad to hear from you and to hear that you really like it there. I hope everything continues to go well! I miss you and I love you!
Heather
If you have no electricity do you have to watch TV in the dark?
I am happy you are there and all is well. I miss you and love you, Dad
Kathryn
I am glad you are having a wonderfultime and look forward to hearing more!
Mary Ann
PS you could always watch tv by candlelight!
Hi Kathryn,
We were so glad to read that you made it safely to Madagascar. We have been thinking about you as your adventure begins to unfold. Not having electricity would be quite an adjustment - but one of many that we are sure will only enhance your time. Of course we say that as we sit here with 101 electrical gadgets and even more TV channels! Take good care. Love,Aunt Beth and Uncle Andy
Kathryn!
I love you and I'm so glad you're there. I hope training is going well. Update whenever you can, I'm excited to read about anything/everything!
Looooooove,
Christine
:-( <------ Fish face
Praying for you,
Colin
i don't know what you would check more - blog comments, facebook wall postings, or email - but i can't lose no matter what i do.
iamb issue.
say it 3X fast.
bobby
Hi Kathryn,
I don't know why I thought this would be like Liam's Caringbridge site and that we would get a little "ding" when you posted to this blog. Okay, okay, so I am not exactly up on all the blog stuff! I laugh at everyone's thoughts of you watching tv by candlelight and similar things. So funny . . . aren't we spoiled!! We continue to think of you and wonder about this time as you adjust to so many new things. Cannot wait to hear more!! Mom and Dad Waller, send us alerts when something new pops up ... please. :)
Love,
Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ski
Hi Kathryn! I hope you won't mind if I use this space to let everyone know that we received your call this morning, and it was great to hear your voice. You sounded happy, saying that you are enjoying your host family and enjoying being very close to the other volunteers, who are with host families who live right there near your hosts. I wish you would have received some of our mail by now, but surely you will get the earlier pieces soon. Sounds like your training is pretty intense, but I'm glad you're enjoying it, particularly that you are learning a lot of Malagasy. Know the word for monkey yet? Gammy came across the word "aye-aye" in the dictionary the other day and was surprised to learn that it is a Malagasy word for a particular type of lemur that apparently makes noise that sounds like its name. What a coincidence that she would run into that word!
Dad and I are looking forward to calling you at 10:00 on Saturday morning and can't wait to hear more details. I called Dottie in Indiana and told her about her scheduled time to call Sarah on Saturday evening. She was delighted to get the news.
You are in my thoughts and in my heart. Stay safe and healthy and happy! I love you.
Mom
Hi Kathryn! I just checked your blog on the off chance you'd have written and saw your Mom's note. I'm so happy that you've been able to be in touch by phone! What a treat! I hope that your training is going well and that you aren't working too hard! (and I hope you have electricity.....I can't imagine life without!) Take care!
Love, Aunt Sue
Hi Kathryn! It was great to hear your voice yesterday! One day maybe I'll look back and laugh at the comedy of errors that took place before we could actually get you on the line. At one point we reached a gentleman who, in very broken English, managed to tell me I had reached the U.S. embassy. Is that anywhere near the Peace Corps? Anyway, I asked if he spoke English, and since I couldn't understand him, I took his answer to be a "no." I drove on anyway, asking if there was a Kathryn Waller. When he gave an answer I couldn't understand, I said, "Kathryn Waller isn't there?" to which he replied, "Yes." Ever hopeful, I thought maybe that meant yes, you were there. A logical person would have understood that to mean, "You are correct. She is not here." After we repeated this conversation three times, I finally had to accept the fact that you were not there. Fortunately, in the middle of this failure to communicate, a mom called to tell me that we had the wrong number. When she gave us the new number, I got you right away and, thanks to Skype, could hear you well. It was wonderful to hear your voice! Of course, by then we were spilling over into someone else's allotted time, so most of our questions remained unasked, but the most important thing was that you sounded great. It sounds as though you are dealing with your current situation very well and are looking forward to your assignment in December.
For the benefit of anyone else who might be reading this, here's what I learned (I hope this is OK, Kathryn). The Peace Corps team has bonded well and everyone seems to enjoy each other. Each volunteer lives with a host family, and the families all live along the same path. Training consists heavily of learning the language and I'm not sure exactly what else. Next weekend the group is going on a retreat to a national park where there will be lots of lemurs to see. It's possible that there will be internet access. (We're keeping our fingers crossed.) Kathryn's assignment in December will be to a village north of Antananarivo, on the plateau, not the coast. Some other members of the team may be nearby. This is the short version of the facts as I know them. I'm sure you'll elaborate when you can, Kathryn.
One of the Peace Corps moms (we are trying to establish a network) said you eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'll be curious to know what other food there is. She said you have been able to get a little chocolate at the embassy. All the moms I've heard from (3 of them) said they had trouble getting through on Saturday. Sarah's mom, who was supposed to call at 10:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m. your time) was told that it was too early and she would have to call back at 6:00! I don't know if she ever got to talk to Sarah.
Well, enough for now. As you can see, Kathryn, my narrative is woefully inadequate due to a lack of knowledge, but it's a start for those of us craving information about you!
We'll try to reach you at 10:00 a.m. our time on Saturday, Oct. 27. In the meantime, have a great two weeks. Enjoy your retreat next weekend. Stay safe and healthy and happy. You might be far away, but you are close in my heart. I love you!
Mom
hey! i want to write to you, but i have a question. how many stamps do i need to send a letter to madagascar??
daniel
Daniel,
Postage to Madagascar is 90 cents an ounce. You can refer to www.usps.com for more information.
Thanks for writing to Kathryn.
Jeff Waller
Hi Kathryn,
This is the weekend of your retreat. I hope you have a good retreat and that everything continues to go well.
Dan went to the D.C. zoo last weekend with Jordan and brought home a book on Madagascar. Such a treat! Just looking at it makes me feel closer to you. It has beautiful pictures and descriptions. I hope you are able to witness some of the beauty firsthand, especially as you visit the national park this weekend.
I hope you will have access to the internet this weekend! Stay safe, healthy, and happy. I love you!
Mom
Hi Kathryn!
I hope all is going well! :) I miss you in Williamsburg! I hope you get the mail I'm sending you soon!
Okie dokie! Byyyee-bye!
you're in my prayers!
~Amy
kathryn,
can we send you stamps or something to make it not so expensive for you?
bobby
Hi Kathryn,
We spoke to your Mom a little while ago and she said she and your Dad had JUST spoken to you on Skype! They were so excited to have spoken to you and they said you sounded great! We were excited to hear that news and want you to know that we continue to think of you. Hope you are loving every minute. Love, Beth and Andy
Hi Kathryn! Dad and I loved talking to you yesterday. You sound great, and I hope your Peace Corps experience continues to be as positive as it has been so far. Sounds like you're enjoying your host family and faring well even without electricity and running water. You have definitely proven yourself to be very adaptable!
My 3rd graders will be excited to hear that Radzako, the monkey from the movie, has a name now. I had to laugh when you said that the language trainers had to sort of "settle" on "radzako" when none of them knew the Malagasy word for "monkey," since there are no monkeys in Madagascar--another interesting fact for the 3rd graders. No wolverines and no monkeys.
After you told us that your assignment is in Vohitsara (with "tsara" meaning "good"), I googled it and here are some interesting findings. Madagascar has six provinces, and all six have a city or village named Vohitsara! It looks like your Vohitsara is the one in the state of Antananarivo. I hope you will like it there, and I hope you'll enjoy your visit there next week.
So they play soccer in Mahitsitady? The 3rd graders will like to hear that. They'll be impressed, too, with learning that the kids have to go get water and carry it home in buckets. I think of that every time I turn on the faucet now.
Enough for now. I don't want to monopolize your blog space too much. I'll monopolize the USPS instead. Take good care of yourself. I miss you. I love you. Stay safe and healthy and happy!
Love,
Mom
oh kathrynwaller dear one.,
love&missyou.
[pray.pray.praying]
.duh
.. .ha
Hi Kathryn,
Thank you, thank you for your call on my birthday! It warmed my heart and made my day!
We got Maggie Hake's email today with a wonderful picture of all of you smiling. Beautiful!
Enjoy your visit to your site. Can't wait to hear about it.
Be safe. Stay healthy. Give your host family our thanks for opening their home to you. Let us know what we can do for them and you.
I love you!
Mom
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