mihinana vary aho

that means "i eat rice" in malagasy. i know, awesome. it's the first sentence i learned when i discovered there was a pdf file of a transcript of the mp3 files the peace corps sent me to learn malagasy. for a while i had been listening to these clips that honestly sounded like gibberish and being like "how am i EVER going to learn this language?" finding the transcript was sort of akin to finding buried treasure, or at least to what i imagine that might be like, based on my limited experience.

alas, i'm going to madagascar. if you're reading this you probably know that, but just in case...i'm going with the peace corps and let's be honest, it's pretty exciting. i mean, it's madagascar. like the exotic capital of the world. us americans, we like to romanticize places like that, so we'll see, but for the time being at least, it's pretty exotic. and romantic. and glamorous. and all that. i'm going to be working in health and nutrition education, which means most of the time in a clinic, sometimes in the community and maybe also in schools? probably working alongside malagasy people doing some of the same stuff, and probably training people to do educational programs or something? i'm not really sure how it'll pan out day to day, but that's the idea. the forest, not the trees. speaking of trees, i'll be living amongst the flora and fauna of the world's fourth (or fifth?) biggest island, lemurs and cockroaches and such, either in my own room in a family's house or in my own little house on the grounds of the clinic. i'll be living like my neighbors, maybe with no electricity/running water. also glamorous till you're there, right? it'll probably be pretty humbling to get in this living situation that i may perceive as incredibly primitive, spartan, even insufficient...and know all along that most of the world lives like that. all the time. not by choice. they don't get a stipend from the u.s. government either. i guess my first ever madagascar blog entry isn't really the time to go into justice and loving your neighbor...

so maybe another time. for now, know that i'll update this when i can, which may be once a week or once a year. we'll see. they make it sound like we shouldn't count on phone or internet service, like letters are the most dependable way to communicate with family and friends, and then if those things are available in a particular situation it'll be a pleasant surprise. i think the thing is that things are different everywhere on the island, but it sounds like the peace corps will do a good job making sure my basic needs are provided for and more, and like things are advancing to the point that i'll probably get a cell phone, one that i can maybe even use sometimes! and like i'll maybe even be able to check my email once in a blue moon. we'll see. like most of you, i have a lot of questions, but i'm trying to kind of roll with the punches and realize that many of my questions will be answered when i get there...and maybe not even right away then. c'est la vie, as the malagasy say. if i knew any more malagasy besides "i eat rice," i might close with that, but since i don't, you'll have to come back another time. if you think you may be prone to forgetting the spelling of the malagasy word for madagascar, remember to save the link to this blog in your email or your favorites or...get it tattooed across your forehead, however you'll remember it best.

write me an email...or better yet, a letter. preferably one with a packet of kraft cheese powder stuffed in the envelope, for the next time i make pasta. i'll love you forever.