getting ready to leave the ground

november 12...i'm in tana, flight leaves in the morning, i've eaten my first lychees of the season so i think i can make it until december to eat more...so i guess i'm ready to go.

as all of you probably know and/or can imagine, i'm really excited to be going home. a little nervous, too, that i'll forget all the american social conventions that aren't in effect here, but mostly excited. in other recent news, we just finished our lac alaotra girls' camp last sunday...we brought 20 middle school girls to andasibe, a national park east of tana, and to tana, the capital of madagascar, for a week of health, environment, and empowerment/decision-making/goal-setting types of things. it was exhausting, but went really well. i think all the girls had a great time, and we did too. i also ate rice 3 times a day for about 8 days, which i think stretched out my stomach sufficiently to be as prepared for american food as i can be from here. so this was good timing for a vacation.

i came to tana on the longest taxi-brousse ride ever, 13 hours from ambatondrazaka to here (it should be about 7...or maybe 3 or 4 if they were american roads and cars). but i'm here now and finishing up stuff around town before i fly out tomorrow morning! i'll see you all soon, and i will have plenty of pictures/stories/appetite for delicious american food. you get the idea.