Site Visit

Host families and Volunteers (Not in picture.)

Thursday, 16 March 2023 (32)

Another class this morning where the host families and volunteers worked on the agenda for the week we'd be at the site. Since I didn't have a host person show up, I just guesstimated when things could happen. We have to meet the Mayor but since the Mayor is my host family, that's taken care of. Market day is a done deal, and we'll go to my banking town Antsirabe, any day other than Sunday when things could be closed. Then the CSB (clinic) and my supervisor wants me there two days a week (Mondays and Fridays) 8 to 12. The rest if not all of it we'll just wing. 

I have assignments to do - like get a pulse on the communities health, find resources, make connections and fill in a few forms with contact names and numbers. I also have to check out my new home and see if it meets all the standards or if there are still repairs, improvements or construction that needs to happen.

We made the three hour trek to Tana. I guess I was expecting a nicer hotel. It's alright but nothing special and certainly not like in the downtown of business district as I had expected. Being the only male in the group I did get my own room. Dinner was very lame. We didn't get to choose and got a piece of meat which was fine and a large serving of rice. No water (not that we should drink their water) or any kind of drink at all unless you ordered a beer or other alcohol from the menu. The lighting was dim if not dark. The volunteer girls ate together while I ate with the host families. I thought that would be more entertaining but they weren't very conversant. Instead I found a large group of people from Poland on a vacation here for the last 15 or 16 days. Met two nice ladies - one was from LA, the other from Chicago. Got a picture. They are flying out tonight back to Paris and then to Poland..

The Antsirabe group is trying to work out a place to stay when we come back next Thursday. They supposedly could only get two rooms for nine of us. I can't understand how they think that is going to work out. I am not sharing a room with three or four girls and certainly not these girls. I'll see if my host family can help me make arrangements on that.

Friday, 17 March 2023 (33)

I awoke at 6am as I was told I wouldn't be picked up until 7:30. Two calls from one of the other volunteers. She expressed to me that the group was worried about me and that I might miss out on breakfast. Not a problem. Had I eaten, I might have vomited it all up from the road to Sahanivotry. The road wasn't very bad with potholes like the road to Mantasua. It was paved for the most part but the Peace Corps driver was very fast and the road had many turns.

It was maybe a five hour trip down. We stopped along the way for a bathroom break. Immediately became ingulfed in sellers hawking their wares and asking for money. The corn looked good but was a little on the unfinished side. And there was no butter or salt.  I managed a few bites but it did go out the window within a mile or two.

I felt bad as I had nothing to say and everyone looked like they could use a little money. I don't like being in that situation where I just can't give and yet I find it hard not to.

On the way to Antsirabe, I had many questions. The countryside is very hilly in parts, mountainous in others and just slightly flat in others. I believe that is why they call it the highlands. 

Stopped in Antsirabe for about 30-40 minutes. Had lunch at a fast food place - something "Gastronome Pizza". Prices were higher that street food but relatively cheap. A hamburger, frites and milkshake was 19,000ar or a little more than $4.20. The hamburger had a Malagasy twist with a very large bun and small patty with lots of veggies (I took those off). The fries were fine though I do believe the Malagasy people do not cook them long enough, nor (as I have mentioned earlier) do that eat the skins. The milk shake was not thick but was like milk, but it was cool, maybe not cold. And everyone and most signs are all in French - just for an added complication.

My driver and Feno had an errand to get vary (rice), so they told me, unless it was a ploy to see how I'd do in a big city without any assistance. Left me on my own for 30 minutes or so. I finished eating and walked a few blocks. I was hoping to find a bank to exchange my US currency. Turns out I forgot banks are closed from about noon till 2pm. And Airtel vendors only sell the scratch-off cards in the bigger stalls, not the small. My cell says I am out of credits but it may not matter as "Airtel" signal does not work in Sahanivotry. Looks like I'll need to get the "Orange" cell carrier brand here.

I did find a bank ATM. It didn't work after the first three pin number passes but did on the fourth attempt. I took out what I thought was a lot of money 100,000ar but it's only $22. That's 5 lunches. I also saw some socks and bought a couple pair for 10,000 ($2) but they look too small for adult Americans. Did give out some money to a woman begging while I didn't to another. Seems to be little to no rhyme or reason to my decision.

Arrived in xxxxx (asked not to name for security) about 1:30 or 2. Of course, I flubbed my introduction and first conversation with Odette, my host mother. And this in front of Feno, who I think is over language training. He spent half an hour explaining a few Peace Corps rules and what not and had money for her to help offset feeding and taking care of me. I think she was quite willing to do so without it. He also help translate my peculiar eating foods and that I don't drink a whole lot of liquids. I don't think they know much about the Peace Corps. So few people here do.

My first impression of the town was that it was small. The car was slowing down and then they told me we had arrived so I am not sure I even saw much of it in passing. I didn't see any shack stores nor the CSB. It looked just like a bunch of houses spread on this side and the other on the road. My host family seems fairly poor. I can understand why they may not have come to Peace Corps Camp. They might not have had the money - even if it was to be reimbursed. And I don't think Odette (my host mom) knows anything about the Peace Corps or if it a worthy endeavor to support.

It looks like I am sleeping in the family room - it has a dining room table in it and the lighting is the best in all the house. There's three floors. The ground floor looks like it mostly storage and meant for garage and animal use. The second floor is where the cooking and eating happens and I have yet to see the floor about which probably has the bedrooms. I believe Odette said she had 4 children. The youngest teen of 16 is still at home while the others live in Antsirabe.

Just as the Peace Corps guys were leaving I met who I think is neighbors and friends who live a house or three away. Not sure but maybe they are also family. Started the tour but as soon as we got to the potatoes being cleaned, I jumped in and started washing potatoes. I figured that maybe my language skills are terrible but perhaps I can show helpful skills instead and try and compensate. Then we were peeling and cutting up the potatoes and feeding the scraps to the cow. 

Spent a lot of time in the simple kitchen. They use charcoal for cooking and I can tell all their pots, pans, dishes, utensils and everything really is old and has seen lots of use. I though how wonderful a potato peeler and cutting board would be and I might go looking for one in Antsirabe.

We talked a lot of bad Malagasy and I just butchered the pronunciation and had terrible sentence structure if any at all. I had the hotel in Tana print me out three sheets but I haven't had any time to get it in my head. But we did have lots of laughs. Charades works as well. More people would come by and it was raining like cats and dogs.

This was a dark, and primitive situation. My original tent on the mountain and the cabin has better equipment and food prep things than here. Mom Odette cooked the frites and she handed some around. I didn't know what to make of it and basically I thought this was dinner. Turns out after I thought we had departed for the night a knock came and she announced the real sit-down dinner. There were the fries, soupy-rice, little mini fish (small like tadpole fish - which were fine), carrots and pears for dinner (again the skins had to come off). We had some jokes but very little conversation understood by both sides. And the food was cold or room temperature - a Malagasy standard.

I'm pretty sure I couldn't survive long if I had a more than a week here but we'll see tomorrow when I see my house, any stores and how I respond to the others and the town. A good state I believe never-the-less.

It's been a long and tiring day. Let's see how long I can stay awake.

CSB II where I will be working next two years.

Saturday, 18 March 2023 (34)

An interesting day. Feno and his driver from the Peace Corps stopped in after my breakfast of egg, bread, soupy rice (vary) which I had a little of and left over fries. We talked a little more and clarified my bad eating habits (meat and potatoes and so little vegetables). I think there was some misunderstanding when the Peace Corps said to sanitize the water by boiling it. They in turn offer me hot water (which I think they drink often with their meals) but I am sorry, I don't drink hot water burnt or otherwise. And that's not a "word of wisdom" thing - I just don't like hot water..

Went into town and met with the doctor and the CSB II. The staff was pleasant and seems to not know a lot about the Peace Corps. He spoke a lot of French as that is what the medical profession is taught in and speaks. I saw the room I'll be staying is and it needs work. It's a "fixer-upper". One big room that should be quite adequate for my needs and could use a little paint and more but we'll make due. There was a line of high school student types so there was no time to visit. Next week, call first.

Then we went into Antsirabe to get me connected with "Orange" service. I think I can use it even when I get back to Mantasua. We'll find out. Hit an American type of grocery store where the prices are higher but still not much more than what they are in the states. I found Pepsi and Monster drinks (go figure). For the average Malagasy, they are bound to be out of their reach but not for us rich Americans in a poor country. I just don't know how they can make a profit unless the US market is really raking in with the margins. 

Got the Peace Corps people to give me a half an hour to go looking on my own for t-shirts and a pair of shoes. Haven't had any luck with finding second hand clothes (called Frip or Frippy) it's all wrinkled and possibly unwashed. Looks like it came straight off the bales from Deseret Industries. New T-shirts on the other hand were going for 40-45,000 ($8-9) and probably worth it as I have none. At least the slogans on the new ones are predictable. Mostly Nike or sports related. Next time maybe.

I did get another pair of shoes, maybe they are an 11 (European 45) and I'm sure I paid too much. I think it was 160,000 ($35). Probably should have walked away but I did want another pair rather badly. I'd hate to be left with just the Steel toed shoes in a pinch. And this is after I negotiated them down from 200,000ar. I also found an appliance store and a hardware store. Paint was 100,000ar ($22) for a 5 gallon bucket of whatever color they offer which is the rainbow. A gallon of paint is about a quarter of that. Upright standing fans are also in that range of 100,000 - 200,000ar. A one-burner stove was about 70,000ar. I'd really like to find screen material to put up on the exterior windows to keep the bugs and mosquitoes out while keeping the windows open. Peace Corps people said they had it available along with cheaper stores selling appliances.

Got back early this afternoon with plenty of time to walk down the road 15 minutes to the main street of town. Started at the CSB II and spoke a few minutes with the Doctor again. He was just finishing lunch. We communicated both good and badly. I definitely have run out of conversational phrases with my very limited vocabulary. Then I thought he was walking me to the gate but instead walked the block back to the town's main center and introduced me to a few people. There's a hotel (hotely in Malagasy) but it doesn't look like a place most travelers would stay at. Definitely would receive some negative stars in any travel book but you would never find many rooms cheaper - probably just a few dollars.  

Everyone looked poor and in need of better clothing, sanitation and hygiene. Well, not everyone but many. It is strange to think that these could be my new neighbors and friends for the next two years. I could handle that. And that's what I'm both expecting and hoping for. I'm also older than most which makes for an interesting situation. I want to get off on the right foot with these people. Be friendly, be kind, be approachable, be strange and entertaining but also be understanding - give them of my time, my talents, my heart and my spirit. What is mine is theirs. What I can give - I offer. And yet somewhere deep inside I know I'll never be able to fully understand how really difficult their lives are or how our worlds could ever be very similar. I know that eventually, I will set up my place to be more comfortable and more luxurious that perhaps anyone else in town - just because I have the resources to do so.

Armed only with my 20 phrases typed on copy paper and stapled together - I was able to communicate and do some basic friendly talk. I know I could survive, I could buy what I needed, I could learn more, figure out what I wanted to say, what I needed to say and get through this. But I'll still need these next several weeks to get more building blocks and help from Peace Corps staff that will teach and correct me and give me the tools I need to frame up new sentences, new phrases, new lines of dialog. Eventually, I will improve, eventually I will learn more, be understood better and become friends with people I'd never come to know in any other way. This is soon to be my new home and my new language and I am ok with that.

 Back at my host family's place, there was a large group of a dozen women downstairs. Being the Mayor's home, I thought that maybe the neighbors had come around like yesterday to see the new stranger. Instead, they were gathering money for some cause I could not figure out, nor divine from my host's explanation. I offered my dictionary but I don't think many can read. I eventually came to a saying that this was some kind of a savings collection for a rainy day. But then I found it humorous and looked up the words to say that "It rains everyday". They found it funny but probably wasn't in the spirit of the collection. I offered 10,000ar but I don't know what that means nor whether it was little or a lot. My host mom looked appreciative so I guess it was ok.