August 7, 2011

It's been a couple of weeks since the last time I wrote a post, so I have a lot to write about today!

The engagement party two weeks ago was a lot of fun. My extended (host) family started showing up late Friday, when the men started building a temporary outdoor tent structure. Saturday they finished it while others killed and prepped several chickens and did other food prep. That night around 8 they started BUMPING music, and the dance party began.

I was ordered to dance by the bride-to-be (my cousin, though I didn't know she was the one getting married until the next day at the lunch party), and eventually I did. They all said I was mahay (~good in Malagasy) but I don't know if they were just being nice or not. I went to bed at 10:30 (late here) with earplugs in, which was clutch because I could feel the music in my bed it was so loud, and it never stopped. I woke up the next morning and it was still at the same volume it had been the whole night lol.

Sunday, everyone spent the morning prepping for lunch, dresing up, doing makeup and hair, etc. The groom's family showed up and filed into the tent, followed by as many of our family as could fit. Then the groom's aunt and my dad (the bride's uncle) took turns speaking (presumably welcoming, thanking, and other formalities, though I understood only a few words). Then the groom had to go find his fiance (a funny tradition) and she had to find the ring in a basket of flowers. We had a couple courses of awesome food, then some people danced, and that was about it.

The next day, all the trainees got to go to the market in Manjakandriana, about an hour by car from Mantasoa (though only about 20 km - the road sucks most of the way). We all practiced buying food and bargaining, and I got to buy a live chicken. It was 8500 Ariary, which is about $4.25. Did I mention stuff is really cheap here? Six ounce cups of coffee are 200 Ariary (10 cents), Coke (with real sugar!) is 600 AR (30 cents), and assorted freshly fried bread products are 50 or 100 AR each (2.5-5 cents). We ate lunch at a hotely (restaurant) and had the chance to drink a beer for the first time in the ~ 2 weeks we had been in-country. Fun day all around.

Then last Monday, we all found out our sites for the next 2 years! I will be teaching at the high school in Ambatondrazaka (am-bah-toon-drah-zah-kah), 260 km northeast of the capital (Tana). I am really excited about my site for many reasons, including: electricity, running water, a big town (~30,000), a big house, a garden, a real toilet, not having to travel to do my banking or shopping, and being near the several national parks and the largest lake in Madagascar, Laq Alaotra. This lake is the only place you can find one species of lemur, which was featured in the BBC special on animals in Madagascar I saw before leaving. So not only will I be near awesome lemurs, but I'll also be teaching English (and maybe some of the benefits of conservation) to their human neighbors.

I'm in the last week living with my host family here in Mantasoa, as all the trainees are moving back to the training center on Thursday. I think most of us have mixed feelings about it. For me, I will miss living with my host family, which is pretty much my extended family now. But there are advatanges to living at the training center, including volleyball and a more balanced diet.

Oh, and after only three weeks I had already lost the ten pounds I was expecting to lose throughout training. So I've been snacking a ton between meals, but it hasn't really helped because all the food is carbs and I really need some fat and protein. My host family's diet is better than many, but it's still very ricey.

All for now. I'm going on a 3 night trip next week to check out a volunteer's site, so I should get Internet and have fun seeing somewhere besides Mantasoa. Peace.