The Year is Rapidly Ending

2014 is rapidly coming to a close. It has been an interesting year for me. At the start of the year I was living in California and readying myself for a big change. As it ends I am in Ankazambo Atsimo, Befandriana Avaratra, Madagascar. And a few things happened in between.

In February I left the US for my service here in Madagascar. Which means I am rapidly approaching one year off US soil which is a whole other mind blowing topic. Unless you count the embassy here as US soil. Technically it is, but I don't count it despite their warm hospitality. Leaving the US was hard. To leave behind family and friends for 2+ years was rough to say the least. To know I wouldn't see loved ones for so long was heart-wrenching. Even thinking back on it now brings emotions up. However, Peace Corps does a pretty good job of adjusting you quickly. Following a disorienting full day of travel and the changing of, I believe, 11 time zones, we arrived. And you are thrown right in. Within 48 hours of landing we were living with host families. You don't have much time or energy to think. You're mostly trying to keep up your head above water. It's a lot like when I left home to go to Los Angeles for school. I left in August for football training camp and was immediately busy 24/7. You are so busy you have little time to think about missing people and before you know it you've been in this new environment for weeks. Except here I'm a foot taller than everyone, speak a different language, and poop in a hole. Other than that though the experiences are very much alike.

Towards the end of the initial training period you become antsy. You feel ready to go and do what you joined Peace Corps to do. I know that I spent those last few trainings on policy and paperwork contemplating running through the wall and leaving an outline like the Kool-Aid man. I'm sure anyone who has ever served in Peace Corps experienced similar feelings. It's no knock on the trainers or the program here. They are fantastic and I would have lasted about 30 seconds at my site if it wasn't for them. It's just that by the end of training camp you just want to play a damn game. So then it is off to site.

I got to my site around the end of April. I was wrong. I was not ready. You just can't be. The training staff gets you as close as possible but until you actually get there you have no idea. The first few days at site are the hardest in my opinion. New place, new language. I don't know what the experience is in other Peace Corps countries but here in Madagascar the volunteers draw a lot of attention too. There is absolutely no way to blend in as a 6'5” white guy here. That is a blessing and a curse. You can't walk down the street without stares and shouts but when you speak many people listen. It is a weird mix of feeling like a zoo animal, celebrity, source of amusement, and all knowing wonder. Most of the attention is positive or harmless but it is especially difficult to deal with in the first few days. It is difficult to talk to anyone because you realize that you aren't as good as you thought at the language and it would be hard to explain all of the emotions to your closest confidant let alone a stranger. You are both never alone and always alone. It gets better.

I was spinning a bit for the first few months as does everyone. The idea is to integrate in your community, improve your language, and just get comfortable. Time during this period, and as a matter of fact the whole time so far, goes very strangely. Individual days can drag on. Sometimes it feels like the sun will never go down. Or that you've been extremely productive and worked forever, and it's still only 8am. But man do the weeks and months fly by. Days go slow but if you blink a month goes by. It's a strange feeling. So you get started on projects and try to start actually making a difference for people. I'm there now. There are a lot of balls in the air and I just hope I can catch a few of them. As strange as it sounds, I am beginning to feel a time crunch. I am about to embark on a highly anticipated holiday vacation then, after the holidays, it is only a few months until I am under a year left in the country. I need to hit the ground running. So then it goes from feeling like forever to feeling like too little time. It's enough to make anyone's heart race a bit.

We're in the thick of the holidays. Trees have been up in Costco for about 2 months. Calling birds are warming up their vocal cords. Lords are a'stretching to avoid injury. I'm sure ABC Family has an original Christmas movie on the schedule tonight starring John Stamos and Heather Locklear called “The Christmas Miracle” about a childless couple who finds a baby on their doorstep Christmas morning who ends up being Santa and Mrs.Claus' baby that they couldn't raise because of advanced age so they decided to give it to a struggling, though happy and loving, couple on the good list. And it will soon be the new year. This has brought on my reflective mood I think. It's been a crazy year. To think, next year I will spend the entire year, save a few days of vacation, in Madagascar. It's been a year of ups and downs. Big ups and big downs. I've made some dumb mistakes. Really dumb. And I've had some great triumphs as well. I plan to learn from the mistakes and try to make the triumphs more frequent. I still miss everyone. I don't think that will go away. But I'll blink and it'll be Christmas next year. Then I'll be planning my victorious return to the States. But not yet. I have a bit more to do here. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

End note (since I want to write about something else that is only slightly related to the blog topic and would have been hard to squeeze in to the main body): I turn 30 next year. It has snuck up on me. It's just a number but I've been thinking a lot about it lately in light of my continuing to be a big, dumb child at times.

When I was younger I thought adults were all super wise. That, when you became an “adult”, you just knew everything. I don't know that I every worked out how that happens exactly. I just thought it did. Like maybe when you turned 21 a light switch flipped in your head and you were a “grown-up”. I'm still waiting for that switch to flip. Here I am, almost 30 years on Earth, and still swimming. I'm a terrible swimmer too. I guess the idea is to always move forward. Try to improve a little each day. I keep hoping I'll wake up one day and just get it. I'm still hopeful that I will. Lebron has raced forward and taken a commanding lead in the life race that began in 1985 but it's early. He can't be a super freak forever I think. Plus, maybe I'm the Lebron of curling or something and just haven't figured it out yet.    

Wazzurp

Hello World!

It's been a while and I know the 6 people who read this probably really missed this. I've been a busy boy with a lot to talk about.

I recently had a training with the Food Security Committee, of which I am a member, at the Peace Corps Training Center in lovely Mantasoa, Madagascar. An expert was brought in to teach the members of the committee and their Malagasy counterparts about permagardening. Specifically the construction and maintenance of a year round garden even in semi-arid conditions like those in my town. We also touched on composting, charcoal making (as a soil amendment), and the scientific reasoning behind the technique and how to help plants grow well in general among other things. It's a really wonderful technique and I am happily implementing it in my site already. I won't bore you with all of the details but there was an amazing take away from the training.

One thing that is a constant worry for a Peace Corps volunteer is the sustainability of your work. It weighs heavily on my mind here. The idea is to create change on a local level that can contiue once the volunteer is gone. Both with the people that you worked directly with and also those who they come in contact with and train in the future. It sounds great and not too difficult but it is very hard. Behavior change is a hard nut to crack in general but adding to it language and cultural barriers it becomes even more difficult. Think about how hard it is to change behavior. Millions of people in America know they should eat better. Know they should workout more. Know they are obese. But they do nothing about it. They are informed and educated on the topic but they do nothing about it. I've been in that boat myself for a time. Trying to get people to change habits and behaviors they and their ancestors have been practicing for generations, while learning their language and culture and being an outsider, is something that keeps me up at nights. However, it is possible. And at the training we talked about good strategies for affecting behavior change.

I've done a lot of trainings here with a good number of people. Sometimes 30 or 35 people. It feels good to know that that many people are interested in what you are teaching and motivated to learn. It also feels like you are reaching a lot of people at once. But really most of the people there will not get the training and almost none of them will do what they were taught. Whenever a large number of people are brought together, inevitably, about 5 of the biggest personalities take over the room. They answer the trainers questions and ask questions of their own. Everyone else is a passive listener at that point. There is almost no way they will remember what was taught. Especially 6 months from now when they might actually want to or see the opportunity to use it. And if the whole training is in a classroom setting then even the big, active personalities will have a hard time remembering and implementing the information. So, while good intentioned, I was doing things wrong. People were getting a basic idea of the information but not enough experience and knowledge to actually use it. With behavior change a fear of change and new things is also an impediment to people and by talking about things only I was not showing people just how easy the new techniques are. Only telling them. And why should they trust me?

Which brings us to the training. One of the main tenants of the training was that, in order to effectively train people and turn them into trainers or change agents themselves, you have to train them in small groups. Preferably 10 or less. And the training should be a hands on experience out in the field if at all possible. Make sure to make the training easy to follow and do and get people outside to actually do it. I have started doing this with great success. We have 3 permagardens in the works as well as 3 compost piles. There are more in the pipeline for the upcoming weeks. These seem like small numbers but they are encouraging. One of the first things I tried to do was get people to make compost. Until I broke it into small groups and brought it to their territory they never did. Now they are. At one of the compost trainings there were 4 people. I know they got it. I know one of them is doing her own pile with out me. I love that. I've told them that, by the end of my service, I want them to do the trainings and I can be a tall, sun-burnt, extremely conspicuous camera man only. None of the trainings have been with more than 6 people. I am confident when we finish that everyone gets it. And I can follow up with people because the numbers are so much less.

The absolute best part is that one of my counterparts, the one who came to the training with me, is already taking charge and training people. She is an incredible asset to the community and a great person. It's crazy to think how high she could have risen if she was born somewhere else or able to get an education above middle school level. But then she probably wouldn't be here and they need her. She motivates people and challenges them. She just gets it. There are times when I want to throw my hands up and just do things for people so they'll get done. She won't let it happen because she knows that, if we do that, everyone will be lazy and wait for me or her to do it for them next time. So she trains people. I am still at every training. There are still things she isn't up to speed on yet and techniques we haven't trained on yet. But the ones we have she knows well and she leads things. I am there to lend a hand and guide things but she does the bulk of the talking. I know she will do this long after I am gone. If everything else fails I know she'll be practicing these things and leading trainings years down the road.

I'd like to think that because of Peace Corps' presence in their community the town of Ankazambo Atsimo in the Sofia Region of Madagascar will be changed for the better. 20 years from now their children will eat better. People will make more money. This will allow more children to go to school for longer periods of time. They will go to college. And the community will continue to rise and improve. I'd like to think that my work and the work of my predecessor here have set them on that path. This new training concept makes me believe this is possible and gives me hope I can move the ball forward significantly these 2 years. The fact that I have at least one change agent ready to work, and already working, gives me more hope. I am extremely cautiously optimistic. Now if I can find a few more like her I can work on my photography skills.  

Caffeine Makes Me Happy

Such a sad day in Ankazambo Atsimo. The big box-ish store in Befandriana has stopped selling the instant coffee that has been my life blood. I do not know if this is a permanent thing or if they are waiting on a re-supply. It seems pretty permanent. For some one who craves caffeine the way I do this is a bit of an issue.

In the US I had many easy to access, and gloriously tasty, caffeine sources. Energy drinks, the occasional diet soda, and of course Starbucks. (Starbucks, to me any way, has become synonymous with all purveyors of $4 espresso drinks such as Coffee Bean, Peet's, etc. Kind of like Kleenex or Q-tips for their respective products.) Unfortunately the big, green giant from the Emerald City hasn't penetrated this market just yet. I'm sure that will come eventually. That feels inevitable. Here you can get coffee at many little road side stands that also sell various kinds of deep fried breads. The coffee is bitter and requires some sugar to make it palatable but it is not too bad considering the circumstances. And the deep fried goodness is fantastic. However, much to my sadness, the bread sellers in my small town do not have coffee. So I have taken to the instant coffee previously mentioned. (Side note: The instant coffee is called “Cafe Pele” after the soccer star.) You can actually by fresh coffee and roast it yourself here as well which is fun but time consuming. Since I can be a bit lazy, especially in the morning pre-coffee, I stuck with the instant stuff.

I ran out about a week ago and couldn't make it to town for a replacement for a 2 days. Those were rough. I was not a fun person to be around and basically shut myself in my house with the exception of a few meetings that were already on the schedule. Then I went to town and learned the bad news of Cafe Pele's demise. So, since I was still feeling lazy, I got tea. Tea here is actually pretty good. Most people take it with a ton of sugar but the tea is not bad. It is the kind that comes loose, so not in tea bags, so you need a little strainer which I have. The problem is that it doesn't have the kick that Pele had (get it). So I drink a lot of it to offset. Not bad but unsustainable.

I think I will have to break down and do the fresh coffee. It is infinitely better tasting than the other stuff so I'm not too broken up by the thought. I'll just have to get in a routine with it and always have some fresh roasted and ground. Unless my dear friend Pele makes a return. What a glorious day that would be.

In brighter news, I had a training on making compost the other day and have another scheduled for next week. It went pretty well. I think everyone gets it but followup will be important. I have to make sure the people who come to the trainings are actually doing what they have learned. Usually most don't but a couple are just a little reinforcement away from being good to go. Compost is a good thing to be doing right now because we are a bit in between growing seasons. It's plenty warm enough to grow things right now but water is in short supply so most people do not grow right now. In our garden we just started some greens and peppers but even we don't have it going at full capacity. That will happen in a few months when the rain comes. Until then it is compost, compost, compost on the garden side of things.    

Ramble on

I'm going to be about 180 lbs by the time I leave here but I'll be able to walk and bike my ass off. Minus the brutally long and cramped taxi-brousse rides I've already written about I walk or bike everywhere. Any where within a 40km radius or so is reachable by man power only. Sometimes farther.

Myself and my counterpart are planning a a trip to Mandritsara to visit some people by bike and it's about 120km away. We'll obviously need to stay a day or two to make that one worth it. Being here has definitely made me never want to have a car again. It's very nice and peaceful walking and biking. I get a lot of good thinking done then. Just the other day I walked about 2 hours each way to visit a friend. It was great. I was a bit sore in the feet but it was fun. That's one of the pluses of the laissez faire (I have no idea if that is spelled right) attitude towards time here, no one is ever in a huge hurry. When waiting for a brousse to leave after already doing a 14 hour overnight trip this can be frustrating. But when you just want to cruise on your bike or get somewhere the old fashioned way it's a beautiful thing. I'll be entrenched in this over the next couple years. It's going to be very hard to adjust back to US or Western standards for timeliness. I'm hoping to do a multi-day bike trip before I leave the country. Maybe from my town to Tana. By my calculations that is doable in 5-6 days. That may be a little ambitious but it's the goal.

And as I continue on this stream of consciousness, being here has also taught me about ambition. Before coming here I was no slacker but I wouldn't say I was a shoot for the stars kind of guy. You don't really think of Peace Corps being a breeding ground for ambition. More like a bunch of hippies running from the real world for a few years. But us hippies can have ambition too man. In my experience, when I got here I had grand visions of what I wanted to accomplish. The Peace Corps actually does a pretty good job of grounding you during training so that nobody gets too down if they don't accomplish all of their hopes and dreams. I really appreciated that and thought it was good to remind us that development work is a long and slow progress and that, often times, the work you but in right now won't be evident until 20 years down the road. But being here, and in my town specifically, has made me realize that just going for it is the way to go. The people I've been working with thus far are so motivated to learn new things and improve it has made me want to do better myself. And it has made me set a very ambitious agenda for the next 2 years. I can hopefully get it all done but the key is, at least I think, that by being ambitious I can push the ball forward better than holding back. Even if I fail at a few things which will almost certainly happen and will be documented extensively on this very blog. The counterside to my big plans is the possibility that, by trying to do some much, I will have a lot of half complete projects here. That is definitely a possibility and a focused, well run project is certainly better than a dozen half-assed ones. I think I can run projects simultaneously that will all be focused and well managed. Time will tell. I just want to stay busy and get a lot done here. I only have a couple years to do it and the clock is ticking.  

I'll be missing you...Chipotle

It just occurred to me that I have been here in Madagascar for over 6 months. Time is flying! I feel like I just got here but am feeling the time crunch to get projects moving. In light of this realization I have decided to compile a list of silly things I miss. It goes without saying that I miss my family, friends, and loved ones immensely and daily. So I want to make a list of borderline embarrassing creature comforts my soft, American ass misses. It makes me feel very selfish to miss these things while working here. This list is mostly food which doesn't bode well for my figure when I return. The list is in no particular order and, again, I'm ashamed to admit I miss most of these things. But what is the internet for if not embarrassing yourself for all to see.

• Chipotle
• Netflix
• Greasy pizza
• Sushi
• The Daily Show
• Twizzlers
• Movie theaters
• Movie theater popcorn
• Movie theater popcorn butter
• Spicy chicken sandwiches of all makes and models. The more deep fried and awful for you the better.
• Souplantation
• Weight lifting
• Constant updates on the status of the UCLA Bruins football team.
• Grantland.com
• Good beer
• Crappy, American beer. Never knew I could actually miss PBR.
• Liquor other than rum
• Trader Joe's. Specifically cheese, wine, samples, and the pre-made wraps.
• Nachos
• All Mexican food
• Starbucks
• Road trips

Ok, I think that's enough. All of that said I love it here and only miss these things when I'm especially vulnerable (meaning tired and/or hungry). But I do think of them from time to time. I'm sure when I get home a binge is in order. Please don't judge me when it happens.

When I Grow Up...

I have so much I'd like to accomplish in Ankazambo. Since IST I've spent a lot time thinking about my goals and what is realistic. I'm probably still being too ambitious but what is Peace Corps if not the hope that you can help change the world. Or at least a small rural community in Madagascar. With that, the only way I can accomplish anything is with the support and trust of my host community. They have been, and continue to be, amazing in that regard. Hopefully I keep doing a good job and don't screw things up. My biggest fear here is that I'll some how lose the trust of my community and end up being short of what they needed, or worse causing harm. I'm confident enough to believe I am good enough most of the time but the thought is always there. I think that is one of the hardest parts about Peace Corps service, or I'm sure development work as a whole, is staying out of your own head and remaining realistic without confining yourself to a limited agenda for fear of reaching too far. It's a delicate balance to keep that I certainly fall to one side or the other of many times a day. Which is probably the most surprising part of service to this point, the drastic mood swings. I've always been a bit of a moody person but this work definitely makes sure to keep you in your place. A great meeting is followed by a conversation you couldn't follow. Which is followed by fun time spent with friends. Which is followed by finding out a part of your garden has failed. Which is followed by a new planned activity that sounds so great! And so on and so forth. And that's all in one day. Every day is a roller coaster. Luckily there has been a balance so far. Never too high or too low. Enough struggle to stay humble and driven but enough success to get out of bed in the morning. Oh the life.

I'll structure my plans and goals the way I presented them to my counterpart because I think it makes sense. First will be a couple of big projects I'd like to do. Then some smaller projects that can fill in things and should be easily doable. Next secondary (outside my sector) projects I'm thinking of doing. And finally my biggest, grandest, most unrealistic dreams that I'm more so hoping will inspire the people here to keep dreaming big after I leave than actually expecting to accomplish. But a man can dream can't he?

There are two big projects. The first of which has already had some ground work laid and might require some funding help from my generous friends and family. My community would like to get one or more pedal pump irrigation systems installed. They are basically man powered pumps that can pull large amounts of water into places that are not close to a water supply and thus hard to farm on. The aparatus itself is genius and the way you pump the water is a foot powered system that looks a lot like an elliptical machine from the gym. It is simple to maintain and operate and I'm about 80% sure we can use bamboo for piping from the water supply to cut down on costs. I need to run some tests on that first though. To go along with this I want to start a farming co-operative for my town. This would be great for a few reasons. First of all, even without the irrigation system, getting people together to share ideas and goals is always a helpful and wonderful thing. With the irrigation system it does a couple of things. It communalizes (Word thinks this is not a real word but I like it so it stays) the land that the system will be serving which makes sure that many can benefit from it and cuts down on potential conflict over it down the road. The second thing it does is put a group in charge of the upkeep of the system. The last thing I, or Peace Corps, wants is for a big project like this to be down and fall apart down the road. Of course taking all the pictures and shaking all the hands is a great way to start but if the system falls apart as soon as myself, or even a volunteer to follow me, leaves then it was all for naught. A co-op protects against this. I have already been in touch with the NGO that supplies them and am in the process of setting up a site visit with one of their technicians. There are many communities with volunteers in the region who also want this system. There are even some who don't have volunteers and want to get in on it which is beautiful. By pooling our orders into one big order we can get even better pricing than the already low price they give. The NGO very much wants to work with Peace Corps so I feel really good about our shot of pulling this off. It would be so huge and make a huge difference in all of the communities. This is still in the very early stages so a great number of things can still go wrong. But I think this is realistic.

The second big project is with the blacksmith's co-op. Currently almost all of their selling is done on an order by order basis with random trips to markets and fairs making for some good money influxes throughout the year. They are already in a very good position and do a pretty nice job for themselves in no small part because the volunteer I replaced did a very good job. I want to expand them into regional markets on a regular basis. There are two weekly markets within easy biking distance of my town and three large towns with daily markets within a short (by Madagascar standards) car ride away. I don't think selling in the market town I go to, which is super close, would be super beneficial because all the people there that would be interested either have the knives or know where to get them. The region knows how good these guys are at their job. Which is why I think spreading to the farther markets is doable. The names Ankazambo and Loharanonkariana (the co-op) carry weight around the whole region. They are know for the quality of their work so finding a customer base would be relatively simple. The ground work will be finding taxi-brousse drivers we can trust to ship the goods and sellers in the markets to hawk the wares. These would both be very easy to pull off. The brousse companies are very protective of their images and take it very seriously when they take someone's many for a service. And they are willing to stack an ungodly amount of stuff on the tops of the brousses so space is no issue. Finding sellers would also be relatively simple. We just have to go to the towns and speak with people to find the best person for the job. The next step would be doing some local radio spots to announce that we are there. Everyone listens to the radio so these are very effective and cheap. Then just keeping production up and maintaining a good inventory. They already have a great storage building that is hardly used and I know they can handle keeping track of all the product being stored and then going out. We (myself and my counterpart) are very excited about this. I think this also is a very realistic goal to have accomplished in two years.

The smaller projects I have in mind are mostly trainings I'd like to do with people and many are in conjunction with the bigger projects. I'd of course like to continue expanding gardening in my town and the surrounding areas. I'll do full on trainings on many different topics (bed prep, companion planting, pest management, waters management, compost, etc. You know, really sexy stuff) both with my fikambanana (co-op) and other people and groups. There is a current fikambanana in the town next to mine that I will start having trainings with very soon. They also might get in on the irrigation systems. Yay! I'll also do trainings on chicken farming which there is a ton of interest on here. That could potentially lead to another fikambanana as well. Bee-keeping trainings have also been requested and should be provided as well. I'll need to bring in another volunteer who is very good at that because I am admittedly weak in it. Plus bee stings hurt. With the blacksmiths the small things are mostly tied to the expansion in markets. Inventory control and increasing their bookkeeping skills will be important.

The secondary projects I have in mind mostly have to do with the children in town. While annoying and the bane of my existence most days I still feel they should get some Peace Corps love as well. I've already had a training on tooth brushing and hand washing with requests for more so that will continue. I also might do a school garden/English club at a local school that has expressed interest. We'll see on that because it could potentially become a big time user.

Now for the dreams! The farming dream would simply be that production would be so high that we could sell in the market. I'm not sure that it can get there in two years but it is doable. It will depend on how fast we get the irrigation system in place and start growing things. Having the fikambanana already in place will also be a plus for this because there will already be a body (theoretically) capable of running the market operation and handling the ensuing cash influx and payouts. For the blacksmiths my grand dream if for them to sell their knives in tourist markets in big towns. I think we could make a killing on them. First of all the rustic look of them is, I think, a good selling point because they look like they were hand-crafted in a small village. They could also stylize them a bit more for the tourists and make some designs on the handles and blades. If we get to it that would be decided by basic market research. Sell both and see what sells better. I think the key will be selling it with a story. Each knife would come with a paper or small booklet explaining where it came from and who made it. It would have pictures and all that jazz. We'd make them up in French and Malagasy to sell to a wide audience. For one thing tourists can pay more money for this product than locals can, so much money can be made. Another is that I think, by selling the story, you're giving people an awesome souvenir to take back and show off. “I went to Africa and bought this local made machete. This guy Fizel made here's his picture.” Sounds good right? I can see people in Paris showing off their Malagasy knives over wine, cigarettes, a baguette, and some high quality cheese (yummmm cheese). But that's why those are dreams. A little unrealistic, especially in a 2 year period, but not out of the question. I hope they at least spark some imaginations for the future.

So, I have a lot I'd like to get done here. I go into it knowing some of these things will fail for many unexpected reasons. But I'm hopeful. I have a great community to work with which is the best start possible. Hopefully by putting these out there I will make myself have to accomplish them for fear of shame when returning to the US. Hold me to it!  

I've Been Busy

Hello World!

It's been a while and a lot has happened. I'll try to touch on everything and include the hopes for the future. Here we go!

IST

In mid-July my stage had our IST (In Service Training) conference. All of us gathered in Tana then headed back to the training center in Mantasoa where it all began. IST is a two week shindig. The first week was done with all of our Malagasy counterparts and the second with just the volunteers.

Our Malagasy counterparts are the people we will be working with the most and the most closely at our sites. I brought the president of the fikambanana I work with. But they are not the only people we will be working with by any means. We will all have many counterparts it just isn't feasible to have them all come to Mantasoa. So we each chose one to come with us and bring all of the information back to our villages. The week with our counterparts was awesome. I got to spend a lot of quality time with mine and met so many other cool people who are counterparts of other volunteers. We had meetings both with our counterparts and separate from them throughout the week. The idea is to get them to understand the way Peace Corps works, the challenges and opportunities of cross cultural exchange, project design and management, and the possibilities that we have going forward. When I finally got back to my site (This was a long...long trip) we had a meeting with the whole community about what we learned at the conference.

The second week, with just the volunteers, was learning how to get projects off the ground during the next 9 months of service. That includes the design and management of course but also funding if necessary. There are a few grants we can apply for for specific things but there is also one for general projects called the PCPP. It is basically a project funded by outside donations through Peace Corps. The outside donors can be anyone but are usually friends and families (who love and care about the Volunteers and want their projects to go awesome so they donate lots of money and maybe visit the Volunteers too just for fun). Anyways, I have a project that will more than likely need funding coming down the pipeline. It's still very much in it's infancy so I won't bore you with the details yet but know it is awesome and a worthy project. During the second week we also learned advanced language skills and refreshed and improved our technical knowledge. The language stuff is always fun. It's also always good to see just how much you still have to learn. Malagasy is a good language for that. Every time I start to feel really good about my language I have an experience (or 30) that puts me in my place. The technical training also will be very helpful going forward. There was a training in particular on business expansion here in Madagascar that was especially awesome and helpful (Thanks Lucie!).

IST is also the first time your whole training group is brought back together as one. It was a blast to see everyone again and find out about their sites and potential projects. One of the things we had to do are called CDS (Community Diagnostic Survey) presentations. We presented them to everyone at IST. There are about 35 of us so it can drag a bit and get repetitive. But the section on future projects was very inspiring and exciting. Also the pictures. Always love the pictures. Seeing all of the Americans was also a bit overwhelming. Not in a bad way it was just weird to be back around so many Americans after spending so much time around Malagasy people. MSC (Mid-Service Conference) is the next big training in 9 months so I'm sure that will be even more jarring. But it really was awesome to get everyone back together. I genuinely like the people I've been sent here with and consider myself blessed to be here with such a cool group.

Wrapped around IST were a couple of days in Tana with the whole group as well. Tana is always interesting and I was by no means done with it.

VACATION!!

After IST myself and a few friends went on vacation to a place called Mahajanga. It was awesome. Mahajanga is on the northern west coast of Madagascar on the Mozambique Channel. It is a beach city with all of the great beach city attractions. Namely a beach. At the main beach there (called “Petite Plage” which means “little beach” in French) you can rent an umbrella for the day for shade. And up and down the beach there are people walking and selling so much wonderful food and drink. The seafood was fantastic. I've never eaten so much shrimp and fish in my life. Needless to say I gained a few pounds on vacation. There is also a bar on the beach with ice cold beer and other beverages. I personally recommend bringing rum and buying a coconut at the beach to drink out of. You can make your first drink with the coconut water and then you have an awesome natural cup to mix in. There are also sellers of fresh made juice on the beach so mixers aren't hard to come by. Sometimes the juice is made in less than sanitary conditions but the alcohol kills everything so it's fine. That's how that works right?

Vacation was mostly the beach and partying so the description isn't really that great. I'll try to post some pics on here to do it more justice but there are already some up on Facebook as well. Mahajanga was a great place that I definitely plan on going back to. There are a few hikes and such in the area I'd like to do. This time is was just too hard to drag my ass off the beach.

Fier Mada

After vacation I headed straight back to Tana for “Fier Mada”. Fier Mada is a giant agricultural and artisanal fair at a university in the capital. It was better than similar events I've been to in the States. You can find so much there. Many NGOs and governmental organizations have booths as well as individual co-operatives and sellers. I went with the blacksmiths co-operative I work with in Ankazambo.

The fair was amazing! First the fun. The food was so so good! I had everything from a delicious pineapple slaw with parsley to a hamburger with an egg on it. Also on the menu, fresh grilled fish with veggies, waffles, pate sandwiches, and more I'm sure I am forgetting. The best part was that all of it was local companies or individuals. I even got to try, and purchase, the best honey in Madagascar. It's called BeeFarm (produced by my one of my Peace Corps language trainers Mbola and her husband Faly with the help of a few hundred thousand bees) and there are a few excellent flavors. Some of it will be coming home with me to the US for sure. There were also live music performances and a visit from the Prime Minister. He even came by our booth and talked with my counterpart for a photo-op. We go big like that in Ankazambo. There were also a lot of stands with great crafts to buy. I will be stocking up on presents to bring home at next years fair without a doubt. All of the people running the booths were awesome to interact with as well.

I also got a lot of work done in between stuffing my face and perusing the goods. We shared a booth with other people from our region. Everything was run through a program called Prosperer which does some amazing work here in Madagascar and who I work with quite a bit. There were three booths in total reppin' the Sofia Region. Ours had us, another blacksmiths co-op from Mandritsara, and a chicken farmer from Mandritsara. In there other two booths was honey from all over the region, siramamy Gasy (sugar from sugar cane made into big blocks), peanut butter from Mandritsara, and some hand woven baskets and purses. We sold a ton of knives! I even got to try my hand at selling and kind of liked it. Being on the other side of the bargaining process is surprisingly fun. Plus people get a kick out of negotiating with a vazaha (foreigner). Networking at the fair was also a huge success. We met a few people who may be interested in wholesaling the knives which would be huge. I also was able to meet a lot of potential work partners for myself and fellow volunteers in all aspects of agriculture. I purchased quite a few seeds for the garden including watermelon. I can't wait to grow that. There were tons of awesome strawberries but I wasn't able to get any for the garden. They are a pain to grow from seed and I didn't want to purchase a seedling that needed to be carried around with me for a few weeks. Hopefully next year. I loved meeting all of the different groups there and seeing what everyone is working on. I learned techniques I will definitely use and met people I most certainly will work with. Such a great experience and I already can't wait for next year.

It should be mentioned that many other volunteers came to the fair and represented Peace Corps well with two others being there and working at a booth everyday like me. The Volunteers here in Madagascar are a great group.

One last story from the fair. In the deep south region of Madagascar there is a dialect spoken called Tandroey (not sure if that's spelled right). It is widely known here on the island as the dialect hardest to speak and be understood. Most native Malagasy speakers can't pick it up. I went to booth that had some cool stuff from the region and started to talk to the man running it. He spoke to me in Tandroey and blew my mind. I kept trying to speak with him in Malagasy Official and he always came back with Tandroey. It was difficult and a little embarrassing. Turns out he was messing with me. He also speaks great Official and knows Peace Corps well. He has been a counter part for volunteers in the past and, since he figured I was a volunteer when he saw me and I spoke Malagasy, decided he wanted to give me a bit of a hard time. He is an awesome guy and I actually may be able to get some help from him since he uses a type of metal we don't have access to in the north that I want to try and get for the blacksmiths. He may be able to help me figure out where I can find it.

Fun, fun at the fair then off to more adventures!

Lasy ny Ankizy

Next up on the agenda was helping at my friend's lasy ny ankizy (children's camp). She is running an 8 week summer camp at her site and a village close by that will teach English, agricutural techniques, and basic health and life skills to children. It is a great idea that I expect will be stolen by many other volunteers in the future including (maybe) myself. Each week a different volunteer comes to her site to help with the camp and do trainings on areas they excel in. I was the first week. We did garden bed preparation which I am very comfortable with and have done a lot of at my site. On the English side we did basic greetings, times of day, and simple questions. Basically small talk. Which is good because I don't really excel at the finer grammar points of English but can usually handle basic intros.

The camp went incredibly well, especially considering it was the first week so bumps in the road were inevitable. The turn out was awesome with something like 300 kids over 3 days. It was funner than I expected teaching the kids, who were very well behaved for the most part. At her site she has 3 separate school gardens and seeing those was great too. It is a good opportunity to get children started on good farming practices at a young age. Madagascar is an extremely agrarian society (something like 80% but it might be even higher than that). Almost all of these children will grow crops of some sort when they are adults and hooking them early is key to improving things here.

(Side note: In the US there are often complaints about class sizes of 30 children which is defintely too much. Here most classes are double that if not more. The largest class we taught was 95 children. It's amazing that people are able to teach and learn in that environment. It is out of my league and knowledge to write intelligently about the topic nor could I begin to address it. I only bring it up to say the teachers here as a whole do a pretty good job with the hand they're dealt and every kid who comes out of there and excels is extremely deserving to say the least. Disappearing into the crowd would be very easy to do.)

The other cool thing about working at the camp was seeing another person's site. Her site is in the highlands around Tana so the environment couldn't be more different than mine. Right now it's hot and dry in my region and cold and wet in her's. She is from Portland in the States and she said it is wetter here than there. So yeah it's different. But very pretty. It still has some forests unlike mine including a protected area I didn't get to check out but that sounds cool. We got to bike around a lot as well so I got to know the terrain very well. But the best part was meeting all of the people in town and who she works with. I love meeting and talking with new people here. I could bounce around the island just conversing with people forever. I love it. I love hearing their point of view on things and what they would like to do for themselves and their communities. It's inspiring for me and so great to hear. Plus I can be a bit of a talker as some may know.

Lasy ny ankizy was a success and then it was back to Tana.

COSers and Biz-nass Time

I headed back to Tana because myself and the closest Ag volunteer to me in my region had some business to do in Tana and the timing was great because I was already in the area. We needed to contact some people about projects we have coming up (including the unnamed super awesome project from earlier in this novel of a post). We also wanted to meet with some ministries and NGOs that have offices in Tana to see if they work in our region and if so what we can do with them. It was a productive trip and we got some good information and started the ball rolling on some great stuff.

While we were there it was also the first week of COSers for the Education stage that is finishing up (COS stands for Close of Service. It's the people who are finishing their 2 years of Peace Corps). Included in this group were both of our site mates and some other Volunteers who we have become good friends with over the past few months. It was so nice to be in town as they were closing things up to be able to say good bye. We had some good nights out and some excellent dinners. If there is one thing Tana has more than enough of (besides trash) it's good, over-priced, almost but not quite there American and other kinds of food.

It's funny because I have only known my site mate for a few months but we have become very good friends. I think it is a combination of being so close geographically which inevitably means you see each other often, having another American around who is experiencing what you are so you have something to bond over, and my being a super awesome person...just kidding it's definitely the other way around. I'm just grateful she was able to put up with me while she did and will miss her very much.

The good news is I get a new site mate. I've already met her and she is great. The black hole is getting some good new volunteers who will hopefully love the region as much as all of us here do. Unfortunately I will be in Tana for the committee meeting when she gets installed at her site. We will (actually already have by the time this gets posted) miss each other by a couple hours. Luckily the trip for the meeting is very short and I can welcome her to the area when I get back. I'm excited to introduce her to all of the nice people in the market and the best hotelys (restaurants) in town. This group coming in now is the group my stage will be here with the longest so it's exciting to meet them and welcome them to the country. Everyone I've met from there stage seems great so they should do well here.

So after doing some big city business and seeing some friends off it was back to site for me. Finally. It was much too long away and I missed everybody. Now that I am back for the foreseeable future (other than a quick trip back to Tana for a committee meeting that I'll write about in another post) I am excited to get to work here. I have so many things I want to do. The garden needs to be re-planted for a new season and many other things big and small need to be done. Although I have only lived here a short time this is very much my home now so it is also just so great to be home. Back to rice every meal and my rat and cockroach roommates. Home sweet home.

I'll have a post about the committee meeting and future plans up soonish and of course anything else that comes up. Let me know what you like, dislike, hate, whatever about the blog by the way. I am enjoying writing it and am trying to improve it so any feedback would be nice. I know there is only about 10 people or so who read it so feel free to eviscerate me via email or comment on the blog. Thanks!

(Quick garden update since I apparently can't get enough parentheses. Most of the first batch of things are done and it was overall a success. The greens and onions kicked major ass. The beans were okay but not spectacular. Tomatoes the same. The potatoes were a bit of a disappointment because, although tasty, they are very small. The bok choi was also apparently good and much enjoyed during my extended absence. Carrots are still going. Black eyed peas died but I want to try again. Peppers look promising but they started later than others. Overall a solid start. Okay, now I'm done. I promise.....SYKE! I miss all of you guys back in the States and abroad, especially in Moldova, who support me. I love it here but dream of 2016 and seeing all of your lovely faces then. A special thanks to the Hams for the care packages. You guys are too nice to me. Now I'm done. End scene.)

Pictures!

I'm in the capital so I have decent internet. That means some pics are in order:

This is the biggest mountain in my town. And a cow. There are a lot of those.

My street during the Independence Day celebration. 

Me and some homies.

Beach.

What I look like now. It's scary I know.

Hope these are good. Even on the good internet pics take forever. Hopefully I can do some more soon.

I May Hug A Tree

There is a very tall tree in the distance that I can see out of my front window. I just noticed it recently because I just re-arranged my furniture in a way that makes me look out the window much more throughout the day than I used to. I'm looking at it right now. It interests me for many reasons. For one it is by far the tallest tree around here. That is a little sad because Ankazambo means “between the tall trees” but there aren't really many left. Another reason it interests me is because it is surrounded by a clustering of slightly shorter trees. Like a last holdover from the rainforests that used to cover this area. Probably less than 400 years ago. I must walk to it and will some day soon. I want to see both how tall it actually is up close and what the mini-ecosystem around it looks like. It's probably similar to what the whole valley used to look like on a much smaller scale.

Deforestation is a major issue here in Madagascar much as it is in almost every part of the world. The island used to be covered in rainforests but is now largely vast expanses of brown grass and low trees. Much of the deforestation had been done by the time Europeans began to conquer the island and dubbed it the “red island” for all of the red clay. The only forests left are the protected areas and national parks. The national park system here is impressive and beautiful but it is a small percentage of what used to be. It seems I will be adding reforestation to my growing list of projects I wish to develop. (Let's see, there is: gardening and the associated techniques, nutrition and cooking, chicken farming, beekeeping, rice farming, seed saving, financial management, organizational training for the blacksmiths co-op, a hopefully established soon new co-op for farming in my village, pump pedal/drip irrigation, and now this. I also want to create a picture intensive book about companion planting and crop rotation so that is can be used by illiterate folks and try to compile a reasonably good dictionary of Tsimihety words to leave for future volunteers. Now I've said it so I have to do all of these things. I will be a very busy boy)

Reforestation is an important project for many reasons. The first one could be aesthetics. Rainforests are beautiful and lush. Grassy, rocky soils are decidedly less so. Although my region is gorgeous it could be even more so with some trees to go with the breath-taking mountains. The second is for the global problem of climate change. Since it is pretty widely know and believed that the Earth is getting warmer and people have something to do with it (all though I suppose you could argue about the extent of human impact the fact that it is happening is undeniable) the re-growing of forests worldwide is important. They scrub the air of carbon dioxide (too much of which is bad for the atmosphere) and add oxygen (the building block of human, and most other Earthly forms of, life. Yay!) Reforestation can also change the climate of the local area it is done in in a positive way. The region I am in has an extended dry season that is going on right now that goes until at least October. Reforesting the area will not eliminate the dry season. But it would more than likely shorten it or make it much less severe. Trees play an important role in the process of evaporation, cloud formation, and precipitation. It is a complicated process but essentially more trees equals more rain. That is obviously good for growing things. More cloud cover also generally lowers temperature which is needed. Plus, when it's hot it's nice to have some shade. All good things. Then, during the rainy season when it is raining non-stop, trees help to shield the soil from hard rain and hold it together with their roots thus preventing run-off and erosion. They are also great for soil health because the natural cycle of leaf growth and shedding recycles nutrients back into the soil. Trees and nature are much better at composting than humans ever will be (and they make it look so effortless those jerks. It's like they're made to do it.) So, interestingly enough, giving some land back to nature as opposed to farming it, actually helps agriculture as a whole by increasing yields. Another great by-product of reforestation is, with proper management, the new forests can be responsibly harvested for logging purposes and provide income that is sustainable and needed.

Planting some trees here in my village will not solve global climate problems. It will not even solve all local issues. The problem with this issue, much like all important issues we face today, is it is a bit bigger than the scope of one person to solve. It requires millions, if not billions, of participants and international governmental cooperation as well. However, if everyone does a little it can make a difference. A tree here or a new growth forest there. It all helps. I'll get off my soap-box now.    

Independence Day Malagasy Style

Vingt six! Fetim-pirenena! AKA Independence Day. Malagasy Independence Day is June 26^th. So we just celebrated and the fety (party) is ongoing. There are things going on all week. Mostly a lot of eating and talking during the day but dancing and pop-up discos at night.

This is my first Independence Day here in country so I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it was the biggest holiday here. Apparently in the capital and other big cities they set of fireworks just like in the US. Around my village things are less hi-tech but fun. On the day of the 26^th there was a flag raising ceremony followed by speeches by local dignitaries. After that were some dance performances that were very impressive. They were used as fundraisers for various things. I was asked to joined in on one and declined for fear of both embarrassment and losing the cause money from my performance. There was also a soccer game I attended that was a lot of fun. One of the older men from the village sat near me and proceeded to do running play-by-play of the entire game as if he was calling it for television. Here that is called “tantara ny soma” which literally means “story of the game”. It was fantastic and hilarious. He even filled in gaps in the action or slow moments with filler that would be recognized by anyone such as, (in Malagasy of course) “We're here in the town of Ankazambo for this big game...” or “It's a beautiful day for the game today. Not too much wind or too much heat.” It was, in a word, amazing. Apparently he does this at a lot of the big games. It also made me feel good that most of the Malagasy people there found it as hilarious as I did. Including the man doing it. He just liked to give the crowd a show.

The following days were filled with more speeches and more dancing. I even gave a small impromptu speech myself that wasn't nearly as well delivered as the last speech I gave in Malagasy. I did go off the cuff though so it was just as satisfying. It only lasted about a minute but I expressed my love of the Malagasy culture and people and complimented them on their impressive dances moves. Everyone seemed as happy with the latter part as the former.

All in all the Independence Day celebration was a lot of fun and is in a way still ongoing. There is a final disco tomorrow which will mark the end of the celebration week. I for one hope to import the Malagasy idea of celebrating and turn all US holidays into week long celebrations. I think Columbus Day, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, hell even St. Patty's Day deserve a week at least. It's a shame we as Americans don't really let the good times roll as long as we should.

(Two asides. One, even though the celebration is ongoing people are still hard at work. So it's not like nothing is getting done. For instance, just the last few days, we have built an apparatus, for lack of a better word, for our pole beans to climb, created a compost pile, and transplanted a new crop of greens for eating and selling that should be ready in about a month or so. This is in addition to the normal work of running shops, maintasining homes, and the like that everyone does. The second aside is that, Mr. President if you are reading this, I am serious about the week long celebrations. I am supposed to finish up here in late April of 2016. Maybe we should try one out upon my return to see how it goes. It could be a great piece of your legacy. Think it over. No need to rush a response.)

First training!

The other day (on June 22^nd) I had my first real training with a large group of people. I did a training on nutrition and taught them how to cook a meal that included all the food groups. Here, for simplicity and because it makes sense, we teach 3 food groups. Hery fiasana (basically carbs), hery fanorenana (proteins), and hery farovana (fruits and veggies). As I've touched on in past posts often times when people here eat they eat a lot of rice and not much else. The sides are often small and don't in include protein and veggies but usually just one or the other and are proportionally very small compared to the amount of rice. I think the training went very well and believe at least a few people will try and follow some of what I said. It will be a slow process but nothing good ever comes quickly.

Before the training I was very nervous. I had done practice presentations in training and am somewhat comfortable talking with people one on one but not in big groups. It can be very intimidating even in your native language. My mind was racing beforehand. I was looking for a way out. But I slammed down 3 cups of coffee to get my blood boiling and did it. Luckily I had a couple PCV friends and my Malagasy land lady/friend/counterpart/everything there to help me. She continues to be amazing and make my life incredibly easy.

I handled most of the presentation with her stepping in a couple times to clarify when I used some weird phrasing. As a side note, one of the hardest parts about learning a new language is learning the cultural side of it. A lot of times I will say something that I think is clear but the way I structured it is not. She'll re-say it with a few words moved around and everyone gets it. I'll probably never get all of it. But that's the fun of it. Anyway, the presentation was awesome. We talked about nutrition for like 20 minutes then we cooked. I had the rice pre-cooked because they definitely don't need a vazaha to show them how to cook rice. Then we sauteed some greens (called anamalao), onions, tomatoes, and peanuts for protein. It was really good if I can pat my own back and super easy. All of it is stuff you can buy in town for not too much money. And it is all stuff that they will hopefully be growing soon in their gardens. That is the next step.

After the training was over I was buzzing and on cloud nine. I'll contribute ¾ of that to the presentation and the other ¼ to all the coffee. It felt/feels so good have done it. Days like that make all the hard stuff worth it. People were engaged, asking questions, and seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were probably about 50 people there with maybe 20 adults and 30 kids. All of the adults were women of course because most men here do not cook. If even a couple people start doing a few of the things we talked about it will be a great step. I plan on doing these types of trainings seasonally so that we can use different vegetables and such that are in season to give people options when cooking.

I'm just getting started but I can see what my 2 years here should look like and hopefully I will make a small difference. I'm still excited from the training and it's been a few days. I also had a meeting set up between myself and a co-operative in the town next to mine by an NGO that works here. They (the co-op) are focused on farming which is of course what I am here for so I should be working with them a lot. The NGO is called Aga Khan and they too focus on agriculture so we will be working together a lot as well. When I get done with my Peace Corps training in July I have many standing appointments for trainings on all kinds of topics. I really need to bone up on my chicken raising because people across the board want to do that or improve that. Specifically vaccinating the chickens needs to be done more here. When I get done here I'll be an expert in administering vaccines to chickens of all ages.

There is so much work to do here which is very exciting. I have a lot to look forward to. I also am already worried about having enough time to do everything I want to do while I'm here. My ambition on projects is growing so hopefully I can get it all done. It's just nice to have the first big thing under my belt. There will be so many more.    

Long(er) hair don't care

I haven't cut my hair since I've been here. I plan to grow it out. It's also been a while since I've shaved. I'm trying to uphold the time honored Peace Corps tradition of looking slightly homeless during service. But it's hot here. And it's not even the hot season.

The people here are kind of into the beard look because most guys here can't grow much facial hair. It's funny because in the US I actually gro a comparatively small amount of facial and body hair but here I'm Sasquatch. I guess I'm also Sasquatch because I'm about a foot taller than everyone. I think mostly though people see the growing hair and patchy beard and chalk it up to a strange American.

In a way, by not cutting my hair, I am respecting traditions here. The people of my region are the Tsimihety people. “Tsimihety” literally means “no haircut”. It comes from way back when when they were under the control of another stronger tribe and refused to cut their hair in protest. Let's see...non-violent protests and long hair...they're hippies! I knew there was a reason I adapted so quickly. I feel at home.

I actually do feel very much at home here. I of course miss everyone back home and Chipotle but I love it here. I'm so happy this is where I got placed. Both in Madagascar and in Ankazambo. I got set up really well. I'm a very lucky person. But I'm gonna crush some Chipotle when I get back. Let them know to look out for me in 2016. I'm coming!  

Behavior change is like math...hard

When teaching people things, especially very new things that can seem like radical changes to them, I think it is most important to anticipate any issues that may come up or excuses that may be used to not make a life change. That way you can combat them up front and hopefully take away any excuses people might have. This won't convert everyone but I firmly believe it will help convert those on the fence. Without any clear excuses as to why they can not try something new there are some people who will go ahead and try it. If the change is a good one, and it works, they will be hooked after trying it. It's that getting people to try things that is most difficult. People are creature of habit and moving them out of their comfort zone is like moving a stubborn cow. It takes a lot of tugging and, more importantly, a lot of coaxing.

I have a training coming up in a little more than a week where I will teach the people of my village about nutrition and how to cook a simple nutritious meal. It will not be a hard presentation in many ways. I'm comfortable with the language I will be using. I know exactly what I will be teaching and how I will do it. I have the support of my neighbor who will help me with the training and any language that comes up that I'm not familiar with yet. I already know the turnout will be high. And what I'm teaching are very basic concepts and techniques that most people are at least vaguely familiar with or will be able to grasp quickly. But I am very nervous. This will be the first training I do here within my project framework and area of expertise (or quasi-expertise). It is imperative that is goes well. First of all, obviously, my ego needs it to go well. If this is smooth I'll have confidence going forward for other more difficult and technical trainings. But also, I am starting down the path of behavior change and that is extremely difficult. Getting people to change anything, whether it's the way they eat or the the route they take to work, is almost impossible within your own culture let alone in one you are unfamiliar with and new to. That's what we as volunteers are here for but it is daunting. I have tried my best to take away reasons not to do what I am teaching. The meal I am preparing will be made with things you can buy in town cheaply. It will be very similar to what people are used to eating with a few slight tweaks. The biggest difference will be the proportions of the meal and the diversity of the contents. Nothing in it will be new but the combination of the things might be. There should be no excuse to not at least try it.

It is a fear of mine that I will be here for two years, do a ton of trainings, and nothing will stick. I really don't think that will happen and I am confident in myself but that would be a nightmare scenario. I think about it a lot and a lot of my drive comes from not wanting to let the people here down and from wanting to make sure that when I leave here in April 2016 or so I have actually made a difference for people. This first training is the first step. It will also be very important to follow up with people to see if they are using things. I am going to try to do that by stopping in on people during meals to see what they are making and also by doing a similar training in concept in a few months but with different foods for the different season.

I can't wait for this training. I know it is going to go well and I know some people will leave it and try to implement the things myself and my neighbor teach them. Even if it is just 2 people that will be a success. It will be a baby step down the path to behavior change and community betterment. I'm not sure if there are any other steps you can take.   

Nights here are awesome

As a long time city boy the cycles of the moon really amaze me. When you are out deep, way away from any sort of ambient light you can actually see how bright the moon gets. And how dark it is with out it. On a full moon night the moon is so bright it blots out some of the stars. It's bright enough to read by. Like some one left a light on for you in case you came home late. Shadows are deep and you can see for miles. When it's a new moon it's the darkness that is amazing. You can't see your hand in front of you face. You could hide from a person not five feet from you if you could be quiet enough. That same nice person who left the light on for you is now an asshole who turned off all the lights, changed the position of the switches, and re-arranged the furniture just to fuck with you. Until you walk in complete darkness you have no idea how much you rely on things like peripheral vision. Regular steps over slightly uneven dirt become a perilous walk through a mine scarred battlefield. The sweet spot exists on the nights in the middle. Some nights there is just enough light to walk but all the stars are still there. More clear than you ever knew and some how closer. Finally things like the Milky Way are actually visible and not just something you have to take the planetarium's word for. The constellations are even the same mostly but someone went and turned the Big Dipper upside down. If you get especially lucky it's a bit windy and there are some scattered clouds. You look up through the black outline of a palm tree rustling in the wind and the clouds move quickly so you get an ever changing view into the universe. As they pass over the moon the little bit of light dims and fades as your window to the ether shifts. It's beautiful.    

Gifts and Food: Two wonderful things

These are a couple short ones about the culture here. Life is good...

The Malagasy people have a culture of sharing and gift giving that I wish existed in the US and I plan to bring back with me. Here you don't just give gifts on birthdays or Christmas but all the time. And if you have some extra of something you give it to neighbors or friends. Or even if you don't have extra you still share.

If you go somewhere that is far enough away that you have to stay a night it is the culture to bring back gifts. They are called “voandalana”. They can be something as simple as a banana or a loaf of bread. It is more about the idea that you were thinking of everyone when you were gone. If you go far enough that you are in a different region you should try to get something that is unavailable in your region. Or just something that is made in the town you visited that might be more rare in your town. It can actually be overwhelming all of the things people bring you. Just today I got a voandalana from my neighbors aunt who I had never met before. She is in town to visit our doctor (who is an incredible doctor and human being) and she knew there was a new volunteer in town so she brought me a gift. She lives in a town called Maromandia which is a good 6-8 hours from here so she came far with this thing just to give it to some one she has never met and who she might only see a couple times ever. My landlady/neighbor's husband travels a lot for work and he always brings back something. It might be as small as a bag of onions or as big as a pineapple which is kind of expensive.

It is also fun the go to the market when you are out of town and find gifts for people. It gives you an excuse to shop in a place you probably wouldn't normally and to walk around a while to find good, unique stuff. I'm already looking forward to gift shopping when I head to the capital for a training in mid-July.

It is also a big thing here to share things. Whenever I come back from the market I usually have a few snacks or small pieces of bread that I share with people. Kind of like mini voandalana. Another good example is, it is orange season right now. The trees have a ton of fruit on them. They are very cheap at the market. But some of the people I have become friends with in town have some trees they harvest from and on more than one occasion they have come by to get me before harvesting to bring me along and give me some of what they get. They could just as easily sell me some as they are dirt cheap. But they give them instead. It's quite amazing.

We could learn a little from this as Americans I think. It really doesn't matter how big or expensive the gift is. Just that you thought of some one and brought them something.

And here's a little something about fried things:

I think one of my favorite things here so far is the street food and drink. There are so many good things to try. And most of them are breaded and fried. All of them are cheap. If I lived in a bigger town and didn't have to bike/walk so much to get anywhere I might be the first person to move from the US to Africa and gain weight. I guess there's still time to accomplish that goal one deep-fried snack at a time.

If I had to pick a favorite...I couldn't. But the fried bananas are especially delicious. They are breaded and called “mofo katakata”. I can't get enough. When they are still warm, but not molten lava hot, they are incredible. There are also “mofo boulinas” or bread balls. Just fried dough shaped in a ball. Another, who's name escapes me, is an actual piece of bread (usually a piece of baguette) that's been breaded, then deep fried. So, so good. There is also “mofo sake”, fried bread with spicy peppers in it. Or even “mofo crevette”, fried shrimp bread. The collection of fried goodness makes me cry tears of joy sometimes. It's not all fried though. At night people make bruschettes that are awesome and are usually served with a spicy green papaya slaw, although that can differ depending on the region. The real cou de grace though is, in a big town, you can often find some weird stuff. I'm talking cow esophagus, bat, pig insides, eel, you name it. I love trying the weird things. And Malagasy people love a vazaha who tries weird things. There is another member of my group who is even more adventurous than I am. It's pretty fun to walk up to a stall at night and see what is the craziest thing they have available. Sometimes it is great. And sometimes cow esophagus tastes like cow esophagus.

There are also good drinks available. Everything comes with a liberal dose of sugar. Some of the best juice I've ever had has been here with the pineapple juice at my local hotely (kind of like a small local restaurant) being especially good. But it is also served cold and I'm often hot so maybe I have clouded memories. There is also some pretty decent coffee or tea which is great for my caffeine fix. I also make “Cafe Pele” instant coffee at home. It's named after the famous soccer star and there are posters with him in a lot of places advertising it. I guess he is still a big deal here. There is also a tea made from the kola nut that I really like. It's kind of spicy but hard to describe. It's strange too because the kola nut itself is kind of gross but the tea is very good. I've only had it in Antsohihy so far which is a bummer because that is a little far away. But I can always have some whenever I have to hit up the bank or get some more seeds for the garden.

Hopefully for my heart's sake I'll get tired of the deep fried goodness. I actually don't think I eat too much of it but am probably lying to myself. I think I need to go on a run...

  

Food Security

This will be kind of a long post so I apologize in advance...

One of the main components of the project framework for the agriculture sector here in Peace Corps Madagascar is food security. Food security refers to the ability of a person or people to be able to both have access to and be able to acquire food that fulfills their nutritional needs and that they like to eat. Food insecurity is a huge problem in the developing world and here in Madagascar. Because it involves so many different facets it is both an incredibly interesting piece of the project framework and an unbelievably difficult problem to tackle.

There are two types of food insecurity; temporary and chronic. Temporary food insecurity often comes from an event such as a natural disaster or riots that causes people to be unable to get the foods they need. It can also be a seasonal problem in areas that have especially bad dry or rainy/storm seasons. An example of former is the problems faced by people in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The latter is one of the issues that the people of Madagascar face. Temporary food insecurity from a catastrophic event can be tough to plan for because of the unpredictable nature of it. A lot of the preparation for it needs to happen at the governmental or national level and requires planning for worst case scenarios. It also involves understanding the types of catastrophic events that are common to an area and planning accordingly for things that may happen. Sometimes this is done better than other times. Seasonal food insecurity is a little easier to tackle on a local level but still incredibly challenging. Especially with the problems caused by climate change this type of food insecurity will only be increasing and intensifying as the years pass. Chronic food insecurity refers to the inability of a person or people to acquire food on a consistent basis regardless of environmental or other circumstances. This too is a big problem here in Madagascar and is often linked to the seasonal issue.

My belief (and as the disclaimer at the top says all of these are my beliefs and opinions and no one else's) is that food security should be one of the main focuses of all developmental work. I think that the problems caused by chronic hunger and malnutrition lead to many of the other problems that are experienced by people in developing countries. Imagine how hard it is to concentrate when you are hungry. Then extend that over a lifetime. Plus all of the compounded effects of chronic malnutrition. The need for food is one of the most basic needs of human existence and I think that it must be solved before other more complex problems can be. This puts shelter/housing and clean water right there with food security in the hierarchy of problems to be solved. But this is about the food.

What makes food insecurity so hard to solve is that it is a very complex problem with many facets. There is no simple answer or quick fix. That is also what makes it so interesting and an amazing opportunity as a volunteer. There is something for everybody. Pretty much anything you could be interested in can be tackled in a way that enhances food security. There are four dimensions of food security: Availability, Access, Utilization, and Stability.

It should be noted that most of the examples I will use are from the region I am located in. Madagascar is a huge island and the problems faced by people are affected greatly by their region and environment. So of the issues I will describe may be different or non-existent on other parts of the island. Also, different parts of the island struggle with different levels of food insecurity. I can by no means speak for the situation is other regions as I really have no idea. But food insecurity is a problem almost everywhere here in one way or another. It should also be noted that I have been here for a very short time. The things I have observed and heard about are many but there is still much for me to learn. So I can also not claim to be an expert on these things just an extremely interested party. This is a topic I will certainly revisit multiple times so it will be interesting to see how my view of things changes.

Availability is pretty self explanatory but it is that there is literally enough food, and the right types of food, available to feed the population. Here in Madagascar this problem manifests itself in many ways. One of them is in the availability of rice. Rice is the main staple of Malagasy cuisine. The Malagasy people consume more rice per capita than anyone else on the planet. They eat it three times a day everyday. And they do not grow enough of it for everyone on the island. Most years rice needs to be imported. This is an issue for a variety of reasons but for availability it is an issue because the imported rice might not always get to remote areas and be available there. There can also be low availability at the end of the dry season. Rice is a very water intensive crop (although not as water intensive as sometimes thought) and cannot be grown on a large scale during the dry season. When the dry season is ending and people are beginning to plant rice there has not been a harvest for many months. This leaves the region with a large lack of the main staple in peoples diets. Another problem of availability specific to my site is the availability of a wide range of fruits and vegetables. My site is 7km from the nearest town with a market. The foods available in town are rice, beans, greens, tomatoes, oranges, sometimes bananas, and sometimes onions and garlic. That's it. And most of that is in short supply and expensive. Getting to the market makes things a bit better but it isn't stocked with a lot of options either. There is a volunteer in a village 12km further down the road from mine. The people in her town have the same options available in town as the people in mine and 3 times the distance to travel to the market.

These issues do present interesting projects and challenges for volunteers however. There is a technique for growing rice called Systematic Rice Intensification (SRI). It can, and does if done correctly, increase rice yields but 2 or 3 times. Sometimes up to 10 times. It also involves very little extra work and can be practiced by most rice farmers on the island. For those who cannot practice it there is a technique called SRA (think of it as SRI lite) that improves yields greatly as well. We are trained on these as volunteers and it is a big focus of ours. Unfortunately only about 2% of Malagasy rice farmers use SRI. The reasons for this are many but the main on is that it is very hard to create behavior change in people. The Malagasy culture is also one that is wonderfully steeped in tradition and reveres the past and ancestors. This is awesome most of the time but hinders the ability of volunteers to get people to change what they and their ancestors have been doing for a very long time like rice farming. It is a great challenge to do this as a volunteer but one that is extremely important and interesting. If large scale staple crop farming is an interest of yours you can focus on SRI during your service. Lack of diversity presents great opportunities for gardening projects. One of the main things I hope to accomplish at my site is to get as many people as possible into gardening and more importantly get a few important people in the village very good at it so they can continue the education of people long after I am gone.

Access is a more abstract concept but, in my opinion, even more important than availability and maybe the most important part of food security. Access is primarily a financial thing. It means that, assuming there is ample healthy food available in a community, the people of the community can afford it. It can also refer to the ability of farmers to access capital to expand their operations. In Madagascar this is just as big a problem as availability, if not bigger. Using my community as an example, even when there is a variety of foods available at the market most people can not afford it for various reasons. The majority of the food is imported from around Antananarivo. Because of how far we are from the capital and the terrible condition of the roads heading into this region the shipping costs are high which inflates the cost to the people. However, even if things were a bit cheaper, many people here just do not generate enough income to cover their and their family's food needs. When these things are put together you get a typical meal in my town which consists of a lot of rice (it's mostly cheap and it fills you up) with a small side of fish (also cheap but they are very small) or maybe greens. The majority of the time there is not a protein and veggies but one or the other. This leads to malnutrition and general hunger in many children and adults here. There is also the seasonal problem described in the paragraph about availability. At the end of the dry season the rice that is available is more than twice the normal price because of it's scarcity. So then, even the cheap staple crop is too much for a lot of people.

The good news is there are many ways to defeat this issue. The first way, and my favorite as you can tell, is personal or community gardening. On the surface obviously if you grow the food yourself you don't have to spend money to get it. Seeds are significantly less expensive than the finished product. After the first generation of the garden you can save seeds from the crop to use and cut your expenses almost to zero. You also don't have to go anywhere to get it because it is growing close to you. I think the best potential consequence of gardening is that is can turn into an income generating activity (IGA). If done correctly using bio-intensive gardening techniques can create yields that far surpass the needs of a family. Which means they can sell the excess for a profit. Unless the family is very large, in which case they have significantly lowered their expenses. A wonderful side effect of this is that the locally grown .things they produce can be more diverse than what is already available but theoretically less expensive because there are little to no transportation costs. So a person or people gardening on their own can, in the best scenario, create a ripple effect that helps the entire community. Another potential project is helping with money management. Very many people in the developing world and here in Madagascar have very little knowledge about basic personal finances. By helping people, or groups of people, improve these skills you can help them fix problems in their finances where they might be spending too much on something or have an opportunity to cut an expense that they didn't realize. There are also a great many IGA opportunities that people are unaware of. As an example, there was a volunteer here who has finished their term but she helped an organization she worked with who made peanut oil to realize they could and should sell the by-product which is peanut butter. And it is very good. There are a ton of opportunities for volunteers to solve the problem of access in creative ways.

Utilization refers to people's ability to use, in ways that improve and sustain their health, the food that is available and accessible to them. Basically it refers to nutritional knowledge and education. Although many people in the US aren't exactly in top notch physical condition for a variety of reasons, part of education in the US involves learning about food groups and what constitutes a balanced, healthy diet. The debate about the specifics of a good diet could be a huge writing of it's own so there is no need to get in to it but people at least know what kinds of foods should make up their diets. They may not follow it but they know. Here nutritional education is almost non-existent. There is little knowledge of food grouping or basic nutrition like protein or carbohydrates. And so far as I can tell the little that has happened has come from interaction with Peace Corps Volunteers. As I mentioned earlier a meal here consists of a lot of rice and not much else. Part of this is economic. Rice (most of the year) is cheap. But it is largely a cultural and educational thing. The Malagasy love rice and for good reasons. It gets you and keeps you full like veggies or beans really can't, it's cheap, and it has been the staple of their diets going back as far as memory. Rice is very important here. The problem is that people do not understand that they, and especially their children, need more than just rice to grow and function optimally. That is a problem of utilization.

Combating utilization problems primarily takes the form of nutrition and cooking classes. The nutrition classes can introduce the concept of food groups, what groups should be ate at every meal, and how much of each should be on your plate. The cooking classes, in my opinion, are just as important. Once you've introduced all these concepts it is important to show how to implement them. Just doing a simple class on cooking something new does not seem like much but it breaks down the barriers in people that are opposed to new things by showing them simple ways to do the new things that they can handle and expand upon. Plus, if you want to ensure a good turnout for a training, free food is always a good incentive. Some things are universal across all cultures.

The final part of food security is stability. Stability is essentially the ability of people to weather any storm that might come and be able to sustain their food security for an extended period of time, hopefully forever. Instability can come from a variety of places. It can definitely come from seasonal changes like those discussed earlier. For instance, in my region right now it is the dry season. Other than a few light sprinkles it won't rain here for many months. This obviously can cause many problems with food security. It can also come from a sudden loss of employment or an unforeseen sickness. Political unrest too can be a cause. The difficulty with maintaining stability is that it can be hard to see where it will come from and often the best braces against it come from levels much higher than a Peace Corps volunteer. Although it is constantly a hot button issue, unemployment insurance provided by the government is a great example of a stabilizer that is in place in the US and other countries. This is a poor example for a developing country but it illustrates the point. Often great stability is a nationwide or at least region wide project. There are, however, things that can be done on a personal level.

A key for maintaining stability is saving. The recognition that good times ebb and flow and that some of the extra from the good times should be set aside for the bad is really the first step in personal stability. So a task that is an important part of our project framework here is teaching basic financial concepts. Saving money is not practiced on a wide scale here. Most people save none at all. But it can also be the saving of commodities. Saving rice after harvest instead of selling it for instance. Then you can have rice during the more expensive season instead of having to buy it and, if your harvest was good enough and you saved enough, you can sell your excess savings during the expensive times for a profit. Another way to maintain stability is through those ever present gardens (they really are a wonderful development tool). By controlling a portion of your own food supply you protect yourself from any instability that is out of your control. Mostly, tackling instability is an issue of preparation for things out of your control.

Food security, while made up of four dimensions, is really about creating opportunities and programs that work and most or all of the dimensions at the same time. Starting a garden, which must be getting old to read at this point, is a perfect example. On the basic level it works to improve availability and access. The food that is grown is available and accessible to the person or people growing it. But there are many other things that can be done with a simple personal garden. If done correctly, a garden will produce more food than can be eaten at the time of harvest by the growers. This excess food can be sold for a profit. That improves accessibility by increasing money available for other things. The excess food can also be stored using canning or drying techniques. The stored food is now available for a rainy day and thus improves stability. It can also be sold, especially in the case of jam making or fruit drying, and again improve access. When implementing a gardening program it should be combined with an educational program on how to use all of these new foods. So nutrition and cooking classes are a must to make sure that things are utilized correctly. Trainings on canning, jarring, and drying too should be done if appropriate. Seed saving is another skill that should be taught with gardening to help with maintaining the garden at a minimum cost. And once you have new money and food stuffs coming in financial education is important to make sure things aren't wasted and go to the things they are meant for the improve stability and access. This is just one example of a small project that can grow to encompass all of the dimensions of food security and make a real impact on the lives of those we are here to help. This is also very much a best case scenario but there is no reason many of these things can't be done on some level with the most motivated individuals.

I think that food security is one of the biggest problems in the developing world right now. The lack of a good and stable food source is often, in my opinion, the first step in the cycle of poverty that envelopes people in the developing world. It is a great opportunity for a Peace Corps volunteer because it is something that can and should be done on a grassroots level. People need access to education on a personal level that can not be accomplished on a huge level.