Chalet Des Roses Antananarivo

... since it burned down a few years ago. We then stopped by the city museum which used to be the Parliament building. Interesting place and much in need of some repair and renovation. We drove around looking at the sights and ended up at the city's garden market which was a row of nursery shops selling plants and things (of course we couldn't bring any plants back home so didn't buy ...

... km hike up a mountain ridge in 42oC heat. The third day we got to see a lot of interesting things including scopions, snakes, spiders, lizards and stick bugs. As we were having lunch that day, a huge storm suddenly hit us sending plates, cups and cutlery flying everywhere. Our question of does it hail in Madagascar was answered... luckly we were eating under a small dining shelter which provided some cover ...

... all the children a little sausage sandwich from a street vendor who's surprised to sell to someone who turns and hands to another person. It really seems like a tale of two types of people here as many are extremely nice while the others are so desperate that they come off as being harassing. The interesting thing is that it is hard to distinguish between the various levels of poverty but it certainly appears as though each and every ...

... to Nosy Be 'should' be waiting for us in the Air Madagascar office. Everything in town is on Avenue de l'independance. We step out of the hotel and within a minute, we are surrounded by at least ten people. Selling fruit, watches, newspapers, souvenirs, herbs, ... . And children begging. Little hands everywhere. Lots of steps lead us to the center. We find the Air Madagascar office and ... the tickets are indeed booked! In the same street are 2 ...

... many people who have lost there homes and are still looking for shelter. On a brighter note, my dad came to visit and it was great. Travel plans were complicated by another cyclone, but we eventually got to my site and he experienced a little of the day to day life. Bucket baths and lack of electricity included. The town loved meeting him, as well as my peace corps friends. He treated the volunteers (and me) to ...

... and mildewing mattresses and books. Once we surveyed the damage, T and I looked for 2 hours trying to find a working BLU radio to contact Peace Corps and tell them we were okay. The last communication we had was Wednesday before the cell phone towers went down. None of the radios were working though. We were wondering what to do when a car showed up and the driver told us Peace Corps sent him to take us to the town an ...

... the zebu, or a basket of turkeys. People are a little shy, but quick to smile if you do it first. But kids are happy to yell out "salut vasa!" (hello foreigner!) They also have very nice two story mud houses next to beautiful terraced rice fields. The landscape is beautiful! Saw lots of lemurs in the jungle park of Ranomofana, and in the park in Isalo...chameleons, snakes,butterflies too. But mostly I saw ...

... As usual I got right involved with all the projects involved here. I also think that I am going to spend the summer in the Fianar region with coffee growers teaching them English and helping tourism in the region. It sounds like a great job and I can see something other than the high plateau!!! Another great highlight of the training was today when we visited a center for orphan/troubled girls. They teach ...

... I love you, teacher" from the classroom across from mine. Why is that phrase the first thing people learn in English, or at least the only thing that sticks?! I was all motivated from my first class, and went next door to teach my second. I went in the class and none of the students were in the room. Within seconds, there were about 60 malagasy kids who crowded in the room to watch me. None of them being my students. So I asked where my students were ...

... to figure all that out over the next 3 months. So far we love it here! Our town is about 24000 people and we are the only white people there. The first night in our town we went to a huge concert by a famous Malagasy band (kind of strange because we didnt realize our town was big enough to even have this kind of entertainment but apparently it is) and were the only white people there- but it doesn't seem weird at all- it is only annoying when they think ...