Update from Amy - Halloween
Trip Start
Jun 11, 2006
1
8
22
Trip End
Sep 2008
Antananarivo,
Madagascar
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Hello friends and family!!!!
I am in Tana for our IST training while we have a week break from school for All Saints Day. Things are going really well at site. I teach 6eme, 4eme, and 2nde [which i am pretty sure that includes at least one kid from every family in my town!!] but they are great kids and it is a lot of fun. I am finding that grading over 350 test is going to be quite the challange, though!!! I am hoping to start an English center where kids can practice speaking English and read English books......so if there are things you are thinking of donating, keep an ear out for when I get that project off the ground in Jan. or Feb.
The weather is beautiful as it is just coming into summer here in the southern hemisphere. Today it is hot~ probably around 85 or 90 and the temps will keep climbing! I am lucky that my site is a bit in the mountains of the high plateau so I wont have it quite so bad......only around 100 at the most :) Thank goodness for all those summers teaching T-ball in the sweltering Illinois heat! I should be used to it!
I will try to send more pics though my brother Jason who kindly is keeping up the website/blog for me.....but paying for the time for them to download is a bit much....but be patient because there are some good ones of my house and school! I will see what I can do!!!!
Thank you all for the great birthday wishes, packages, cards, letters, you name it! It is great after an incredibly long day of teaching to see familiar handwriting :) I am still looking for any spices, teas, soups, and/or food stuff where all you have to do is add hot water if anyone is willing to donate to a worthy cause! Teaching 23 hours is almost double what Malagasy teachers have....but I could not help to volunteer to do more.
Halloween 1
Thats what I am hear to do, right?!? I am a sucker for the kids! Ok, I gotta jet, but I will be in Tana this weekend and again next weekend (Nov. 4), so feel free to email and /or call. Love you and miss you all!!!!! Happy Halloween and think of me at all those cool Halloween parties! I taught my 2ndé kids about Halloween and they thought it was the funniest thing that we dress up in other clothes and give out candy. As I was explaining it i realized how weird it really is..... but I still miss it and all the fall colors!!!
Love you all and hope to hear from you soon!
Love and God bless,
A :)
Comments
Happy Halloween to you, too!!!
I knew that you would be a great teacher!! It's so exciting for us to all be hearing about your adventures. I hope you have a great training week. We look forward to seeing pictures! God Bless you, Amy.
Love, Cathy
Whew! Back to school!
Hello all,
I am briefly stopping back in the capital before I go back to my site. We had a great training and I have a ba-zillion ideas that I want to do at site!!! I love teacher meetings because you feel both completely inspired and totally overwhelmed with all that you have to do. I will be back in a couple of weeks because I have to give an overview of the ed. program here in M-car to the Health volunteers. 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 them vocational skills like making paper and crafts AND I got to hold the cutest Malagasy babies :) I will send the info. over about donations and sponsoring a child there because it is SUCH an amazing place that is really making a difference here in Madagascar. I hope to volunteer there once a month when I come in for banking. Sometimes you just need kids to play with and be silly with! The couple that runs it is an English man that married a Malagasy woman and they are always looking for more support from the American community!
Ok, thanks again for all the good letters, cards, pictures, etc. and most importantly- prayers!!! Love you and miss you all!!!!
-A :)
I have to get going, but I will find more info. about sending books at a 'book rate' here for the English center.....but I need to wait until after Christmas.
Books and Such
Hi!
I love reading your journal because my brother, Kevin is currently an education volunteer in Madagascar! My family/community has sent a ton of books so if you know Kevin, or someone who knows him, talk to him because he can probably help you out! Nice journal. Good luck!
Kathleen Farrell