Tana,
Madagascar
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Hey! Sorry to have been a travel-blogging slacker, but this is the first internet access I've had in a week. I have tons to say about my time in Betafo (my PC site), Antsirabe, and my tropical vacation to Diego/Montaigne D'Ambre/Ankarana parks, but it will have to wait at least until I'm home Jan. 10, and possibly until after my evidence exam on the 15th (yikes!) One big piece of news for now, though: Natacha (my best friend from my village, like a little sister, who had stillborn twins in August '06) just had a healthy boy! Meeting the baby was one of my major reasons for coming back to Mad now, and I've been sad that he hadn't arrived yet. Fortunately, Nata had an induced labor 30 hours before my flight back to the US. I don't know his full name yet -- gasy names tend to have many words and run into multiple lines -- but the part he'll be called is Rayan and one middle name is Samir. (She's been planning to name her first girl 'Jessica' almost since I met her, I think, but I'm happy to wait for a namesake!) The situation's a little complicated because she's in Antsirabe, 4 hours south of the capital, and I have to catch a flight home in 24 hours... but I'm 90% sure that I'll wake up early, run the couple of errands I have for Tana, and hire a car and driver to take me to Antsirabe and wait while I visit with them. I'll be posting tons of pictures when I get home!
If you know Nata or otherwise want to send good wishes, send me email until about 4 am Weds east coast time. If I don't get them in time for personal delivery, I'll tell her the next time I call her from the US.
Looking forward to talking with you after I get home!
love, Jess
