Still in training...

I guess I left everyone hanging on my last update with the whole cyclone business. Internet access is hard to come by in Madagascar, can you imagine?

I never actually made it to Soavina on my trip a couple of weeks ago. I made it pretty far up the coast, but the "road" was washed away in the cyclone, so I ended up just being a tourist and hanging out on the beautiful beaches of the northeast. I ate coconut and lychee and all sorts of exotic fruit, which almost made up for me not getting to see my new home and meet my future community. I was able to meet some of the other Peace Corps volunteers in my region, mostly in the Health and Education sectors. It was great to see how people are living and making it work here in Madagascar.

The technical aspect of training continues to be fun and rewarding on a daily basis. I've learned a lot about the biodiversity in Madagascar. Our group built a new latrine for a local school in Anjozoro. We've made clay stoves and built a bamboo water catchment system. Every day there's something new. It'll be interesting to see which projects I end up taking on in Soavina.

Only one month to go in training before we're officially sworn in as volunteers. I'm really looking forward to getting out on my own, starting my garden, cooking my own meals, and getting settled in my new house (which I hear is made of ravinala leaves). Yeah, training is great, but the schedule is hectic, and I'll be glad when we're finished.

That's the update for now. I hope to check back in once more before swearing-in.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering... no, I have not seen any lemurs yet. But as soon as I do, I'll let you know if they really like to move it, move it.