an update to end the year

It's New Year's Eve and I'm really looking forward to the year ahead. Only four months to go in my service with the Peace Corps! It's hard to believe it's almost over.

I've had some fun in the last couple of months here, checking out two parks and helping out with Peace Corps related events in the capital.

In November, we celebrated 15 years of Peace Corps in Madagascar.


There were events at the zoo in the capital and at the American Cultural Center. Peace Corps got a lot of good publicity around town, and it was gratifying to see how well supported and appreciated Peace Corps Volunteers are in Madagascar.

Around Thanksgiving, I visited Nosy Mangabe, an island in the Bay of Antongil in the northeastern region of Madagascar with my friends Tom and Faith and their family. Nosy Mangabe means either "Island of the Big Mango" or "Big Blue Island", whichever you prefer.
I like Island of the Big Mango personally.



There was all sorts of cool wildlife on the island... I can't decide which I like best, the leaf tailed gecko, master of disguise, or the brookesia chameleon, smallest chameleons in the world.





Then just after Christmas, since my trip I had planned to the north didn't work out, I took a spontaneous trip to Ranomafana Park (again) with some of my friends from Peace Corps. Last time I tried to get in the park, a cyclone had taken out the bridge. This time the weather was perfect, the bridge was fixed, and Tony, Stacey, and I all spent a day hiking into the primary forest inside the park. It was a long day of hiking and we saw several species of lemurs and a nice waterfall. We also checked out the hot springs pool in town and spent some time in Fianar, ending with a miserable overnight brousse ride that took 5 hours longer than it should have. Oddly enough, 5 hours extra in a taxi brousse hardly phases me anymore.

Here's a bamboo lemur in Ranomafana Park.


Now I'm in the capital to celebrate the New Year, and heading to South Africa again this weekend for another medical check-up. I can't complain really... Pretoria is a step up from Antananarivo.

Things are still going great at my site too. Clove harvest just ended and rice harvest is happening now. I'm still involved with building lots of cook stoves and figuring out ways for people to save fuelwood. Soon the new environment trainees will be arriving to replace my group, so that's exciting for us and them too!

Check out the rest of the photos I just uploaded too!

Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy new year!!
I have a good feeling about 2009!!! I haven't figured out where I'm going yet actually. Who knows, I might be "moving to Montana soon.... just to raise me up a crop of dental floss.... gonna be a dental floss tycoon". Yeah, I've got a good feeling about it.