I *heart* Madagascar

As I get ready to leave this country where I've spent the last two years, I've been thinking about all the things I'm going to miss about my life here. I've made some good friends in my village and also in the Peace Corps. It'll be sad to get on the plane this week.

These are the things I love most about life in Madagascar:

...waking up to the rooster's crow... the smell of vanilla and cloves drying in the sun... eating ananambo leaves (also known as Moringa: The Miracle Tree)... fresh baked bread in the mornings on my doorstep... my morning "mofo!" call.... the vanilla plantation at Antsiramanga... soahaba (a delicious sugary coconut milk porridge)... the bike ride from Soavina to Mananara along the Mananara River... Ambiditsika Beach... Mama Boda's homemade yogurt and pastries in Mananara... THB (the one and only Malagasy beer)... rice harvest season... doing my laundry at the river in Bagordan... watching men climb coconut trees.... geckos on my walls... our library of books at the Meva... candlelight dinners, every night... Robert's chocolate... Ziggy, my little Zigger Doodle (R.I.P.)... Zita's fresh juice and coconut candy... boat rides on the Mananara River... the awesome Peace Corps staff... all the yummy tropical fruit, coconut, jackfruit, litchis, breadfruit, pineapple... having all the time in the world...

Of course, it hasn't always been easy living in Madagascar. Trust me, it's not all dancing lemurs and pristine beaches over here. After all, this is a developing country and one of the poorest in the world. Sometimes life here is downright frustrating. I've been brought to tears dealing with harrassment over my white skin. The challenges I've dealt with living here hopefully have made me a stronger person, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's been a good test of patience and endurance these last two years.

As long as I'm listing the positive, I'll also mention the things that make it easy for me to say good bye:

...sleeping on a piece of foam.... the constant sound of the rice hulling machine across the street from my house... flies landing on me while i wash the dishes outside... massive snails in my garden... mosquitos... parties centered around dying/dead cows... men drunk on "betsa" (a local brew made from fermented sugar cane)... "VAZAHA!!!!"... trabona (scary centipedes with red legs that bite hard!)... the dirty market... the post office stealing my packages... the insane heat in December, January, February... bugs swimming in my drinking water... rice, 7 days/week... tucking in my mosquito net every night... constantly being told how "maventy" I am (I don't care if it's supposed to be a compliment, I don't like being told I'm fat!)... reading books by candlelight... the "road" from Soanirana-Ivongo to Mananara... random strangers asking me for money... everyone asking me for money.... no one ever showing up for appointments... my "kabone" (the latrine)...

Maybe this will give you some insight into my life over here. It's difficult to put into words all the little things that make up my daily life. In some ways it's not that different from life in the states, or maybe it is, and I've forgotten what life in the states is like?????

Anyway, I guess I'll be finding out soon enough!
So long Madagascar! Thanks for all the fish!