What is it about this land, this mysterious allure which renders a flavor so palatable. . . despite the acidity of poverty, the biting danger. . . still, my love for this island is insatiable. Having finally graduated from the laborious, monotonous throes of Pre-Service training, our young and impressionable stage is now face to face with the realities of living in a developing country. Prehaps attributed to negative karma, prehaps 2/3s coincidence, I have already been exposed to the underbely of Madagascar. Before coming here, I had transversed war torn conuntries and lived in a South American city with crime rates comparable to New York. Still, though, I left unscathed. It could be because I mistook Madagascar for a tropical tourist paradise, which it is in many regardsm still its poverty is literally reaching its hands into your pockets. Despitem though, the heart-wrenching issues shackling this country, like its diverse topography, Madagascar is also covered with such astounding beauty, unexpected charity, and abounding hope and optimism. I've witnessed people hungry and without water, whose only food ration consisted of a couple meager potatoes, offer up genuinely half their booty to to me, the richm healthy, foreigner. I remember one skinny, beggar child, relentlessly pestering me for money as I darted in and out of shops... A companion of mine accidentally dropped his candy on the ground and the little beggar child, with out hesitation, picked up the candy and handed it back to my friend. What genuine kindness. Little moments like this make myPeace Corps experience worthwhile. Everyday, my appreciation for the beautiful, tragic, chaotic, surprising, resilient aspects of humanity are reaffirmed. One thing about my experience so far is that like the diversity of Madagascar's flora and fauna, this experience could be worlds apart from other volunteers incountry. Living in South Madagascar is like living in the Wild West in many ways but knowing my weakness for romance and exaggeration, newcomers, be prepatred for flexibility... 'Tis a necessary virtue.

Oh, before I sign off, a couple things for newcomers to PC Madagascar. Before I came, I was slighty worried about having to sacrifice my femininty for the sake of rugged service. I'm pretty girly in the fact that I swoon at a pair of perfect stilletos and will argue the philosophical merits of Cosmopolitan. So ladies, some of us PCV femmes here still wear our make up, fix our hair, and brave the Tana streets in heels. Tis feasible in the larger cities. Well, heres a list of things I'm glad I brought and a list of things I wish I'd brought.

Happy I hauled here:

battery-less flashlight (thanks pops), laptop, i-pod and speakers, candy corn, pocket sized companion of great poetry, selections of African literature, contact solution, good sandals, tights/leggings, can opener, framed photos of family (I dedicated a shrine to them. . .kinda weirdm I know), college paraphenalie (I watched the end of the Fl. State/Clemson game the other day in a random restauraunt. . .twas very odd, very exciting)

Things I wish I'd brought:

Malagasy-English dictionary purchsed from states (the ones here are worse than the ones PCVs bought in the States), hair cutting scissors, sleeping bag, high heels (though you can purchase them here along with really cute clothes), bible, worshetshire sauce, lightweight jacket comfy enough to sleep in

Ideas for Host gifts: perfume, jewelry like from Old Navy, calanders, playing cards, pocket knives, baseball caps

I appologize for spelling errors but I'm still mastering the French keyboard!

My last days of lazy, LaGrange freedom are dwindling for in a couple weeks, I'll be in Madagascar. New address in Madagascar during training:

Erin Anderson, PCT Peace Corps

Corps de la Paix

B.P. 12091

Poste Zoom Ankorondrano

101 Antananarivo

Madagascar

Having served tables since I was 16, I'll oddly enough miss making the fast cash, my kind, weekly regulars, (in Athens) the intoxicating aura of football season, (in LaGrange) the redneck ebonics and questions like, "well, hey, you don't luk a mexican?", various nuances of people's personalities manifested through ordering styles. Preparing for 2 years in a country with no Wal-mart, no cinemas, and possibly. . . no hair dye (sigh) is both exciting and difficult. I've spent almost $1000 dollars on various electronic devices like an IPOD, durable shoes and clothes (before, I wore mostly Goodwill clothing so having to buy nice "business" clothes was a change), laptop equip., French classes, medical stuff, housing wares, ect. I'll post a final packing list right before departure.

How various people in the community have worked to make this transition smooth is so refreshing. There have been a couple people who have really helped me in my pre-departure endeavors. First of all, my parents have been amazing. They have assisted me so much with medical/school bills and purchases of various odds and ends. Also, Luis, my favorite human being at Los Nopales, threw me a rad going away party with awesome authentic Guatemalan dishes and wonderful music and margaritas. The folks at Adam's Optics in Athens, Georgia were a big help too. . free contact prescription, free box of contacts, 2 year supply of contacts, great discounts. . .they definitely deserved their Athens-Banner Herald award. My stylist Billy at City Salon and Spa who when I first told him I was moving to Madagascar said, "um, did I ever tell you about the time I lived in Little Five Points with my ring-tailed lemur?". . . he's the coolest (thanks for the free cut and lessons). The cop who gave me a warning instead of a ticket for driving 25 over, wherever you are, you rock! When people find out you're moving to Madagascar, the gifts bestowed are quite interesting. My grandmother, thinking of me while pillaging through Pier 1, bought a lavish mosquito net, too large, heavy and posh to pack (designed for decorating a rich, Florida bungalow not actual mosquito-infested mudhut), but the thought was nice all the same. My mother bought me a pair of silver stilettos. . . god I'll miss her. I've had some odd questions thrown in my direction as well. . . my favorite came from a Guatemalan day labourer friend of mine (who told his wife she couldn't go with me to New York since you needed papers to get in) seriously asked if I was flying or driving to Africa. Oh well, until another time. . .

While the family and I sat around discussing departure plans, we all became a bit nostalgic. It's going to be hard to leave my wonderful, talented, odd family behind for so long so I decided to dedicate a few pictures to the warm memories we've all shared. Here they are: http://picasaweb.google.com/EMAUGA/FamilyFunOnTheFarm

So begins my entrance into the wide, wonderful world of internet blogging . . . so many HTML”s to uncover, so much web space to fill with mindless meanderings, so little time . . . As I spend these next few months preparing for my endeavors abroad, this site will hopefully be a way to allocate resources, publish ideas, and prepare for my short reprieve from America’s congestion.