I have mentioned this before, but, I do many things in this country that are really strange and sometimes I don’t even realize it. I know you are thinking, well Amber, you were already pretty strange. Well this is taking it to the next level (I think): Conversation between myself and another volunteer who happened [...]
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For this post I will be pulling material from Peace Corps and that will be in quotations. Basically I am doing this because they explain it better than I can: “On April 25th the entire planet will be marking World Malaria Day by giving donations and raising awareness about this disease, but for Peace Corps, [...]
Things happen now that I don’t find strange. When I sit and think about it though I realize that I should find them strange. Sitting around with my friends I say oh that is just like how it is in America, I am worried that it is not at all like America and I will [...]
Hey so first of all my camera was stolen so pictures will be few and far in between until I figure something out. To be clear DO NOT MAIL a camera. I am 117% sure it would be stolen. In the meantime you can enjoy some chicken murder photos. I received the chicken pictured above [...]
Traveling in this country is slow and painful. I went on Christmas vacation to Diego-Suarez, or Antsiranana is the Malagasy name. From my new house in Fianarantsoa, Diego is 1500 kilometers north. To get to Diego took roughly 34 hours total, one way. So the math – our average speed was about 44 kilometers an [...]
Hello people, I have fallen off the communication wagon for a bit. Sorry about that. I think it has been two months since my last rambling on here. It has been an interesting (is that the right word?) few months. For those keeping count, I have less than a year in country. The exact count [...]
To clarify things: no, I do not work for the Department of Defense no, I am not a missionary. These are real questions asked to me today by tourists about the Peace Corps. This did however give me a brief window to very briefly explain what the Peace Corps is and does. Two thoughts for [...]
I have been here long enough now to become confused when people in the other hemisphere talk about season changes. Example: people are talking about wearing sweaters and whatnot and my tan is coming back. Last post I promised tales of a Malagasy wedding. Well folks I have failed you. To summarize, the efficient transportation [...]
At the training center, on Fridays, the staff held a firecamp (yes a funny translation/use but we let the staff continue to call it a firecamp because it made us laugh so) where the training staff and the trainees can exchange and share fomba (culture, ways), songs, stories and fady (taboos) about their culture or [...]
I am recently back from Mahajanga (alternatively Majunga) in the northeast. While there I got to see a couple of other volunteers and some baobabs (finally!). Mahajanga is great because of a number of factors. First, it is “winter” here, so the weather was warm (read: hot because I am used to the more temperate [...]
so my feed appears to be down but my photos can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/ambersheets/
So before I head out on vacation, I thought I would tell you some random things. First, my experience, generally speaking, has been that whenever I speak Malagasy with people their first question is: American? Alternatively the question is: Peace Corps? And then conversation follows about how PCVs in Mada are mahay (capable, smart, this [...]
For those of you who don’t know how to read a calendar, I have been gone for a year, and haven’t seen most of you for even longer than that. Moving on, I pick poor places to vacation regarding swimming capability. What I mean is as follows: last Christmas I went to Manakara (in the [...]
So I have a youtube page where I have uploaded random clips from my day to day here. I started it only as a place to upload them to show some people but I thought I’d make my small audience aware. http://www.youtube.com/user/ambeelamb for your boredom at work! Also type “cute animals” into the youtube search [...]
Have I ever mentioned that the Malagasy are really into toothpicks? Well they are and I love that they love them so much, minus all the bad environmental consequences of them and what not. Toothpicks are the bread and butter of a party here (and booze). They even sell special toothpick containers at most epiceries, [...]
Nothing is happening here but I thought I still owed the few people who check up on me a post. Brianna’s family has left the island, and the school year is almost over. TG lives in Korea now teaching some kids English and apparently they discussed the best way to kill a zombie this week. [...]
So I’ve been a slacker and haven’t posted in a while. And I really don’t have a good excuse seeing as I have basic internet access at my house. May has been crazy right? Avocado and mandarin season, a certain notorious person was killed, I helped five and six year olds build a bonfire next [...]
Spring Break has been really quiet. Thankfully. But I have done a few interesting things nonetheless. On Monday, Brianna and I had an appointment at the Embassy to meet with a Public Affairs officer and talk about potential projects called “American Corners.” These are small regional resource centers where people can interact with English through [...]
I have had a more interesting than usual 72 (or so) hours that includes Korean food, car sickness and looms. Monday – I proctored a session of the Bacc Blanc at the lycee. The Bacc Blanc is almost like a practice SAT for American high school students. However, the Bacc Blanc is a graduation test [...]
On the home front I hear that St Patrick’s day and March Madness are still awesome without me there. Also oranges are in season right now. However I think I should take this entry to talk about my yard. And how it is insane. If you have taken the time away from facebook while on [...]
So I had my first trilingual (EngGasyFrench) doctor’s office experience yesterday. After waiting oh around ten days I finally conceded to the PC doctor that I needed to see a doctor. I went to Fianar. The PC house coordinator showed me on google earth where to go. This real life picture did not translate in [...]
International Women’s Day is March 8 (today), just so you know. So when I got home yesterday (March 7th) all the women who work at Soalandy were holding a beauty salon below my porch. At first I didn’t realize why they all of a sudden decided to wash and iron their hair. Then they told [...]
PC PSA – With the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps this year, the PC has been putting out some PSAs. Here are some youtube links to a few I really like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwuDH5BkHvw (“Conversations” really funny and short, and it is CC for Sissy) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2J8ljzZsRA&feature=player_profilepage (lonnng, but has like old clips, more of an overview [...]
It was my sitemate’s birthday last Saturday, so we decided to throw down Malagasy style, and mostly because we couldn’t figure out anything better to do. A normal Gasy fety has a few things every time – rice and dancing. So we bought some sodas, a case of beer, a liter of rum, and a [...]
First, I am a Nigerian Princess and need your bank account numbers, but if you can’t provide that, then the following is cool. Wish List – updated 2011. I have deleted things I can now find in country as well as things that were even more stupid than what’s still on the list. Thanks again [...]
Been back at site for a few weeks now. Im in Fianar for a bit to hopefully find some more powdered milk and do some work for PC. Check out my Picasa and my facebook for a bunch more photos and videos. When I arrived back at site earlier this month I decided to [...]
SO, everyone has been heading to their respective sites and two girls had to go to Tana today to catch flights to their sites later this week. They left this morning and had to take a taxi from the taxi-brousse station to the PC house. This is what happened. “so just got to tana and [...]
I have been away from site for around a month now which has been a nice change but I’m ready to unpack my suitcase and be a loner again. I started out December at my in service training, where I think the overall purpose was to make sure we haven’t gone insane, cleverly disguised by [...]
The first semester is over and I am heading to in service training and then vacation. On the 17th I think we are going to visit the US Embassy and go swimming in a real pool. I’ll be travelling around for a few weeks then. I’ll check back in here around New Years. MAIL—thanks to [...]
Wish List — updated. Gold bond ultimate healing skin therapy lotion. Face wash (even the bars) ie neutrogena or aveeno. Also a face scrub to get this layer of red dirt off my face (toiletries are super expensive here so like crest toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, bar soap etc anything is appreciated even little trial sized [...]
November 24 So in case you didn’t read the news there was a coup attempt or maybe a bluffed coup attempt? Who knows. We weren’t allowed to leave our sites for a week per PC request until everyone figured out what the hell was going on. But the positive was that you couldn’t really tell [...]
November 2 They eat cockroaches and potato chips. I am giving my first midterm this week. I hope most everyone passes it. I made it much easier than I should have but I feel like some students will still bomb it. A passing grade here is 10/20, I think this is a reflection of [...]
But they taste like gasoline to me. It is very strange. In a few months, avocados will be in season and those taste like creamy heaven. Halloween was a success in Fianaratsoa. It wasn’t a total shit show and no one had anything stolen and no one was arrested. The party was on the roof [...]
hey America, couple of things for you all. First, HAPPY HALLOWEEN, for those who do not have facebook you should know I am dressing up as a UT student/redneck. also, I have super fast internet near me now so I will be able to update photos and blog stuff once a month now. thanks to [...]
So a few more things about how I live in East Tennessee aka Ambalavao. People in other places of this country make fun of the people in this region and laugh at the southerners. They are really into cockfighting, but razors are only used in the big time fights in Tana when the Russian and [...]
October 1, 2010 SO I haven’t moved into my house yet. I am still crashing at the Fianaratsoa Peace Corps house. I may move in on Monday. The problem is that school starts October 11, and I still have no idea what grades I am teaching or where I am teaching in town (like the [...]
Wish List — for serious. I know this list is long and seems really obnoxious, but I’m very far from America and I am a volunteeThese are things that I will always want during service, and I will add items as I think of them. Thanks in advance!!! The list is long but it was [...]
For the following reasons: they sell and drink moonshine (but here it is called toaka gasy), listen to Shania Twain, farm, have their own country music complete with horses and cowboy hats, and dislike the French. On the way to class the other day someone’s house was blasting Shania Twain’s Any Man of Mine. We [...]
First things first, HI MRS JANZ!!!!!! The best stalker PC mom!!!! So training is over. It is sad. My host family was awesome. My hostmom really taught me some life skills for Madagascar, like how to sass people and how to eat fish properly here. We had the thank you community dinner on Friday the [...]
August 24 Okay, so first things, I added captions to my pictures and also took some down haha. New mail awards – Emily H in Ireland, Sue H in Knoxville, Mom, and Jane all sent cards. I also got a bunch of letters from the TG. Seriously let’s pick up the slack people, I need [...]
Site Visit SO my house isn’t totally ready yet, and I failed to take a single picture this trip. But here is the lowdown. The lycee (high school) where I will be teaching English is really cool, they have a big garden where the Environment Club has their space. The school has electricity and a [...]
Sorry this blog entry is lame, I feel like alot of them will be, I tend to be lazy about this kinda thing. Send me letters. New phone calls from Rachel M in Cleveland and Rachel M in Knoxville. I’ll be back online at some point next weekend. Exhumation So I went to an exhumation [...]
The Daily Life of a PCT The trip here was really long. It took about 24 hours in real time. That is all I will say. If you come here I would look into trying to fly direct from Paris, a two hour layover on a tarmac in Senegal is not as restful as one [...]
So I never could find any information about these rumored discounts for PCVs, here is a good link to the wiki page for PC discounts. FYI the rep for backcountry.com is a super helpful/enthusiastic guy! http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Volunteer_discounts ALSO — do you have a credit card and looking into volunteering? SCRATCH the previous comments. Due to challenged [...]
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