Christmas is all Around You

Well, rocked Christmas with creepy Santas and Chinese food (similar to A Christmas Story!) in Ambatondrazaka, and am now headed to train some new PCVs. Should be pretty wild. Tana, the capital, is very festive, but peaceful! I posted something I wrote at site below, and will try to provide another update in a few weeks? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I Don’t Know How They Manage But Believe Me Mister They Do

(Written December 11, 2009)

Back at it again. Not sure how well I can keep my promise of more frequent blog updates, but what did you expect?

I have been in my new town just over 2 weeks, and am settling in pretty well (efa Tamana tsara). I continue to be amazed at how little Madagascar has changed. It’s like I was just here… over half a year passed by to the outside world and yet it seems like mere days here. Of course, I am in the small village out in the sticks, or what Malagasy call the “Ambanivohitra.” Life here changes little, or very slowly. In fact, that leads me to the title of this blog. I was in my new market town/postal town, and was talking with one of the postal employees (Sidenote: New address – BP 17, Imerimandroso Alaotra, 503 Ambatondrazaka, Madagascar !) We were talking about why Peace Corps left, citing the uncertain safety situation as a result of the “transfer of power” without getting into politics. I said we were able to return, and that living in the Ambanivohitra we are removed from all the danger and political rallies and general craziness. His response was very poignant; he said that life in the ambanivohitra never really changes, no matter who is in power or what the people in the cities are doing. “Life is always hard in the ambanivohitra,” he said, “always difficult – sarotra faona.” It’s true, and I guess that is the aim of development work / Peace Corps, to alleviate some of that difficulty and struggle, yet over time very little has changed. Now, I won’t go into the meaning of development work too much here, or Peace Corps’ role in it, because that could take up a lot of space (check out White Man’s Burden for a good break down of the failures, and some successes, of aid and assistance to the developing world, and the continuing argument between Robert Strauss and others about the future aim or purpose of Peace Corps). Needless to say, it puts things in perspective. It doesn’t matter who is toppling who, or who is rallying about what, in the capital or elsewhere; people here are still plowing their rice fields with oxen, or turning the hard, sapped soil by hand, or scrubbing their few pairs of clothes clean as they hang by threads, or walking 30 km over mountains from the rainforest to bring their baby to get vaccinated.

Well, I suppose that was a bit of a tangent, or some verbal diarrhea perhaps? (Cue the SRO packets!) Sorry to get off like that, but that comment, “Sarotra faona,” struck me. And I don’t know what I will accomplish here, or how to put my PC service into perspective with this… I just found it interesting to think about! Maybe you will too?

As for life here, for me, things are going pretty well. People are getting to know me, and seem to like having me around, even as they struggle to fully grasp what I am doing here. I have some potential coworker lined up and some project hopes, so maybe things will come together and I can post about work in future entries. For now I’ve mostly been singing Christmas songs with the kids (we’re working on Joy to the World in English, which for some reason their teacher had them copy down), enjoying the lengthy services at various churches (and singing very poorly in Malagasy), playing games with kids, and of course tsangatsanga-ing (walking around for countless hours aimlessly).

I’d like to take a moment for my fellow RPCVs reading (I figure there are at least a few of you hoping to live vicariously through me). Other readers are welcome to skip ahead to the next paragraph! Madagascar is mostly how we left it. Jumbo Score is open again, although Zoom is in a temporary-looking state of being open. The store fronts are the temporary sort with metal shutters, and sit in the parking lot. Magro and the radio station are both still nothing but burnt out heaps of metal. Still no sign of anything Tiko. Most importantly, THB has a new beer: THB Special. It is a bit stronger and tastes like Gold, which is now in the big bottles as well. The PC staff is working like crazy, and they all miss you. Env PCVs will be glad to know that Stan greeted us with his $ hat, showing he was all business as usual. (Brendan[s], It was a little too warm for his sweet fur hat). Gaby is retiring, which is sad, but he put on quite the show during our reinstatement workshop at Mantasoa, producing all of his classic meals. The Daline Skyway (Skyway to Daline) still stands in all of its glory, and most of the other improvements like the map art have survived. The rock garden/pathway has grown over, but Chase’s classic reminder to Keep It Real will last throughout the generations. Everything is pretty much how we left it, oh except some nice speakers have been added for dance party fun (dance parties were not the same without all of you, but especially without the Pargees). Just know that when you come back to visit, Madagascar will be very similar, and will remember you.

Picking up where I left off, things are going well. I still am occasionally living off my Kabary fame, the speech I made at our swearing-in in Malagasy in front of some Lehibes (or big shots), which was apparently televised. Not in my town though, no TV here, so I “only” stand out for being the tall awkward white guy. OK, time to go, as the nightly movie / music videos blasting out of my neighbor’s house is winding down. Hope everyone is well, and I really hope ND made a good hire for once… (2 out of the four teams I root for made coaching changes recently, the Indians and the Irish, and the Browns might be close behind… even from such a distance I continue to be a curse on my favorite teams!)

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

But if you try some time, you'll find, you get what you need.

I've been back in Madagascar for about a week now, and it's going well. Things area little too familiar, and we had to exercise the ghosts of Mantasoa (the location we spent 2 weeks at in February). For fellow PCVs, you will be glad to hear that some of Zoom has been rebuilt, and the Jumbo Score is up and running. Magro remains a burnt out hulking mess, which is kind of weird. Otherwise Tana is pretty normal. We were sworn in at the Ambassador's house today, and I gave a Kabary (speech) that had the Malagasy crowd laughing. Was it at me or with me? I don't know, and don't really care! Tomorrow I will be heading back to the Eastern Rainforest to move into my new village. Things are flying by now, and it is all quite exciting. I will be sure to update an address when I have it, but for now my phone number remains the same: 011261 33 060 7796. More to follow hopefully soon!

Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends...

Well I am heading back to Africa this weekend. For real this time! Saturday we fly out of DC for South Africa, and by Monday I will be in Madagascar again. Upon arrival, we will have a week of reintegration training (language, culture, agricultue and such), then off to my new village. In many ways I am starting all over again, but with the knowledge I learned from my first round. It should be interesting. I am returning with a laptop (and my first ever ipod, a hand me down from a good friend), so hopefully I can keep in better touch. Expect a better attempt to share pictures and stories with you all.

You may be wondering how the political crisis has played out. The country is calm and safe, especially in the ambanivhoitra (small backcountry towns) where I will be. The many political factions reached yet another power-sharing deal, so the international community has new hope that the crisis will reach a reasonable end (for details see Reuters Q+A here). Whether or not the feuding groups reach a meaningful deal, Peace Corps plans to restart work to help the suffering people in the many small villages.

As soon as I know a definite mailing address, I will post it here. Otherwise keep checking back for updates; I will try to sync this to facebook to update there when I post here. We'll see if it works. Until next time...

Did You Happen to See the Paper Today, and See What Them Troubled Boys Had Done?

Today is October 15th, which is half a month after I was supposed to leave for Madagascar. Our new departure date is now also a month away from today (with a little wiggle room depending on flights). So I felt it was time to finally give some semblance of an update on the Malagasy political situation that has delayed my return, and the effects it is having on the island and its people. Join me, won't you?



Political Situation -
Ah, our old friend Andry! He has managed to largely weather the storm of donor aid and foreign investment withdrawal, and is now poised atop a new "coalition" government. There remain a few issues to be hammered out, but things look good for him. Let's take a look at the latest, via Reuters' Q+A on the Crisis:

* President Andry Rajoelina and the main opposition leaders have agreed in principle on three people to head a consensus government on the Indian Ocean island, breaking the political gridlock that has plagued Madagascar this year.
* A power-sharing deal struck by the leaders in Maputo in August floundered due to political ambition, private interests and debts of loyalty. Rajoelina unilaterally formed a government last month, deepening his diplomatic isolation.
* Under the new deal, Rajoelina, a 35-year-old former DJ with limited political experience, remains president. Emmanuel Rakotovahiny, head of former President Albert Zafy's movement, will be vice-president. Eugene Mangalaza, a relative unknown, will occupy the hotly-contested prime minister's office.
* Mangalaza, put forward by exiled former President Didier Ratsiraka, is considered politically neutral. Backers of the social anthropology and philosophy professor say that suits Madagascar's needs. Critics say he will be easily manipulated.

This new government was agreed to, in principle, by the four parties' negotiators (Andry, Zafy, Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana). It has yet to be signed; as a matter of fact, the four leaders will be traveling to Geneva this weekend to hammer our the details and sign an agreement. Of course, this did not happen without a few road bumps. The "politically neutral" Mangalaza is replacing Andry's hardline supporter as Prime Minister, Monja Roindefo. Roindefo refuses to give up his post (despite being fired by Andry) and still says he is "the legal Prime Minister of Madagascar" (VOA Story here). Local media even fears armed confrontation over the issue (unlikely). Most likely, if the agreement is signed and all posts confirmed at the upcoming meeting in Geneva, Roindefo will have no real argument to make. His supporters have sided with Andry. But should it surprise Andry, who had no legal claim to power and only a handful of supporters, that the man promoted to be his Prime Minister will not listen to legal arguments or cower because of a lack of supporters?


The larger, and more worrisome, complaint about the agreement comes from Marc Ravalomanana. Although his supporters agreed to the distribution of positions and retention of Andry as President, Marc says he will not agree to Andry as president. Or, if he approves, he wants assurances that Andry cannot run in the upcoming election (probably to happen in the next 12 months, and to be funded by the US). He feels let down by the mediators, and thinks Andry's claim to power is being legitimized. It seems this stance is distancing Marc from most of the politicians and the international community, who really just want an end to this whole situation. I would suspect he will sign on to the agreement this weekend, after making his objections known, but then Marc has had trouble reading the political winds before...

Madagascar- the Environment and the People -

It seems one of the major victims of this whole situation is the environment. The forests and species that make Madagascar so unique, long under threat from deforestation, are even more in danger now. Illegal harvesting by armed gangs has become so rampant that "A group of international environmental organizations and universities have called for a boycott of precious wood from Madagascar, saying criminal gangs have been using months of political turmoil to plunder protected forests." (Article) Perhaps more distressing, it seems that Andry Rajoelina's regime is profiting from the harvesting. Strapped for cash with the suspension of international aid following his coup d'etat, Andry's government issued a decree allowing the felling of precious hardwoods: "The decree 'legalizes the sale of illegally cut and collected wood onto the market and constitutes a legal incentive for further corruption in the forestry sector.'" Should the new agreement by the four political parties bring hope to the precarious situation?

Environmental groups hoped that in time the return of members of the ousted regime, who acted to preserve Madagascar’s forests, would see prospects for Madagascar’s unique biodiversity improve.

“We see no real reason for immediate optimism,” Martina Lippuner, a spokeswoman for WWF in Madagascar, wrote in an e-mail message.

“But we remain hopeful,” she added, “that the changes, when they come, may be beneficial to the environment.”

(NYT: Madagascar's Wood Exports Stir Debate)

Not very encouraging. But how much are the people being affected, and will Andry come out the big winner without much collateral damage? I think the best recap on the situation and its actual effects comes from the Economist:

It is debatable whether the majority of Madagascar’s 20m people, most of them very poor, much care who runs the show as long as they have enough to eat and can live in peace. Foreign investors did not flee after the coup, as Mr Ravalomanana’s backers predicted. Tourism, a big earner, has shrunk, but as much due to world recession as to the island’s instability. International aid, expected to total about $700m this year, has fallen by nearly half.

Despite the initial outrage of the AU, SADC and other bodies, Mr Rajoelina looks as if he has got away with it. Madagascar is underdeveloped and poses no threat to world peace. Grand talk of sending in an AU force, such as one that ousted a coup-maker last year in the Comoro islands, faded fast. Besides, Madagascar has quite a big and well-trained army, a large chunk of which backed Mr Rajoelina. The increasingly authoritarian Mr Ravalomanana had become unpopular and the deal may let the islanders choose their leader freely in the not-too-distant future.

Until the next coup, that is.

Hold up, Slow up, Stop, Control.

Earlier this week, I finally put up a post about my impending return to Madagascar. With just over two weeks before departure, I figured things were calm enough there and the date was close enough to make the announcement official. But as Obi Wan said about his thought that he could instruct Vader, "I was wrong." It seems the return has been put on hold until mid-November. I do not know the specifics, but there must have been a security concern big enough to cancel our trip (for which flights were already planned). Apparently this has to do with the continuing political struggle, but as I said I am not sure of the details yet.

What does all of this mean for yours truly? Good question. But rest assured, whether there is a return to Madagascar in my future or not, I will keep you all updated. Thanks for bearing with me...

My Shangri-La beneath the summer moon, I will return again...

September 30, 2009 - I am headed back to Madagascar!

It has been a long sabbatical of sorts, as I have spent the past few months bumming around the country visiting friends and family. I embarked on a few job searches, looked at graduate schools, but still my thoughts returned to Madagascar. There was no certainty that the Peace Corps would return, but after many months of back-and-forth yet (mostly) calm Malagasy political developments, and extensive paperwork / preparation by a handful of volunteers, we are headed back. There will be around a dozen of us flying out on Sept. 30th, and a few more joining over the following months. It is a good group to help relaunch the Peace Corps Madagascar program, and it should prove an exciting challenge.

Unfortunately, I will not be returning to my old town, Didy. It is a bit too isolated, and with the continuing uncertainty in the Malagasy political sphere, Peace Corps wants to keep its volunteers within easily accessible areas. But I will be sent to the same region, in the Eastern rain forest, and much will be familiar. There will also be plenty of new experiences, so it should prove quite the adventure.

The safety situation is good in Madagascar at present. As I mentioned, the political situation remains in a bit of flux, and I will write a bit more about that in another post. The communities in which we serve remain calm and safe, and are happy to have volunteers return. More good news is that I should be able to stay in better contact, as I am bringing a laptop for communication and work purposes, and should have regular cell phone service.

In the hopes of more frequent updates, I have revamped this blog a bit. You'll notice some links to the blogs of fellow volunteers returning with me, as well as more Madagascar-specific information. Speaking of links, here is a nice reminder of what life is like for a Vazaha (foreigner) in Madagascar. I've also linked some sites that relate to my work as an Environment volunteer, such as organic gardening and agroforestry, and the magical Moringa trees. Many of you had asked, "But what do you DO there?" and I hope to be able to write more about the actual work, and link informative articles/websites.

September 30th is about two weeks away, so I still have a bit of preparation to complete. Especially since many of my clothes and such were left in Madagascar, which should make packing interesting! I will continue to update here, and hope to stay in touch frequently...

Get up and Dance to the Music!

Alright, it's been a while since I've written. There are a few things I wanted to post before this blog goes the way of such hallowed internet locales as "geocities" and "pets.com." First, and by far most importantly, I offer the brief video of a story that is important to a handful of you (H. Tom, Tarv, I'm looking at you). In a previous post, back when this blog actually had stories about my Malagasy experiences and not political insurrections, I told a story of my town's independence day celebrations. In case you forgot, or if you are too lazy to click here, in my town of Didy they have a singing competition on June 26, which is Madagascar's national independence celebration. They asked me to sing a song, which as most of you know is a dangerous request (because I'll actually do it, and quite terribly too). So I chose the "Sweet Home Alabama," and asked for crowd support during the chorus of "Bama bama bama hoo!" I didn't think to record it until the very end, but here is the brief and poorly filmed clip (the camera was in one hand, and the mic in the other, so I apologize if this NYPD Blue-style filming gives you a seizure): Note: You probably need to turn down the volume before it starts, sorry.

This led to everyone chanting "Bama bama bama hoo" everytime they saw me for the next 6 months... Still, it's better than "Vazaha!"

Continuing with the musical theme, I wanted to present a taste of Malagasy pop music.

First up, my favorite rock band, Ambondrona. That is them pictured to the left in mid-jam at a concert in Ambatondrazaka. They are one of the few "rock" bands in Madagascar, owing homage to such artists as Scorpions. For a taste of their tunes, check out Fito Andro (Seven Days)

This next one might be my favorite song. The group, Mika sy Davis, have a Western appeal (as opposed to the more common pop music in Madagascar, which we'll get to). Even if you don't understand the language, I think you can enjoy their music. Check out Goodbye

For more pop-style, check out Tsiliva singing "I Love You" (it takes a minute to get going). Also Melky's "Ianao no Tiako" (also meaning I love you), and Lola's Azafady (I'm Sorry). Note the awesome dancing!

Next, a couple of Firmin's classics. First is Adala aminao (Crazy about you), which I co-opted as the title for my Environment radio program in Didy, Adalamin'ny Tontolo Iainana (Crazy about the Environment). This second one is sung by people all the time, probably because it is both catch and religious. Check out Jesosy Fitiavana (Jesus' Love).

And speaking of songs that are always sung in Madagascar: the Malagasy National Anthem. This is a version sung by fellow volunteer Danielle's high school students in Ambatondrazaka. Note the various parts... it's pretty complex!

Don't You...Forget About

Madagascar. Weeks go by and still no real end in sight on the red isle. The troubles are not just due to the continuing political instability and daily protests against the new "president's" government. Drought has led to famine, and bilateral aid to the country has been frozen already. Now the UN is asking for $36 million to help avert further crisis. I feel particularly helpless here in the US, and can only pass along the troubles these people are facing. One of my fellow PCVs, the stellar SED volunteer Sasha, gave an interview to her local news station that captured a lot of our feelings. Check it out:

Sasha's Interview

And here is a good break down of the whole coup from an Australian news broadcast. This one includes some violent footage... (thanks to fellow PCV Jen for posting this site)
Diary of a Coup

Mr. Rajoelina promises democratic elections by October 2010... yea you read that right. He also continues to call his takeover democratic, or something of the sort. It is still hard for me to understand how such a peaceful country arrived at this point (now ex-President Ravalomanana and new President Rajoelina are both to blame), and a bit scary to continue to watch the events unfold.

Count our blessings that transitions of power here in the United States are peaceful; it really is a rare thing (sadly)

My Friends are So Depressed

In the post below, you can see my brief take on the political crisis in Madagascar. But here are some of my (more eloquent and heartfelt) friends' posts about the situation. Needless to say, it has been tough for us all:
Maureen
Brendan W.
Marshall
Tara
Ryan
Melanie
Corie
Katie

These are just a few that I came across today. Everyone has untold feelings about the excruciating finale to our service, and each is worth checking out.

To finish the above Chili song lyrics:

My friends are so depressed
I feel the question
Of your loneliness
Confide... `cause Ill be on your side
You know I will, you know I will

...I love all of you...

You Say You Want a Revolution, Well, You Know...

We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out

Out of Madagascar, even. It's been a few weeks now since we were "evacuated" from Madagascar due to political unrest ("coup d'etat"). Evacuate is a strange verb to use, at least in the sense of bringing out people from a country. To say we were evacuated by the Peace Corps makes it sound like they gave us all enemas. Syntax aside, all Peace Corps volunteers were pulled out of Madagascar, along with the entire American mission (US Embassy, USAID staff, etc.). I was hanging out in South Africa, first in a Johannesburg hotel for a week and then on a brief safari, and am now in DC visiting friends. I am not sure of my next steps, aside from visiting my family in PA and Hilton Head, and attending my sister's graduation. But before moving on, I felt the need to recap the situation in Madagascar and try to bring people up-to-speed. So here goes:

The Main Players:
Marc Ravalomanana - Democratically elected President of Madagascar, in the midst of his second 5 year term. Mr. Ravalomanana came to power after a disputed election with former President Ratsiraka in 2002, also the last time Peace Corps was forced to suspend its operations in Madagascar and evacuate all personnel.
Andry Rajoelina - Mayor of Antananarivo ("Tana"), the capital of Madagascar, and now "President" after a military coup.
Old Player, but still a "presence":
Didier Ratsiraka - former President of Madagascar, first as pseudo-dictator under a socialist regime in the 70s and 80s, and then again in the late nineties. Currently exiled to France after 2002 crisis, which saw two governments in two capitals and major dissension in Madagascar.

Background:
Ravalomanana led a series of initiatives since originally taking office in 2002, increasing tourism to the island, raising agricultural productivity and opening the country to foreign investors. He created new programs of environmental protection and opened up new areas for natural resource utilization. Those last two may seem to be in conflict, and indeed they are. So it was not a perfect program he was running, but Mr. Ravalomanana was expanding the middle class in the capital and increasing the national economy. He was also the person profiting the most from this. The main loser was probably French companies that more or less controlled the Malagasy economy. Mr. Ravalomanana tried to strengthen ties with other countries, such as China, Canada and the US (he also made English one of 3 national languages, along with French and Malagasy).

Boiling Point:
A number of Mr. Ravalomanana's initiatives fueled anger amongst the populace, many of whom remained poor despite the country's slow economic advance. The major items that angered people were: buying a new presidential plane; trying to sell half of the arable land in Madagascar to South Korea; removing politicians who were not of his party; and, shutting down opposition radio and television stations. Mr. Rajoelina harnessed this anger to support his push for power. His television station was shut down by the government after airing an interview with former President Ratsiraka. My fellow Peace Corps Volunteer and friend Corey wrote an excellent recap of what led up to the crisis, at a time when we were still unsure of our future. Check it out:
One President, Two Presidents, We're Still Residents

The Crisis:
After his station was shut down, Mr. Rajoelina led a protest in Tana. He denounced Mr. Ravalomanana's government and policies, and demanded he step down. Riots ensued over the next week, including burning the President's radio station and looting major stores. Peace Corps decided to "consolidate" all volunteers in a safe place, and we were stuck watching the crisis unfold away from our villages and communities. The crisis progressed slowly, as protests would happen but then nothing would follow. Just as things were calming down, the President's troops opened fire on protestors and killed citizens. This led to more protests, and eventually peace talks led by the UN. All of this took place over at least 3 weeks, starting at the end of January. By the time March began, volunteers were returned to their sites. I was in Didy, my community, for about a week and a half before going back to the capital to prepare for the new volunteers, set to arrive in March. After preparing lesson plans for their training for a few days, we were informed they would not be arriving at all, mere days before they were set to hit Madagascar. In fact, the poor Volunteers-to-be had already arrived in Philadelphia for pre-departure meetings. Most of these people, I believe, have found new postings, but it must have been a very frustrating experience.
The reason they did not arrive is because peace talks broke down, and the military's allegiance was no longer firmly for Mr. Ravalomanana. As the week went on, at least some of the military changed sides to Mr. Rajoelina, and others simply refused to react to violence and protests. Eventually, tanks rolled through Tana and the military stormed the Presidential palace. Mr. Ravalomanana was not present there, but he handed over power to the military and eventually Mr. Rajoelina took over. Currently, Madagascar's new "President" is not recognized by the international community and sanctions are being imposed by the SADC. All international aid has been pulled from the country. Needless to say, this will greatly effect the local people I and other volunteers lived with, as well as the country as a whole. The entire experience, which had ups and downs but was wonderful over all, has been cut short and left with an awful aftermath. It may be a long time before the country sees a functioning government again, although I hope it somehow works out quickly.

So, that is my overview, which may not seem brief but believe me it is. I like to joke that this was the worst-executed coup ever, but of course there is nothing funny about this situation. I suppose a silver lining is that now I can post more pictures and tell a few of the stories I could only briefly touch upon before. Hopefully over the next few days I can post a bit more. For now, here are some news articles courtesy of BBC (links in the article to older coverage):
BBC
and a video of the trashed presidential palace:
Couldn't Take the Copier
There are other videos, including footage of the massacre of protestors, but I have no desire to see that terrible event so I won't post it here. Let's close on a good note, with some pictures of happier times...

Some of My Kids:
And this is 1.2 seconds after the above picture was taken:

Didy, My Town:
New ND Commercial?

One of My Environmental Ed. Classes:

And some kids from one of the nearby villages:



Peace and Love, CMP

The Long and Winding Road

So, the Peace Corps Madagascar program was suspended last week, and all volunteers were brought to South Africa ("JoBurg"). It has been a wild and crazy experience; I never thought I would see a military takeover on my peaceful island. In fact, much of Madagascar remains calm and normal. But the events in Tana were too much for the US Mission, so all personnel were evacuated (that sounds like potty humor). I will write more on the whole situation soon, but I have been frantically trying to "COS", or Close of Service, and end my Peace Corps career (for now at least). For a while I was pursuing a transfer to another Peace Corps country in Africa, and two great options were available (Tanzania and Zambia). But the available spots were limited and competition was fierce, and to start over in a country other than Madagascar would be tough. So instead I am taking a brief vacation, a 4day safari here in South Africa, and then flying back to the US. In fact, I should be in the Greater DC area by Thursday. Once I have full internet capabilities again, I should be able to expand upon the escalation of the crisis (wow... things really escalated quickly -anchorman).

In the meantime, there are lots of pictures on the right hand column here, and tons on other people's pages.

Finally, I led a facial hair movement to bring peace and stability to Madagascar. Beards not Bullets. Stubble Not Trouble. Staches Not Clashes. or as a friend put it, Sacrificing Practicality for Peace. The campaign failed, but the end result here in South Africa was pretty outrageous. Pics to follow.

PEACE

MOM again

Well, so much for relative calm in Madagascar. The PC brought the trainers in to prepare for the incoming group of volunteers, then circumstances required that they suspend the Peace Corps program in Madagascar, redirect the incoming volunteers to other assignments and evacuate the current volunteers to South Africa.

I heard from Chris today--he's safe in South Africa while he tries to determine what his next step will be. He has limited internet access but hopefully will be updating things as soon as he has an idea of what he'll be doing.

Update #3

"Mom" again: I spoke with Chris yesterday. Political issues continue to plague Madagascar. The Peace Corps hope to decide by this coming weekend what the status of the program is in Madagascar as that is when they need to begin planning for the the new group of volunteers. If they stay, Chris will be one of the trainers and is looking forward to that assignment.

Here's one of his fellow PCVs' blogs which has a good explanation of what's going on: http://pargee.blogspot.com--I thought the title for their latest blog was a good general description: "One president, two presidents, we're still residents"

Update #2

Chris' Mom again: I spoke with Chris this past weekend. He's back at his site. He was at the training facility with the other PC volunteers for about 3 weeks. The Peace Corps is watching political developments closely and feel that its safe for most of the volunteers to return to their sites. They are keeping in close contact with the PCVs and will evacuate if there is continued unrest. But for now, Chris is safe. We'll keep you posted of any developments. He wanted me to thank you all for keeping him in your thoughts and hopefully he'll be able to add to this blog shortly--his additions are much more interesting than mine!

Update

This is Chris' Mom--I spoke with him today and he asked me to post an update to let you know what's been happening in Madagascar over the last two weeks and that he's fine.

There's been some political unrest in the country--you can google Madagascar news for information.

The Peace Corps have taken their volunteers in Madagascar to their training facility in a remote area so that they are away from the violence. They're closely monitoring the situation in the country and if they feel its necessary they'll relocate the volunteers to a location in Africa to determine how to proceed.

He asked that you hold off on sending any packages or letters at this time as he doesn't know when he'll be back in his banking town to retrieve them.

I'll keep you posted on updates as I hear them and we all thank you for keeping him in your thoughts. Robin