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...