I'll Be Coming Home Next Year

I sat there in awe. The white, puffy clouds in the blue sky above me shimmered gold in the setting sun. As I lowered my gaze, the blue became purple, and the clouds darkened. Across the rice fields, that purple turned to gray and finally black, as a thunderstorm crept its way over the plains. The flashes of lightning at a distance only illuminated the magnificent view, and I thought to myself, “Wow, am I ever ‘sambatra!’ (blessed/lucky)”

I was drinking a few beers (THBs for those of you reading my last beer-heavy post), eating a delicious dinner of steak and fries, and watching the storm from atop a balcony at the new bar/restaurant just outside of my town (new to me, at least). While I may have felt a bit unfulfilled by a dinner without rice, it was a delicious change of pace and a nice way to start off my Christmas vacation. Perhaps what I was most struck by was the beauty of my surroundings: a storm rolling in over the miles and miles of rice fields, framed by mountains of grass and the early evening dusk.

Sitting there, watching this storm and relaxing, I realized how lucky I am to be here in Madagascar. Often, we Peace Corps Volunteers get caught up in complaining: my (Malagasy) coworkers are alcoholics; my community won’t work with me; Peace Corps doesn’t do this or that… Perhaps like anyone else, we get caught up in the minor details of our job or project or life. So caught up that we forget how special this experience is, and how amazing this country is. Or, I do, at least.

So, in honor of the holiday season, I think we should all take a moment to step back and see what makes our lives special. For me, it is being in an absolutely beautiful country, populated by all sorts of interesting people. It is a good time to take a break from the concerns of my daily life, such as the measurements of this season’s SRI [rice] plantings (25 cm or 30 cm??) or the schedule of an export shipment. Most people look to the future at New Years, setting goals of self-improvement for themselves (not necessarily long-lasting goals). But first, take some time to think about the people or places that make you smile. It is… refreshing.

So yes, I am headed on vacation. South-west bound, should be exciting! As for the title of this post, there are a couple reasons I used this particular lyric:

1) it is an awesome song.

2) One of the greatest people ever, who for the last 3 years held the professional title of “Potential Lunch Winner,” sent me a Foo Fighters shirt that was red with a lightning bolt. As I was watching a lightning storm, and hoping to not be struck myself (in my old training village it was taboo to wear red in a storm, or else you’d be hit by lightning), it seemed fitting.

3) It’s true. As of now, I should be back stateside early June 2011 (may need to stop off in Ethiopia to visit a certain ravenous bear). I just finished grad school applications, so hopefully I will soon have an idea of where I will be headed. Looking forward to many reunions at that time!

In Heaven There Is No Beer, That’s Why We Drink It Here

I meant to post something about this earlier, for all the graduates of Madagascar who remember that love/hate relationship with the flagship beer of Madagascar, THB. Its full name is Three Horses Beer, and it is… an acquired taste. THB is brewed by the only brewery in Madagascar, Star Brewery. Lately, a series of other beers have made appearances on the Malagasy scene, under the THB label or the Gold label. Gold itself is quite good, and they produced an excellent (at least, by good-beer-deprived PCV standards) Amber beer. They recently released a Blonde beer as well. These options, along with the THB Special (not bad) and THB Bex (terrible), have one thing in common: they are all produced by Star. Star creates the illusion of competition, while actually reaping all the benefits of a monopolized market. (Sidenote: The Wire, aka the best show ever, dealt with this issue in Season 2, when Stringer Bell and Bodie come up with the idea of creating false competition between the different towers...) Well, until now.

Just in time for the holiday season, Madagascar has a new beer, released by a new brewery. That beer is called Skol (spelled like the cheap vodka, but not like the dip). And it is quite tasty; in a blind taste test, a la the Pepsi Challenge, 3 out of 4 PCVs places it as the best beer, above THB and Gold. It tastes similar to Gold, which is a good thing. Of course, how long can a new beer survive when the market is saturated with its competition? I’m not sure, but I’m rooting for you, Skol. Just do something about that bottle size (instead of the normal 65 cl, it is only 55)

For those of you not interested in Malagasy beer culture, yet still reading, I thank you. A quick recap on what has been happening in my life:

-As I predicted in the last post, the “coup” led to nothing, and the new Constitution passed, and Madagascar inaugurated the 4^th Republic last weekend. The government is moving ahead with its program, with or without domestic/international support, and all is peaceful, at least!

-We did successfully export the first shipment of organic rice from Madagascar last month. It was quite a headache, and I’m sure the project will continue to have issues, but come 2011 you should be able to find organic Madagascar Pink Rice for sale from Lotus Foods. Fun stuff for you foodie/hippie types!

-I “finished” my Peace Corps service, but am extending 6 months as a “Peace Corps Response” volunteer. It is mostly just a nomenclature change. But it means I will be here til the end of May 2011, at which time hopefully the younger Planicka will come visit and we can travel a bit? Then on to Grad School (applying as we speak…)

-The Moringa trees I mentioned briefly in my last post, when talking about the children’s center, are growing extremely well (whereas everything else here is struggling due to very dry conditions… waiting on the rains!) I will probably write more about that center as I plan to work with them more in the next few months; it is a good way to maintain my connection to environmental work, while also getting to play with kids (things I miss in a more office-oriented job).

-To wrap up, here’s a brief glimpse of life on the road in Madagascar: a bridge between my town and my banking town, Ambato, has been out for a few weeks now. It is a panel bridge, with half meter by one meter metal panels covering a metal skeleton structure. A few of these panels, which are supposed to fit in a way that they cannot fall through, fell through. So now taxi-brousses (mini-buses) have to stop on either side of the bridge, then people get out and cross the nearby railroad bridge on foot. What is really impressive is how quickly a mini-market set up around this bridge. It is in the middle of nowhere, yet there are pasta and fried bread sellers (staples of Malagasy street food), drink sellers, and porters to carry baggage from one minibus to another. The automobiles themselves park in an orderly, albeit ad hoc, fashion. It is one of the few times I have seen Malagasy people reacting to an issue and meeting the demands of a potential market. Pretty cool.

One note: I still am unsure what trucks (camions) do; they appear to just sit there on either side of the bridge waiting. Perhaps they transfer their goods also? Or, maybe they cross at a given time… I am told that the bridge, which is missing entire rows of panels and therefore has gaping holes, is passable on Sundays. Gotta get to church!