Though there isn't much time for me to write, I wanted to make sure my first trip to the capital of Tana included a brief blog post.
Things are moving very quickly here in Madagascar. It's hard to believe that it has been a month! Last week our permanent sites were announced and I will be spending the next two years of my life in the far north of Madagascar, near Ankarana Special Reserve. I am very happy about my site and have a lot to prepare for before we are installed as volunteers in early May. Secondly, the language aspect of our training is at times overwhelming. Our first language test as trainees was this past Tuesday. Consisting of a 15 minute interview in Malagasy, the goal was to gauge our performance and identify our weaknesses. Though I left the test feeling a little defeated I was happy to learn that I am doing well and passed.
Our host stay has ended and after four weeks of being coddled by our host families we will spend the next several weeks between the Peace Corps Training Center and different locations in Madagascar. Internet connections are a rarity, as you may have guessed, and there is no guarantee when I will next be able to send a message.
If you have some extra time and care to write a letter I will be happy to read anything you send. Also, if you are feeling particularly generous, I would love some reading material. From what I understand, flat envelopes with magazines/etc. are fairly inexpensive to send and arrive within two weeks.
For my part, I will try to send a couple letters/post cards here in the next few days.
Ted
