We left our host families on Saturday July 12th, and stayed at the PCTC until Monday July 15th. Saturday and Sunday nights consisted of movies and beer, pretty much. It was cool, and a nice break from host family living. I think it reset my mind, and by Monday I was ready to see a little bit more of Madagascar.
ANTANANARIVO
Being apart of group 1, I got to go to Tana first, the capital of Madagascar. I did not really have any expectations of the city, except that my neny says it's maluto be (very dirty). And boy, was she right! The drive from Mantasoa to Antananarivo took roughly 3 hours, and by the time we got to the Meva (Peace Corps Transit House) we just wanted out of the van, so I did not really pay attention to my surroundings as the van got into Tana. Lunch was at a mall (a mall!) called LA City, and it was.....an experience. I've only been in Madagascar for a little over a month, and already I was surprised by elevators, escalators, and actual stores with things more than snacks and toilet paper. Most of us went into a store called ShopRite, which is just a grocery store, to get lunch and buy things we had forgotten to pack for our week long trip. My friend Tori and I went to the small food court and found an American hamburger place. It was DELICIOUS. I had a chicken burger, fries, and a coke. Nothing says 'Murica like that!
After lunch, the group headed to an English Center called English Teaching Practice, or ETP. What this center had that was really interesting was an advising center geared towards learning about and applying for college in the states. They even offered testing help for entrance exams, and scholarships applications. I met a girl there that is leaving for Lafayette College in Pennsylvania in November. So Cool! We were then split into groups of 3 and shown to a classroom, where the teacher was told they were going to have a 'guest speaker' and we were told we were going to 'observe.' It was fine though, my group ended up having an awesoe conversation! I was in a group with our married couple, and the students could not wrap their heads around me not wanting to be married, especially with Clarissa and Stephen right next me! It was definitely culturally strange for them, but I think I was able to explain that I am happy as I am without a husband enough that they understood and respected that. The variety of questions I got asked was insane! All the way from "do Americans really call condoms rubbers" and "are the Illuminati real?" It was a fun cultural exchange, and the English Center is really doing some awesome work for the students in Tana!
Our next stop was the zoo. It was so tiny, and we saw every animal there in about an hour. Fosa, Ostrich, Peacock, Camel, Tortiose, Crocodile, birds I don't remember the name of, and lemurs! I finally saw a lemur! This one was in a habitat, but I will have a chance to actually hold a lemur eventually. I do need that quintesstial Madagascar photo of a lemur, you know! The zoo was okay, kind of sad because it was so small, but a nice break from the bustle that is Tana.
The rest of our time in Tana was spent at a University, a Lycee (high school), and the Meva. Also spending time finding various places to eat!I met the person that I will be replacing in Vavatenina! His name is Arian, and he's pretty much amazing. I hope that I do him justice when I take over his site, and that my town will come to love me as much as they love him! His birthday was actually the day that we met, so I got to experience a bit of the bar/club scene in Tana! I approve! We went to this bar called OutCool, that is home to many a PCV and Ex-Pat, and it was awesome to just hang out with friends and meet a bunch of people!
ANTSIRABE
Anyway, we stayed at a hotel for the 2
days that we were there, and visited a bunch of English Centers, a Lycee, and a private University.
When we got to the Lycee, we were so shocked because the school has a whole welcome program for us! There were speeches, songs sang, and dancing! There was a group of boys that were break dancing on tables! I have video, and I'll upload it when I can! But the program was amazing, despite the lack of quality our version of the National Anthem was, and the principal of the school was so welcoming!We toured the huge campus, and ended the visit with snacks and photos in his office!
We visited a couple of English Centers and a private University after that, and all 3 were pretty much the same format as in Tana; split into small groups and converse with students. Cultural exchange, if you will.
We did draw a pretty sweet map of the United States, complete with everything you could ever want it for both English Centers:We left Antsirabe on Friday morning, and headed back to Tana to meet up with the rest of our group. Friday night was for our own enjoyment, so a couple of my friends and I bought ice cream and pineapples, and then went back to the Meva to eat and hang out before going back to the bar from Arian's birthday. While in the Meva, we stumbled upon this gem:
So had a few laughs about the power ranger suit, and then were on our way to the bar!
We've been at the bar for maybe 2 or 3 hours, and everyone is laughing and having a good time when someone dances too close to a window, and it shatters. Oh goodness. Good thing OutCool pretty much survives on PCVs drinking there, because the owner wasn't angry at all. But we all kind of left anyway. A few of us walked up the street to another club and continued dancing until we got tired, and then called it a night. No more broken windows!
Saturday was spent hailing a taxi to take us to the taxi-brousse station, and coming back to Mantasoa in a taxi-brousse. A brousse is pretty much a van that can fit 30 people squished together, with a banging stereo system. It's the public transportation of Madagascar.
Until next time,
Elena
