Africa Daydreams

My New Website

2011-04-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

Please check out my new location at MaureenLeeMaloney.com!

Your Perfect Family

2009-10-08T00:34:00.000-07:00

I found this exercise at a great blog called FluentSelf, and thought I’d give it a try. It’s from a book called Wishcraft by Barbara Sher (which you can download for free here). Havi gives a better explanation than I do, but basically if you could pick 5 people out of history to be your family members, whom would you choose? Imagine that those 5 people are sitting in your living room when you walk in the door. What do they think about you? Imagine yourself in each of their minds and write down what they are thinking. Only write good stuff! They are your perfect family, they know you better than anyone, and they love you. The idea here is that your ideal family sees only your great qualities, and always believes in you. This exercise is to help you believe in yourself.

I chose Rachel Carson, Einstein, Gandhi, Billie Holiday, and Queen Elizabeth I. Here’s what they had to say about me.

RC: Maureen loves the planet and is passionate about protecting it. She appreciates Earth’s beauty, and wants future generations to have access to that same beauty. She has the knowledge and dedication to achieve this task.

Einstein: Maureen has a creative and analytical mind. She asks important questions, and is good at finding creative solutions to problems.

Gandhi: Maureen is caring and sensitive. She has a huge capacity for empathy.

Billie Holiday: Maureen knows the blues. She sees pain and suffering in the world, but she doesn’t let it get her down. Instead, she uses it for motivation and inspiration.

Queen Elizabeth: Maureen is a force to be reckoned with. She laughs in the faces of naysayers, and ignores those who try to tell her what she can or can’t do. She is a strong, independent thinker.

Street Sense

2009-10-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

“500 kwacha each.”

I caught the hint of mischief in her eyes. Plus, a few days ago I purchased the same thing from a much older woman for only 250 kwacha.

“Really?” I asked. “Are you sure they aren’t 250 each?”

“Ok, 250 each.” She smiled impishly. She’d been caught.

I could only chuckle to myself as I walked away munching on my slice of fried sweet potato. This is Africa, as they say. 10 cents for a slice of sweet potato isn’t that much more than 5 cents, but since I knew better I couldn’t let her get away with it. Besides, I’m not one of those rich tourists. I’m a traveler on a budget, especially until I get my replacement bankcard.
The electricity had been out all day, so I wasn’t able to cook the pasta I had been planning to eat for lunch. I held out as long as I could, but by 4pm the electricity stilled hadn’t returned and I was hungry. Not that I mind too much, I actually love an excuse to eat fried sweet potato from the street market. You pick out the slices you want and they are wrapped in a piece newspaper for you to take home. In this instance, the 2 slices I bought were gone before I reached the gate of the backpackers, by which time the electricity had of course returned.

Zambia produces its own electricity from a hydroelectric dam on the Zambezi river, but most of it is sold to South Africa. Almost every day I’ve been here has seen the electricity go out for at least a few hours, most often in the evenings. I haven’t actually been to the falls yet, but I’ve been told that it is dry during the day because the dam is closed. Apparently, you need to go very early in the morning or in the evening to see a big flow over the falls. I don’t think this is the case on the Zimbabwe side, but I don’t know if I’ll have the chance to compare.

In the meantime, I’ve found a way to help and do something useful while in Livingstone! Thanks to Marshall, one of my Peace Corps friends who was relocated to Zambia, I found out about an Italian NGO running an orphanage and training center just on the other side of town. They have a restaurant named Olga’s, which serves to raise money for the center, and is just down the road from the backpackers. I visited the restaurant on Saturday and spoke with Giovanni and Sister Josephine about volunteering. So tomorrow I will be going to see what I can help with. There is the possibility that my sewing skills may come in handy, or I may just play with the small children. Either way should be a lot of fun!

Fresh Pastries and Police Raids

2009-09-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of fresh baked bread. This morning I decided to have coffee at Wonderbake and read a new book I picked up at the backpackers. As I was relishing the familiar smell, enjoying the cool breeze coming from large a/c vents, and watching the women walk by in brilliantly colored dresses, a pick-up truck screeched to a halt just outside. It was filled with men in police uniforms. The officers quickly jumped out of the back and ran over to some street vendors on the sidewalk. They snatched up the stools the vendors had been sitting on and took them back to the truck. The stools were like those from a kindergarten classroom, and the officers looked a little ridiculous sitting there with them between their knees. Once they were all in, the truck took off again. It all happened in less than a minute, but it caused a small ruckus. I asked someone standing by what had happened, and a woman explained that the police were cracking down on illegal street vendors. This is interesting since every street you walk down is filled with people selling produce, air time for cell phones, electronics, and just about anything else you can think of. I have no idea if they are all illegal, or if some are somehow legit. I tried to imagine Livingstone without the sidewalks being cluttered with small blankets covered in trinkets. Nope, couldn’t do it. Oh well, the excitement had passed. I sipped my coffee, took a strong sniff of the air, and dove into back my book, resuming my relaxing morning.

Free livin'

2009-09-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I arrived in Livingstone, Zambia. I’m stoked to see Victoria Falls, although due to my lack of funds I’m in no hurry. I have to be here for at least a week until my new credit cards arrive. Luckily I’ve found a sweet place to stay. Livingstone Backpackers has a pool, hot tub, free wi-fi (although very finicky), and it’s only $5 a night. I’m totally set, now I just have to figure out what I can do in Livingstone for free. That should be an adventure in itself.

Cape to Cairo officially begins

2009-09-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

On September 5th I left Cape Town with fellow traveler, Nick. Our first destination was Namaqualand National Park in the Northern Cape. We were hoping to see the blooming of the wildflowers, which is supposed to be an incredible site. Arriving on time to see this is an exact science, and we missed the main bloom, but there were still tons of beautiful flowers to be seen.

From there we traveled up to Ai-Ais National Park in Namibia. I was a little worried about having trouble crossing the border, since my South African travel visa had been expired for almost 3 months. I was fined R1500 (about $190), but luckily I was told that I could pay when I re-enter the country. Score! Ai-Ais is popular because of a hot spring there, so you know I was stoked to check it out. It turns out the hot water from the spring is diverted into a pool. Rather then relax in steamy hot water, you swim in a luke-warm pool. The air temperature was pretty cold, so I wasn’t into it.

The next day we headed north to Fish River Canyon, but were sidetracked to the Canon Lodge in Gondwanaland when Nick noticed some buildings blending into the mountainside. We decided to check them out and found a cool resort and sustainable farm. All of their food is grown and made on the farm. After several delicious meals we were finally ready to head on to Fish River Canyon. This beautiful area is very much like the Grand Canyon, so I felt right at home.

A couple of Swiss travelers we camped next to suggested visiting the Giant’s Playground and Quiver tree forest near Keetmanshoop. I had already fallen in love with the quiver trees on the drive there. The Giant’s Playground is a boulder field, with huge rocks stacked on each other, as though they were a child’s building blocks. Keetmanshoop is a small town with not much going on, but the Quiver tree campground was a nice place to stay, and they have daily cheetah feedings that you can view up close, and even pet the cheetah.

After leaving Keetmanshoop we had a long drive to make it to our next destination of Sesriem, from which you enter Soussusvlei, the most beautiful dunes in the world. We had the good fortune of stopping to camp at the Lovedale farm. A very interesting man named Jacobus gave us a tour of the enormous farm, and told us everything we could ever want to know about farming sheep. That night we feasted on bbq mutton.

Soussusvlei was beautiful and frustrating at the same time. The “town” of Sesriem, is really just a campsite and a reception desk from which to purchase entry into Soussusvlei. There is a gated entrance into the campsite, and then an internal gate on the road to Soussusvlei. From Sesriem it is a 65km drive to the dunes. The entrance fee to Soussusvlei is fairly reasonable at R80 per person, plus R10 per car. The campsite, however, is a huge rip-off at R300 per car plus R150 per person. The catch is, if you want to enter the park in time to see the sunrise, and stay long enough to see the sunset you are forced to stay in the campsite because they control the gates. I would have had no problem with this if the staff had been friendly and the utilities well maintained. However, the main receptionist was on a power trip, the showers barely worked, and the ‘toilets’ at the dunes were bad even by Madagascar standards. Also, if your car gets stuck in the sand, you’re on your own. There are no park rangers or telephones, and no cell-phone reception. There are no other campsites in the area, but Nick and I camped on the side of the road just outside the gate for free. Other than that, the dunes were amazing. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

From there we went northwest to the coast, and a little town called Swakopmund. There are more cool dunes in here, and some of them even sparkle! The first 2 nights we stayed at the Seagulls Cry campsite, but had some items stolen while visiting with other campers. Turns out leaving the car doors wide open in a dark campsite and walking away is a bad idea, go figure. It was an unfortunate experience, but a valuable learning lesson about choosing travel partners. Consequently, I am on my own again. For the next couple of days I stayed with a really cool girl named Eva and her cousin Elias. Now I’m staying with Tashia and Dalene in Windhoek. I’m telling you, there are such awesome people on Couchsurfing. I feel like I’m making best friends all over the world, and I love it!

Today I head to Livingstone and Victoria Falls. Believe it or not, I am excited to be back on the bus. When planning trips, most people instantly start looking for flights to their destination and rental cars to get around. They don’t even consider taking the bus or a train. People are totally missing out! I love using public transportation, and here are a few reasons why:

1. See the countryside
Sure, it’s a 10-hour bus ride instead of a 2-hour flight, but think of all the beautiful landscapes, funny farm animals, and unusual attractions you’ll see. There are great photographic opportunities, especially when you arrive or leave a city at sunset (which I will be doing today from Windhoek). Plus, if you factor in the ride to the airport, the time you wait before boarding the plane, and standing around to get your baggage afterwards, the time difference probably isn’t that much.
2. Meet cool people

Turns out, that creepy-looking guy sitting next to you is actually a German diplomat, and has cool travel stories from all over the world. He even flew with Nelson Mandela once. You never know whom you’ll meet, or what crazy stories you’ll hear if you talk to people.
There is also the chance that a local will give you good advice about where to go, and may even help you get there. Once I had a 10-hour layover in Port Elizabeth. A local offered to show me around the city for the day, and we had a great time! (Thanks Farai ☺)

3. Music therapy

No one to talk to? Awesome, this is my chance to finally listen to the new music I picked up in Cape Town. I think Blk Sonshine is my new favorite band. Really, when do you ever get to just sit and listen to music?

4. Cute kids

Kids can be a great source of entertainment, especially when they are doing funny things like stuffing their mouths with marshmallows (I so wish I had taken a picture). If the kid is actually interested in you (and the mother doesn’t seemed disturbed by you), it’s a great opportunity to do kid things, like coloring. Worried about crying kids? Carry some marshmallows with you, just in case.

5. Environmentally friendly

Don’t forget that air travel has a huge impact on the environment. Here is a chance to reduce your carbon footprint. Plus airplanes are pumped full of nasty chemicals, so you will be saving your body too.

6. Saves money
Not only is public transportation cheaper, but also it may allow you to spread your money to more people by stopping for food at local shops. I always take overnight buses, that way I won’t have to spend money on a hostel.

7. Practice your language skills
Even if you only know a few basic phrases, people in other countries will love hearing you speak their language. You will probably learn a lot as well, so be sure to have a notebook with you. This is another time when little kids come in handy. If you’re in Madagascar, know that they will laugh hysterically at you. Don’t worry, it’s a good thing.

Many people avoid public transportation because they are afraid. Certainly there are a few places where taking trains may be dangerous, but more often it just requires being cautious and aware of your surroundings. Remember, what you focus on is attracted to you. So think positively and smile at those around you. For me, this works every time. So go take a bus trip somewhere…go now!

Photos

2009-08-27T01:19:00.002-07:00

I have started uploading my pictures to Flickr. You can view them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/maureenleemaloney/

My old pics are still on Photobucket at http://s51.photobucket.com/albums/f382/sunshinedreamer07/

The Beginning

2009-08-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

While cooking breakfast this morning I was also making notes in my journal, and as I walked to the stove to remove my eggs the page turned back to the first day of my African journey. I’ve kept a journal since I was 8 years old, and my favorite part is going back occasionally to read entries from long ago, and having the sights, smells, and emotions rush back to you. This was a particularly exciting day for me as I left the protective womb of the Peace Corps and ventured out on my own. I thought I would share this entry with you.

4 April 2009

It just occurred to me that I could be in the US right now if I wanted to. I’m sitting in a bus station in Pretoria and I just had that feeling that I could be in the US waiting to go somewhere familiar, somewhere with friends I’ve known forever. For some reason it seemed like a very strange thought…

This is it! I’m on the bus, and my adventure is officially beginning. I feel as though I’m floating. Maybe sitting on the 2^nd story of the bus, looking out a huge window, and listening to “Such Great Heights” has something to do with that.

I feel such an immense debt of gratitude to the universe, like I could never repay it, but I can try. There is so much work to be done in Africa. This truly is a magical continent. I am in love with South Africa right now. There is so much beauty and diversity. Unfortunately there is also the painful history of colonialism and apartheid. And if that wasn’t enough, now there’s AIDS. I learned yesterday that an estimated 25 million children will be orphaned by AIDS by 2012. But there is hope, and I think that is why I love it so much. There are amazing people doing incredible work. Hopefully alongside these people I can give back some of what the universe has given to me.

Cape Town update

2009-08-20T05:23:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe I’ve been in Cape Town for almost a month. I’ve done so much, but I will try to recap for you. When I first arrived, I stayed at 33 South backpackers, which was recommended by a friend. It is in the Observatory neighborhood, near the UCT campus. It was 8pm when I arrived, and I was hungry. The restaurant I went to around the corner had a poetry reading going on. This was a good sign. I instantly fell in love with Obz and 33 South. A few days later I moved to a couch near the city center. My first official Couchsurfing experience was with Derek, a local photographer, and I had a great time. I met another couchsurfer named Maya, who also happens to be an awesome chic. Although I only stayed at Derek’s for 2 nights, Maya and I ended up hanging out together for the next week until she returned to the States. I bounced back and forth between couches and backpackers for a while. It’s a good thing everything I own fits into a backpack! Then I went to Stellenbosch for a few days. It is a small university town that is well known for its wine. I was fortunate to have arrived at the same time as the Stellenbosch Wine Festival. Instead of having to go around to all the wineries, they all came to me! There was also incredible food and live music. You can’t beat that!

Maya introduced me to another couchsurfer, Nick, who is also planning to travel north through Africa. I wondered if he would be willing to let me tag along, since he was buying a vehicle. It turns out that he was looking for a travel buddy! Not only that, but he is a photographer and was hoping to find someone who could take video. So for the past few weeks we have been making lists, shopping for gear, and brainstorming ideas for videos. Nick has spent most of his time kitting up the Toyota bakkie (pick-up), and I have been perfecting my cooking skills (especially making curry and roti ☺ ).

We have been fortunate to find Mornay, the best couchsurfing host in Cape Town, and possibly the world. She has put up with us for 2 weeks, gives me rides around town, and shares her amazing wine collection with us. She even took me to Cape Point, and forgave me for a little mishap I caused. As we were leaving the national park there was a large group of baboons on the side of the road, including several mothers carrying babies. There were a lot of people parked on the other side of the road taking pictures, and I couldn’t resist joining them. I jumped out of the car and ran around to the back. I immediately snapped a few photos and then glanced back at the car. You know that moment you see something disastrous about to happen and your body freezes, but in your mind you yell “Noooooo!” That is what happened as I saw a giant baboon climb into my open car door. Somehow it hadn’t occurred to me that there might still be some baboons on my side of the road. Mornay jumped out of the car. A man came over and told us to open all the doors. Two minutes later, instead of the baboon climbing out, another one climbed in. Fortunately, this one only stayed for a minute and left. I was freaking out, certain that the animal would destroy Mornay’s vehicle. Twenty minutes later it finally climbed out. Thankfully it did not destroy anything, but it did empty the entire contents of both our purses. It had also chewed on Mornay’s pepper spray container, which could have been a serious disaster had it sprayed itself. But the baboon left, and only the stress hormones coursing through my blood remained.

Nick and I are almost ready to go. The truck is nearly finished and we have all the camping gear we need. The only remaining roadblock is my passport. Seems like every travel blogger has to write about her visa woes, but I want to wait for this problem to be resolved before I even go there. Of course we have goals for when we want to leave (hint: soon), but I have learned not to plan too seriously. We’ll go when we’re ready. That’s all I can really say.

33 South

2009-08-20T02:05:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to have a fellow traveler recommend 33 South Backpackers to me. It is in the Observatory neighborhood of Cape Town, which has the best vibe of any area I visited. I spent a night at several other backpackers, but always came back here. It's small, and so much more personal. I actually had dinner and went dancing with the employees and other people staying there. Check out the video of "Creative Night". Good times!
When you visit, be sure the check out A Touch of Madness, just around the corner. They have amazing food, and a poetry slam every Monday night.

What's cooking in SA

2009-08-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

It’s important to me that I travel responsibly on my journey through Africa. This means supporting local businesses, practicing cultural sensitivity, and using public transportation. I will avoid flying within Africa at all costs in order to reduce the footprint created by my journey (plus public transport is just more fun!). Of course, I still plan on seeing all the amazing things there are to see. There is a website that is helping me do this. It is www.responsibletravel.com, and it has information on great vacations all over the world that also benefit local communities. It was through this website that I found Andulela. They have tours in Cape Town, which are guided by locals and involve learning about the different communities. There were so many possibilities for cool tours, but I really wanted to learn how to cook a curry. So I took the Cape Malay cooking class. We actually went to the home of local woman and got hands-on experience making sambosas, curry, rotis, and sambals. We also got a guided tour of the Bo-Kaap museum and neighborhood. The money I spent on the class went right into the neighborhood. I even bought some spices at the local family-owned spice shop for good measure (plus I was hoping this would help my curry skills). I had such a great time, and I am definitely hoping to get a few more tours in before I leave Cape Town.

And by the way, I can totally make a kick-ass curry now!

Check out the video of my Cape Malay cooking class!

Moroccan Lounge

2009-08-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

While I was living in J-bay I bartended at the Moroccan Lounge. It's a really fun, laid-back place where I met cool people from all over the world. Check out the video.

20 Questions For Every Spiritual Seeker

2009-08-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

These questions are in response to a blog post on Brave New Traveler. They were asked to various spiritual leaders in the documentary film One. I wish I had answered these questions 10 years ago, although I have the feeling that they would be pretty similar to now. I don’t think my beliefs have changed so much as they have just become refined. I consider myself to be on a spiritual journey currently, so I am curious to see how my answers will have changed after this journey is over.

1. Why is there poverty and suffering in the world? 
When I consider the causes of poverty and suffering my initial thoughts are greed, fear, and hatred. Hatred and greed come out of fear and insecurity. This fear seems to originate from the feeling that other people will take away the things we need to survive, such as jobs, food, and homes.
Our bodies create the illusion that we are separate, and our minds support and even amplify this belief by feeding us negative thoughts. This is the source of the fear that I believe ultimately leads to suffering.

2. What is the relationship between science and religion?
I think the philosophical part of religion asks the question Why? and science asks the question How? They are 2 entirely different questions, thus there is no reason for them to be mutually exclusive (it’s the part of religion that serves to make certain people “right” and everyone else “wrong” that creates all the problems). It is important to ask both of these questions. The religious people who think everything was created as-is lack appreciation for the incredible complexity that is life, and the scientists who think life is completely explainable through scientific study are missing (or ignoring) the mystery that is at the source of all life.

3. Why are so many people depressed? 
The reason for depression is the same as the cause of suffering and poverty. The mind makes us believe that we are all separate, which leads to feelings of in adequacy and despair. We all need to wake up from the dream (or nightmare) that our minds have lulled us into.
4. What are we all so afraid of? 
Off the top of my head- pain, hunger, loneliness, death

5. When is war justifiable? 
Anything can be justified because justification happens in the mind. If your actions come from a place of pure love and wisdom, there is no need to justify them. My guess is that these actions will not involve war.

6. How would God want us to respond to aggression and terrorism? 
God has given clear instructions through Jesus, “turn the other cheek”, and Ghandi, “be the change”. We cannot change anything but our own state of consciousness. Once you become conscious, then you will discover the peace within that will change the world.

7. How does one obtain true peace? 
It starts with paying attention to our thoughts. We begin to become aware of the patterns of our minds, and how those patterns are harming us. Once you learn to separate yourself from the mind, then you start to feel the freedom and peace that comes from living in the moment. For me, this is a constant daily process.

8. What does it mean to live in the present moment? 
Living in the moment means accepting and enjoying whatever is happening now, and not worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. Happiness exists in the present moment. Nothing that you do or change about your physical world can make you happy. You cannot be happy tomorrow. You cannot change what happened yesterday. But right now you can realize that this is the only moment that exists, and therefore you must live fully, now.

9. What is our greatest distraction? 
The mind and its incessant stream of BS.

10. Is current religion serving its purpose? 
Religion teaches that God and people are separate, and therefore inhibits the realization that God and people, as well as everything else in existence are One.
I don’t know what people consider the purpose of religion. I suppose some would say it is to save souls so that people will get into heaven. For me this would mean teaching everyone to act with love and peace, but for the church it seems to be teaching people to say that they accept Jesus as their saviour. But these are just words, which are meaningless. So far it seems that religion misses the point.

11. What happens to you after you die? 
I’ve always felt like the soul continues on in another form. After all, energy is neither created nor destroyed. That form may be another human or other living thing, or perhaps another form of energy.

12. Describe heaven and how to get there. 
Heaven is happiness. It is achieved by living in the present moment and realizing that you are one with the universe.

13. What is the meaning of life?
I believe we are all supposed to find something we love to do, and do it with enthusiasm. First, we must strip away the false beliefs that have been taught to us, such as the need for money, power or recognition, and discover where our passion lies.
I haven’t figured out what my passion is yet, but I’m really enjoying traveling through Africa, so I guess that’s all that matters.

14. Describe God. 
I actually don’t like to use the term God, although I used it in this blog for ease of understanding and writing. The reason for this is that most people’s idea of God is basically a glorified Santa Claus. I mean, really?!
I like to refer to it as the Universe. It is the collective energy of everything that exists. We are all a part of God, and therefore we are a part of everything, and everything is a part of us.

15. What is the greatest quality humans possess? 
Consciousness and awareness. With these qualities we can manifest great things through our actions.

16. What is it that prevents people from living to their full potential? 
The belief that we are all separate leads to feelings of fear, envy, and desire. These are mental blocks that prevent the flow of energy through our bodies, and keep us from seeing the truth and feeling the connection that exists between everything.

17. Nonverbally, by motion or gesture only, act out what you believe to be the current condition of the world. 

18. What is your one wish for the world? 
Wake up!

19. What is wisdom and how do we gain it? 
Wisdom is the pure knowing that comes from our connection with God.

20. Are we all one?
Absolutely.

Now on Vimeo

2009-07-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

I recently made the switch from YouTube to Vimeo, so you can see my new videos at http://www.vimeo.com/user2034990
I have posted 2 videos about my work with street kids in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. I hope you enjoy them, and I appreciate any feedback.

Touch the sky

2009-07-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

I’ve imagined it a thousand times. My heart starts racing. The wind is blasting in my face. Then I jump, and my stomach flip-flops over and over again. I have dreamt about skydiving for a long time, despite my intense fear of falling. But I’ve been thinking a lot about fear, and it’s irrational nature. I’ve faced some pretty scary things recently- living alone in a developing country, suddenly losing my home and job, having a scarce amount of money, traveling alone through Africa- and whenever I start to stress out I just remind myself that there really is nothing bad happening at this moment. The only frightening situations are the ones created by my mind. I know many people who have skydived, and they all loved it. Raved about it even. That’s why I wanted to try it, after all. So what’s there to be afraid of?

The flight was fabulous, and the day was perfect. One minute I was gazing out at the ocean, and the next at the misty mountains stretching along the northern horizon. South Africa is incredibly beautiful. Once we reached 10,000 feet everything happened so quickly. The door opened and I did feel the wind in my face, but my heart wasn’t pounding as hard as I’d imagined. Then we jumped, and my stomach did not flip-flop. It was exhilarating and peaceful at the same time. It’s not like when you fall near the ground, because there is no fear of hitting something. The ground is so far away you just feel free, totally free. After the chute opens is the strangest sensation. There you are, in the middle of nothing. You look down at your feet, but there is nothing below them. The ground is still a thousand feet away, and you are floating along like a balloon.

Touching the ground was a relief, not because I was afraid, but because I had so many thoughts and emotions to digest. This new experience was unlike any other, and it is unlikely that anything will ever match it. Until, of course, I jump on my own.
Check out the video

I want to know what you think

2009-07-01T02:29:00.001-07:00

“As many have noted, the mass of men and women lead lives today of unquiet desperation. A frantic busyness pervades our society wherever we look - in city and country, among young and old and middle-aged, married and unmarried, all races, classes, sexes, in work and play, in religion, the arts, the sciences, and perhaps most conspicuously in the self-conscious cult of meditation, retreat, withdrawal. The symptoms of universal unease and dis-ease are apparent on every side.
We hear the demand by the conventional economists for increased ‘productivity,’ for example. Productivity of what? For whose benefit? To what end? By what means and at what cost? Those questions are not considered. We are belabored by the insistence on the part of our politicians, businessmen, and military leaders, and the claque of scriveners who serve them, that ‘growth’ and ‘power’ are intrinsic goods, of which we can never have enough, or even too much. As if gigantism were an end in itself…” Edward Abbey
This post might seem like an excuse to be a lazy blogger, but I feel that it is particularly relevant during this “economic downturn” to consider our reasons for participating in what is increasingly becoming an obvious farce, the economy. I recently read 2 online travel articles; one about how to travel the world for free (termed vagabonding here), and another defending the first against the onslaught of angry responses from people calling vagabonders irresponsible, hippie bums. The author tries to explain that travelers have their own goals they are trying to achieve, which are outside of the conventional axioms regarding success, such as living in the Now, enjoying the present, and discovering one’s self. He also spends a good portion of the article deconstructing the conventional notion of success.
Here’s my real reason for posting this blog. I want you to think about the above quote by Ed Abbey, and post a comment here (see the “comment” button below). What do you think about the quote, particularly his assertion that most people are leading lives of “unquiet desperation”,”frantic busyness”, and “universal unease”. Have your ideas of success and security changed due to the recession? Would you consider living as a vagabond for a while?
I am really excited to read your comments. Please leave one or my ego will be greatly injured. Come on, I haven’t reached enlightenment yet.

sweetness

2009-06-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

I just discovered something really cool! The weather is terrible today, and I am totally trapped inside my apartment. There’s not much food, but I have everything I need to make pancakes. But I don’t have any syrup, honey or nutella. I do, however, have strawberry jam. Since it’s so cold and rainy outside I really wanted something warm, so I decided to put the jam in the microwave, imagining something like a warm compote coming out. Instead the jam melted into syrup! I poured it over my pancake, and it was perfect. OK, so maybe tons of people already know about this, but if you didn’t, now you can use it next time you're in a jam (oh man).

Bye bye J-Bay

2009-06-26T00:11:00.000-07:00

Although I try to avoid having preconceptions about people and places, one of the things I wondered about when coming to South Africa was racism. I was happy to meet tons of cool, open-minded people. In fact, the celebration of their ‘Rainbow Culture’ is one of the things I love about SA. But just like in the States, many of the not-so cool people live way out in the small corners of the country. Nothing seems to make them surface more than helping the street kids. Since beginning this I have really starting developing a relationship with the kids, and I’ve discovered that eating with them is a great way to bond. Sometimes I make or buy some food and go eat with them. It seems like every time I am doing anything with the kids, someone feels the need to come up to me and spend a half hour telling me about how they’ve tried to help the kids, but they are worthless and don’t want help. Some people say ‘be careful, they’ll steal from you, they’ll rape you’ etc, etc. The other day I was buying burgers and chips from a takeaway place across from my house to eat with them. The woman behind the counter saw me talking to the kids, and proceeded to tell me that they would sell the food I give them to buy glue. She also complained that her car-guard didn’t chase them away. Now, why would you speak that way to a customer when you know that person is buying food (from your business) for those kids? The other thing that amazes me is how many people have ‘tried to help the street kids’. The takeaway woman tried to convince me that there are homes for the kids to sleep and get meals, but when I asked her where, because I’d been looking for these places, she had no answer. These people are always negative about what we’re doing. Meanwhile, the social workers and police officers that actually do work with these kids are extremely positive and supportive of the program.
One of the things that drives me crazy is the attitude that people already know everything about you, and you know nothing about Africa. These people don’t even take 2 minutes to ask you who you are, or what you’ve done. Mostly I think they just want to hear themselves talk. And boy do they love to talk. In fact, while I’m being negative I might as well bring up the issue that most people from this town are completely full of shit. What I mean is they exaggerate stories to a ridiculous extent, they agree to do things they have no intention of doing, and they gossip all the time. The gossiping is a classic small-town symptom, I know, but sheesh! I’m not from here and I don’t know Jane Smith, so what makes you think I care if she went to jail for marijuana possession years ago? Corporations are stealing land from farmers in South America, children are being kidnapped and used as soldiers in Uganda, women are being oppressed in the Middle East. I’m not being self-righteous here, I’m just suggesting other topics of conversation. Hell, talk about the latest episode of America’s Top Model (yeah, I totally watch that show).
J-Bay is unique as far as small towns go in that it has so much potential. Beautiful beaches and visitors from all around the world bring in a constant flow of fresh energy, which seems to be completely squandered. People even pay to come and volunteer, then leave angry because they are not being utilized. Yet non-profits struggle supposedly due to lack of people and resources. A lot of people need to get out of their ruts and off their butts. They also need to stop being bitter about foreigners coming in and ‘criticizing’ what they are doing. Criticism is a good thing; it should motivate you and help you to grow. Besides, I’m American so I have to criticize something. Stop being whiney bitches.
These are some of the reasons why I have decided to leave J-Bay. Don’t get me wrong, I had some great times here. I had fun bartending at the Moroccan Lounge, made good friends, met inspiring travelers from all over the world, got to know the street kids, and even surfed in a world-famous spot. I am ready to continue my travels and see more of Africa. The most difficult decision to make while traveling is the decision to leave. But I can’t ignore the signs that tell me to go, and I know when it feels right. Just call me Mary fuckin’ Poppins. Next stop, Cape Town.
After writing this blog I felt bad about being so negative. Then I realized that I can’t only blog about positive things. The fact is that sometimes you run into jerks, or shitty situations, or sometimes you are just plain unhappy for no good reason. I do apologize for being negative, but I’m just keepin’ it real.
“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese

TerraPi video

2009-05-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

I've posted a video I created about TerraPi to YouTube. Hope you enjoy it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Dse_9Rf3c

JBay

2009-05-15T04:34:00.001-07:00

Ok, I should probably write a little about the town that has currently captured my heart, Jeffreys Bay (better known as J-Bay). You know the story of how I ended up here. I am living with my new friend, Fortune in her apartment right across the street from the beach. One block down the road is the Wax Café, the best coffee shop in J-Bay, and where I spend all my online time. Upstairs from that is the Moroccan Lounge, which is a cool room with lots of cushions, Persian rugs, instruments to play and hookahs to smoke. It’s a really chill place to hang out in the evenings. Fortune’s apartment is across the street from a really nice surf spot. On the other side of town is Supertubes, the site of a Billabong pro competition every July.
The street kids project is progressing at light-speed, and now has a name, the Imveliso Youth Project. Imveliso is a Xhosa word that means a variety of things related to healthy growth and development. I’ll write more about that later. We surf with them on Wednesdays, play soccer of Thursdays, rugby on Mondays, and feed them on Fridays. It’s tough to take care of them for a little while then see them back wandering around the streets. It’s also tough to see a lot of them without shoes and jackets, since winter is coming and the nights are cold. I can’t wait until we have a home, and can feed them everyday. Fortune currently pays for everything out of her pocket, but as soon as we get the paper work sorted, there are businesses that want to help us out.
I am in the process of extending my visa so I can stay as long as I want, up to a year. I’m just going with the flow at this point, so I have no idea how long I’ll stay. But, it’s a pretty ‘kiff’ place to hang for a while, and I am having a lot of fun and even learning to speak Xhosa!

various ponderings

2009-05-10T03:39:00.000-07:00

“At the beginning of our life and again when we get old, we need the help and affection of others. Unfortunately, between these two periods of our life, when we are strong and able to look after ourselves, we don’t appreciate the value of affection and compassion. As our own life begins and ends with the need for affection, wouldn’t it be better if we gave compassion and love to others while we are strong and capable?” Dalai Lama
Compassion is the next personal issue I’m working on. I happened to be reading a book by the Dalai Lama in which he discussed that we need to have equal compassion for everyone and everything, not just those who are oppressed or in pain. While I was reading this a volunteer came to the farm that I had a difficult time having compassion for, and it really illuminated my need to work on this area. My issue was that this person created her own problems. She made herself a victim even in benign situations, and then blamed others for her feelings of insecurity. Surely there were reasons for these actions, some past suffering that I possibly could have helped with or at least had compassion for. Instead, I totally shut down and tried to avoid her. Not only that, she sometimes made me angry when I saw her manipulating people in this way. Generally this type of thing arises when something is a reflection of yourself. Have I manipulated people before by playing the victim card? Probably, hell it can be a valuable tool, especially for women. At any rate, I now realize that I need to cultivate compassion in myself that is equal and nonjudgmental.
So I met this guy the last time I was in J-Bay and he is still staying at Island Vibe. I started talking to him and his buddy about their travels. Turns out, they have been traveling for over 2 years, volunteering in some places and getting jobs when they can. Dude, I am so inspired. Why plan to stop in Egypt? I’ve always dreamt of going over to Greece, then up to Moscow and over to India, then down through Thailand and Indonesia, to Australia and New Zealand, and finally up through South and Central America. I am now thinking that it’s entirely possible. Also, the ideas about returning to the States and getting a job are fading. Who wants a crappy job when I can just travel? Here’s what I’m thinking: Travel until I am totally out of money and am forced to buy a plane ticket with my credit card; get free rides and stays (and food) whenever possible; take at least a year and circumnavigate the world. Anyone care to guess how many countries I make it through? I’ll only count those countries in which I actually place my feet on the ground, starting with Madagascar.

Spiritual journey

2009-05-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

Actually written May 2nd
I don’t know how some of you will respond if I start getting all spiritual and contemplative in my blog. But the fact is that I have a lot of time to think, and I encounter people with interesting insights. When you are outside of your normally scheduled life, you start to realize that there are other options, and perhaps you can be a lot happier than you are normally. Not that I was an unhappy person back in the States. On the contrary I have awesome friends, and my lifestyle typically included going to concerts, spending lots of time outdoors, eating at good restaurants, and watching movies. My life was considerably better than most Americans. But I always felt somewhat unfulfilled. I can only imagine how most Americans feel, and why they need to escape into the world of television whenever they have free time. I’m not really good at ignoring the inner voice that tells me when something is out of whack.
This is old, powerful land, and I’ve had some amazing revelations since being here at Terrapi. They usually result from me freaking out about something, like money. Boy, do I love to worry about the future, what job will I get, and how will I save so that I can travel some more. I spent 2 days staring at my computer, looking up jobs, and missing opportunities to go hiking. Then my stomach suddenly made this huge gurgle sound. I thought, “What the?!” For the next 2 days I had mysterious stomach pains, and I could not figure out why. Someone had been speaking to me about chakras earlier that week, and it occurred to me that my issue could have a spiritual connection. So I jumped back onto my computer, found some pages about chakras, and looked up stomach problems. What I found was that stomach pains are a result of ‘survival issues’, and coincide with a blockage of the root chakra. This chakra is related to security, job, and money. I figured I was onto something. I found some methods of clearing the root chakra, like meditating while sitting against a tree, and using frankincense and sandalwood oils on the base of the spine and feet. Essential oils can be hard to find and expensive. The crazy thing was that Marce, a friend on the farm, had given me a vial of these oils a few days before to treat some dry skin I had. I wanted to use a little then give it back, but she insisted I keep it. The most helpful advise for clearing the chakra suggested asking yourself what deep-seated beliefs you have that are no longer serving you, but rather holding you back. It didn’t take me long to figure out what that was. Job=money=security. In our society we all believe that money equals security, and money is necessary for security. But I have come to realize that isn’t true. Just look at the oils…they were provided to me by the Universe/Mother Earth/God before I even knew I needed them! If I am following my path, the universe will provide me with everything I need.
I no longer worry about when my trip will end, where I’ll be, and what I’ll do. I’m working on appreciating every day as it comes. Oh, so you know, I used the oils and meditated under a tree for a while, and my stomach problems were gone!
Even though I’ve been appreciating each day as it comes, as of a week ago I still didn’t know where I would go after Terrapi, or when I should leave. I took a weekend to go to Jeffreys Bay, a cool little town and world-renown surfing destination. I have been shown time and time again that even small ‘coincidences’ have big implications, and so I always look for the messages when coincidences occur. I met a woman named Fortune who works for the backpackers I stayed in, and she is trying to start an NGO to help street kids. She told me about all the work she had done speaking to people and fundraising. The problem is that she needs a project proposal, and doesn’t know how to write one. I told her it sounded really awesome, and that I hoped she would find someone who could help her. Later that day Marce and I went shopping, and Fortune drove the shuttle vehicle. When she came to pick us up, she had a girl who needed to go to the hospital in the next town over. So we ended up eating lunch together and spending a good part of the afternoon talking about her project. When she mentioned her need for a proposal writer Marce pointed at me and said, “She can do it.” I explained that I didn’t have experience writing a proposal of this scale. I mean, she wants to find housing for the kids, start sports programs and job placement programs, get them schooling and health care, and feed them all everyday. This is a big project, and the more I thought about it I realized I was just afraid to help in case I failed. That’s right, I was being chicken-shit. So I agreed. And Tuesday I will be going back to J-Bay to help write a project proposal. That took care of what to do next.

Back to being laughed at in a foreign language

2009-05-03T02:13:00.001-07:00

Most of the members of the community here at Terrapi speak primarily Afrikaans, which is derived from Dutch. One of the people here said to me “It must be hard not to understand what people are saying.” “Actually”, I explained, “this has been my life for the past year.” Some young volunteers came last week and reminded me of how unsettling it is at first when people are laughing, and you don’t know what they are laughing at. Yes, it is likely they are laughing at you. Go with it.

Cape Town to Cairo

2009-04-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

My journey from Cape Town to Cairo has begun! I know my last blog sounded pretty sad, and I appreciate all your encouraging emails. But now I am totally jazzed to be adventuring through Africa.
Tanzania didn’t work out. Sometimes you just gotta let go. Letting go of Madagascar was hard. Letting go of my friends was really hard. Letting go of the security blanket that is the Peace Corps was maybe the hardest. But once I did, I realized what a great opportunity I had. It was time to take stock. Things I do not have: a home, a job, worldly possessions that do not fit into a backpack. Things I do have: a passport, money for a plane ticket home, a student loan deferment, and a WHO card that is almost completely full (have I really gotten that many shots?).
Yes, I decided that now is the time to finally become a WWOOFer. For those that don’t know, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is an organization that connects organic farmers with travelers who wish to see the world, and help the world, all the while on a very tight budget. For $20 I receive access to a listing of farms in around 60 different countries, who are willing to give you food and a place to stay in exchange for work. After reading the descriptions, I emailed a few that sounded interesting, and they emailed me back with their availability. That is how I ended up at TerraPi (www.terrapi.org). The people at TerraPi are creating a sustainable community to serve as an example of how communities can thrive while living in harmony with the environment. It is fairly new, so I am really lucky to be part of the beginning of this endeavor. I help take care of the horses and the garden, go on fun 4x4 trips in the ‘Landy’, and get fed delicious food.
Right now I am in love with South Africa. I’m so glad that I took the time to read The Covenant by James Michener while I was in Madagascar. Knowing everything that this country has been through has really allowed me to appreciate where it is today. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of problems here, but there is so much hope! I love the diversity of the ‘Rainbow Nation’. I was watching a television program earlier in which the hosts were speaking Zulu, English, and Afrikaans all in the same breath. This place has 11 official languages!
I also love the animals, even though they don’t always love me. The other day I scared off 4 baboons when I came home from work. They had destroyed the back porch and the bathroom. I found my soap on the ground about 10 meters away. Another time I went camping and woke up to 2 ostriches chilling out in the campground. Good times in Africa! And this is only the beginning.

Velom iaby e

2009-03-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

Rarely have I felt as heartbroken as I feel right now. I have been putting off writing this blog, but now seems like the perfect opportunity to curl up in my hotel bed, put on some Ben Harper, and write. Around the end of January, I was living in my village of Ifaty, happy because I was finally able to have real conversations in Malagasy, planning a big public toilet project, and just generally loving life (although, I admit the heat was getting to me). One day I received an email about a political rally in the capital, Tana, but it barely made a bleep on my radar. A few weeks later there were more rallies, and rumors started spreading about the mayor of Tana, a former DJ named Andry Rajoela, challenging the president, Marc Ravalomanana (listening to newscasters trying to pronounce these names has been very amusing). When I heard that the television stations and all Tiko and Magro (president-owned dairy company and supermarkets) stores had been destroyed I was totally shocked. In Tulear, people were being killed by bags of rice falling on them while they were looting. At this point the police were doing nothing.
Peace Corps went to consolidation, and at the time I thought it meant we were mere days from leaving the country. I said goodbye to my friends and left for my consolidation point, only to find out that the plan was to stay there for 10 days until things calmed down, then go back to site. I was pissed. Nothing was happening in my village! Only in the cities, one of which I had to travel through in order to reach my consolidation point. I wanted to go back to my village, and the fact that the “situation” in Madagascar changed daily did not help. We ended up staying in consolidation for 3 ½ weeks. Everyday was different. One day the plan was to deconsolidate in 2 days, then the next day we’d be packing for evacuation. It was a stressful situation. When we finally went back to our sites, I had the creepy feeling like we were in the eye of the storm. Propaganda videos for Andry started inundating the villages, showing soldiers shooting civilians at rallies, and people dead from gunshot wounds. They were effective, and while no violence occurred during the UN negotiations, the real war was secretly being fought. I didn’t bother to unpack my bags.
Although I live far from the capital, in an area where people generally don’t care about politics, the existing poverty and global food crisis was combining with drought and heat to create an environment where any added tension could push people to violence. After a series of looting incidents in Tulear, Peace Corps decided to close the region. This meant that I would have to move to a different area of the country. I packed up my house so that PC would be able to pick up my stuff in a few weeks. I flew to Tana with just my backpack to figure out where I would live, and to prepare for training of the new volunteers scheduled to come at the beginning of March. After a week, however, violence resumed and I found out that the training had been canceled. A few days later came the devastating news that the entire program was suspended. We were being evacuated to South Africa. The decision was precipitated by the news that the military had fractioned, and it was unclear who, if anyone, was in control.
Wave by wave, we were sent to Johannesburg. For the past week I have been going through medical examinations, psych evaluations, writing final reports, and waiting in lines to cross my Ts and dot my Is. Oh, and there is the small matter of what to do with my life now that I have lost my job and my house (multiplied by about 130 other people in the same situation). We were told of a possibility to direct transfer to another country, but that it was a difficult process for which “the stars would have to align”. Also, we wouldn’t even know the possible transfer locations for another 5 days, leaving us 2 days to decide what to do before being out on our asses. So, while I considered direct transfer, I also planned a trip through Africa from Capetown to Cairo.
So far my stars are aligning. There is a great program in Tanzania that I qualify for. My initial interview went well, and tomorrow I am going to Pretoria to continue the process. My current heartbreak is due to the departure of most of my friends. Many of them are going on a safari in Kruger National Park, and some are going straight down to Capetown. I can honestly say that I love all of these people. They have been an incredible support network made up of some of the funniest, smartest, and most caring people in the world. I’m shocked at how intensely I already miss them, and can’t wait to see them again.
That’s my story. If things work out in Pretoria I will be trading in Malagasy for Swahili, lemurs for lions, and rice for cassava. I do fear being lonely without my support network, but it seems that my fate is to meet amazing people wherever I go, and I am confident this will be no different in Tanzania. If things don’t work out, I will be able to see my friends sooner than later in Capetown. Either way I have many things to be thankful for. I want you all to know that the possibility of coming back to the US and seeing you sooner than expected did weigh heavily on my decision, but I am just not finished with Africa yet. I hope you understand. I love you all, and can’t wait to see you all again.

Tao vao vao!

2009-01-07T00:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years everyone! I hope you were all blessed with family and friends over the holidays. I was very much blessed with the presence of many of my Peace Corps friends in Ifaty. It really helped lift my holiday spirits, since the extremely hot weather did not feel very Christmasy and I had no Thanksgiving to speak of. It’s ok, though, because I was able to show my friends some of the things that I love most about my village- cool people, cute kids, lakana(outrigger canoe) rides to snorkel at the Rose Garden (our Marine Protected Area), hikes through the baobab forest, and beautiful sunsets. I hope all of this made up for the heat! We brought in the new yearwith a beach bonfire, goat roast, and kilalaky dancing at Chez Alex.
One of my co-workers at Reef Doctor mentioned resolutions the other day. It hadn’t even occurred to me. I have been here almost a year, and change and growth have pretty much been a constant feature of my life. I can only hope to be able to keep up with and adapt to the changes that will surely come with the coming year in Madagascar.
Some people have asked me, and any discussion about the Peace Corps inevitably revolves around what people ‘accomplish’ during their service. Some people end up feeling unfulfilled by their experience because they feel they didn’t accomplish enough. Some people are called Super-volunteers for building the most latrines, or something like that, only to find out later that they are being used as storage sheds. For many people, I believe that holding on to preconceived expectations about what service would be like is the main cause of dissatisfaction. As with anything, you have to be flexible, open-minded, and remember that each person creates their own experience.
Development work is a long, slow process, compounded by the fact that in Madagascar (and I suspect many developing countries) everything is a long, slow process. Two years is such a short period of time, and here we are, alone in a village with no budget whatsoever. Ha! The thought of any of us accomplishing any big change is kind of ridiculous. But we can make many little changes. Take my women’s group. I have helped them learn a new skill, embroidery, which is not only an activity they enjoy doing, but they are proud to create such beautiful things, and happy to earn extra money for their families. Hopefully I can ensure that it continues after I leave, but even if it doesn’t, I believe I made a small change. Now I am teaching them gardening, which I think is one of those activities where you just need to get the ball rolling. Once you have the skills to grow fresh vegetables for your family, and possibly sell some, why wouldn’t you continue to do it every year?
The other thing to keep in mind when calculating success is that the 2nd and 3rd goals of the PC refer to cultural exchange. Even in an area like mine that sees a fair amount of tourists, many of the women saw me as some kind of mysterious being. You get this feeling when people are looking at you as though you’re not a person, but more like a strange animal. At least no one has poked me…oh wait, that’s not true. At any rate, now they’re my friends and we joke around about stuff, like guys and such. The fact is that foreigners don’t have a good history in many places, and even nowadays some NGOs come into areas like they own the place – here to bestow their superior intellect on the natives or something. Whatever! Right now I sometimes look like a crazy outsider, but I will wear all these people down into becoming my friends.
Thing is, this is my perspective and my experience. The PC is full of individuals alone in isolated villages, so each perspective and each experience is unique. We are out here to be agents of change, so success is measured by the amount of change we effect. However, I believe that WE are what needs to change the most, not our villagers, and that can happen anywhere, anytime, for free.
Most of the people reading this are my friends, so I am preaching to the choir a bit when I say this…no one needs to travel to Madagascar to find people who need help. Giving your time and pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone to help others is very rewarding, so I suggest doing it no matter where you are. Hey, there’s a good resolution for ya!

mango mania

2008-11-30T03:15:00.000-08:00

I came to the realization that I may be the worst blogger ever. The big thing I think is missing from my blog is a description of my day-to-day life. There’s a lot, so maybe I should break it into topics.
Firstly, travel to my village. Villages around Tulear used to be considered “fly sites”, which meant that when I traveled to the capital city of Tana, the PC would pay for me to fly from Tulear and back. Then I would have to take a taxibrouse to my site. That is no longer the case, since there is a decent road from Tana to Tulear. So now I take a taxibrouse all the way to Tana. There are different kinds of taxibrouses. In the south, there are mainly camions, or big, open busses. There are also covered pick-ups with benches, which almost always have to be push-started. They can typically fit about 20 adults into the back of a truck, along with chickens, children, and whatever else you can stuff under the bench, as well as 4-5 men hanging off the back. The kind of brouse that you take to Tana, however, is a 15-passenger van. It is a 20-hour ride from Tulear to Tana, and there are always several people puking most of the way, so I always bring plastic bags to give out. The brouse stops once at a hotely (Gasy restaurant) for dinner, but there is plenty of food along the way in the form of people who run up to your car with plates of chicken, hardboiled eggs, fried-dough, etc. anytime the brouse has to stop for a police check. Close toTana, these police checks are quick and simple. As you go further south, the police start carrying large guns and asking the drivers for money. But don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I’m not a fly site anymore. As an environment volunteer, especially, it would be irresponsible for me to fly when I can take a brouse. And hey, it makes me more Gasy.
Secondly, life in my village. Although there are no hotelys or resaurants in my village, it isn’t exactly the ambanivohitra (backwoods). It’s pretty simple to get here, several shop owners in town have generators, and they play music videos all night. We even have a solar panel for the school. Everyone lives in grass huts and cooks on small metal stands with charcoal. Rice doesn’t grow here, and it is expensive to buy, so people don’t eat as much rice here as they do on the plateau. On the plateau (the center of Mada) people make balls of rice dough called mofogasy. Here they make a modified version called mokare (moo-ka-ray) that has regular flour in addition to rice flour, that they eat for breakfast. I think lunch for most people is a little cassava, and dinner is rice with fried fish or beans. I am fortunate that I eat with the Reef Doctor people, who have someone to cook for them during the week. This really saves me a ton of time, because food takes a while to prepare. In the morning, the men head out fishing, while the women spend most of the day cooking.

My typical day…
My wake-up time depends on the sun. Not so much because the sun wakes me up, although that has something to do with it. The sun wakes everyone else up, and in turn they wake me up. First it’s the taxibrouses. There is a woman who lives behind me named Madame Vettely. She has a large camion-style brouse, and her son has a pick-up style brouse. They usually pull up next to my house and rev the engines for a while, sending a cloud of gas into my house around 5am. During the next hour other brouses come through, honking their horns the whole way. At around 6am the children start playing in front of my house (I live across from the school) and occasionally try to see how many times in a row they can call my name. Cute. That is about the time I typically wander through the village to buy eggs and bread, or perhaps mokare for breakfast.
After breakfast I wander down the beach to the Reef Doctor office. As usual, I am involved in several different projects, so my activities at the office vary. Since I have access to electricity and internet, I do a lot of research and reading materials for environmental education. Often I am preparing clothes for the women’s association or activities for Kid’s Club. Sometimes I go diving, or study my fish for performing underwater surveys. Lunch is at noon, and after that nothing happens again until 3pm. The excuse is that it’s too hot to do anything, but they take the same amount of time in the winter. This is my favorite part of the day because I usually read a book and nap in a hammock. It’s a tough life, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
After all that napping I really need a snack, so I walk to the village to buy bonbonkapiky, which is basically peanut brittle. Lately, though, there have been tons of mangoes. They are delicious and practically free, so they have become my new sugar-rush of choice. I can eat 4 mangoes for the price of 1 bonbon kapiky (100 Ariary, or approx $0.06) Also, my afternoons just got really fun. I started practicing with the Ifaty women’s rugby team, who just so happen to be the best team in the country. It’s so great to be playing rugby again, and the women are awesome. They want me to go to Tana and play with them. Technically the rules allow it, but I’m not sure how Peace Corps would feel about that 
Saturdays I usually invite the kids to my house to color, and sit on my porch playing the guitar for them. I also like to make bread or granola in my solar oven. The best is when someone comes wandering by my house selling fresh goat’s milk. Then I’ll make myself a cup of milk & honey, and use the rest to make cheese. Sundays are a lot of fun because I have Kids Club, and then teach an English class in the afternoon to the local fisherman and store owners. Sunday nights are also fun because I have crazy dreams thanks to my anti-malarial medication.
So that’s pretty much my life. I’m asleep by 9pm, awake by 5am. I eat lots of rice, beans and fish, and now mangoes. I watch the sun set over the Mozambique channel every day. I miss my friends and family often.

Tiako mandehadeha

2008-10-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been busy, and really fun. The Ifaty women’s organization had its first exposition for the staff and guests of Reef Doctor. Everyone loved all the beautiful napkins, tablecloths, and pillow cases they had made. The women were really proud, and so happy that the vazaha were into stuff they had made. I love breaking down this ridiculous idea they have that vazaha are somehow better than Gasy. You wouldn’t think that just hanging out with people and getting to know them would have a huge impact, but it does. They love it, and so do I! Ok, I admit it was scary at first, and sometimes it still is. Some people laugh hysterically anytime you speak (not a problem when I’m trying to get a laugh, but otherwise, it makes me want to crawl into a shell), while other people give you death looks. But everybody, and I mean everybody, stares at you at as close proximity as possible (occasionally chomping away on sugar cane right next to my face).
Another exciting thing is that I finally visited Ranomafana national park with my friends Brittany and Dan. I love the rainforest. We had some great hikes, and got up close with lemurs. It’s official, the mouse lemur is the cutest animal ever. Even the fossa we saw was adorable (although, the larger species is supposedly scarier). Don’t worry, I did get some good pics, but it will take me a little while to get them up on Photobucket. We spoke with some of the people doing research in the park. Unfortunately, despite the work to conserve the animals that live in the park, many are still likely to go extinct. For example, the greater bamboo lemur is in danger because the forest bordering the park is being destroyed. The greater bamboo lemur doesn’t live in those areas, but the large fossa that do live there are being forced into Ranomafana, where they hunt the greater bamboo lemur. Why are the rainforests being destroyed? So that a few minerals can be dug up out of the ground. Dumb.
Anyhoo, I spent the past week in Tamatave for the yearly bike race/AIDS awareness event. We worked with Gasy NGOs giving workshops all over the city. It was a really great event, and I got to give a condom demonstration to a group of 10-year-old boys, woohoo. But seriously, it was awesome to see people speaking openly about a subject that some people in Africa refuse to acknowledge. Plus I got to see a lot of my friends, which is always sweet.

3 months down, 21 left to go

2008-09-20T01:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
It's been a while since I've posted, but I've been having a great time at site. I have a computer now, so I will try to keep you all updated more often.

I just finished my in-service training, which means I have completed 3 months at site. That doesn't actually mean anything to me anymore, because I no longer have any concept of time. Sometimes I also feel like I am also losing my concept of reality. In Tana there are billboards for cellphone companies showing young people in nice clothes sitting around in coffee shops. These billboards are along the same streets lined with make-shift shacks for the many homeless people that live there. In Ifaty, people live in grass huts, shower from a bucket in the middle of the road, defecate on the beach, and fry fish with charcoal on little metal stands. However, for 2 weeks I was taking hot showers, eating pizza and burgers with fries, and watching the olympics while drinking beer with my friends. I even had a halfway decent internet connection. I was starting to feel totally disconnected from life at site.
I certainly don't want to imply that the hot shower, burger-eating life is better. On the contrary, I had raging heartburn for 3 days straight, I was completely overwhelmed everytime I went anywhere in Tana, and I was broke. I couldn't wait to get back to my hut, my fish and rice, and even my bucket showers. Also, my time at IST gave me loads of ideas and extra motivation, so I wanted to get back to Ifaty and start some projects.
While in Tana, I made my best purchase ever. I bought a jambe (pronounced jum-bay), which is a drum. I knew carrying it back to site would be a pain in butt, especially with the ton of books I had picked up from the PC office, and I was not looking forward to the trip home. I took a taxi to the brousse station with my two friends Katie and Ryan, and as usual, all of our stuff was immediately grabbed out of the trunk by people wanting us to take their brousse. Then everyone started playing the drum and passing it around. They loved it! The same thing happened as soon as we got off our brousse in Ambositra. The next day, on the way to Fianarantsoa, the three little boys sitting next to Ryan were more than happy to play with the drum during the ride. It's crazy how happy the drum makes people. It just confirms my belief that drums are magical! (A belief I know is shared by many of you ;)
My journey home to Ifaty was long, and I was extremely tired when I finally reached my little hut. As soon as I climbed off the brousse my favorite little buddy, Dougy, was there to help me carry my stuff, so I handed him the drum. Almost instantly the children gathered, and a dance party ensued on my porch. Later, some of my rhasta friends from Mangily (the town just 3mi away) showed up at my house with a guitar, so we built a fire on the beach and sat around singing with some of the people from Reef Doctor. It's nice to travel and see other parts of Madagascar, but man, it's good to be home.

bonjour vaza!

2008-05-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone !

I can’t believe I’ve been out of training and at my site for 4 weeks already. Ifaty is beautiful, and everyone has been really welcoming. I’ve been greeted several times in the village with ‘Salama, Maureen’, as opposed to the usual greeting for a white person, which is ‘Bonjour, vaza!’ (don’t get me wrong, I still hear plenty of that J My Malagasy partner, Madame Jeanne, was so happy to see me when I arrived, and the people at Reef Doctor have really helped me settle in (i.e. they’ve been feeding me). I love my house, and I’m generally stoked on life.

Shopping for everything in Tulear was absolutely crazy. And I thought I would have a simpler life here- ha! There are stands selling various items all along the streets, so I was running around all day trying to find everything I needed, and bargaining with the vendors. At first I hated bargaining, but by the end of the day I was totally into it. One guy even complimented me on my bargaining skills! Combine that with everyone exclaiming ‘Mahay teny gasy!’ (she speaks Malagasy), and I was feeling pretty good about myself.

It was tough to leave all the friends I made during training. We had a lot of fun the last few weeks visiting protected areas, and hanging out in Tana. We even had an awesome talent show, in which I performed the dance from Little Miss Sunshine (Superfreak). At a protected area in Andasibe we saw tons of chameleons, snakes, frogs, and of course lemurs. But the really exciting animal sighting occurred after I arrived in Ifaty. The first night in my house I heard a rustling of the reeds that make up the walls of my house. When I looked around I found my house was filled with---are you ready?—giant hissing cockroaches! I know, isn’t that so cool?! I’ve created a game called ‘How many giant hissing cockroaches are in my house right now’. It’s such an awesome game I created the at-home version here href="http://s51.photobucket.com/albums/f382/sunshinedreamer07/?action=view&current=DSC01181.jpg" , called ‘How many GHCs are in this picture’. I hope you enjoy it. (Rob, I know you will ;)

I have already been working to expand the women’s association in this area. On Wednesday M. Jeanne and I went to the town just inland from Ifaty and taught a group of women there some embroidery techniques. My hope is that they will eventually start an association of their own. Also, the farmers in that town have offered to give me an experimental plot, and they are very excited to learn improved farming techniques. I can’t believe all the opportunities that have already opened up!

view my pictures here http://s51.photobucket.com/albums/f382/sunshinedreamer07/

First post from Madagascar

2008-03-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
I am so excited to be writing you! So much has happened in the last 3 weeks, and I have a line of PCVs behind me who want to use the netm but I'll do my best to sum up here. I planned out what I was going to write last night, but today I had the most amazing experience at an orphanage in the capital city, Tana. The kids were awesome, and the environment was so positive and loving. They are practicing some great sustainable activities there. It made me think about how difficult it is to get people in the US to even save a little water by flushing less often. But the people at this orphanage have no choice but to make the most of absolutely every resource they have. Hopefully I will get the video of the dance the girls performed for us uploaded to my Youtube account before I leave today.

So anyway, the first week I was in total awe of everything...the beautiful vistas, the endless valleys of rice, and even my walk to school. The newness has worn off a bit, and I have been missing you all, but I am still having a great time. And I am super stoked to go to my site in 7 weeks, which will be on the SW coast near. I will be working with an NGO called Reef Doctors. They have a website, but you should check it at your own risk because you will be perilized with envy. I will also be helping a group of women open a boutique near the hotels to sell stuff that they make (and, I'm thinking now, stuff made at the orphanage).

My host family is awesome. They are a young couple about my age, with a 1yr girl named Mirantsoa. I swear, she is the happiest baby ever! Last week I went to church with them, and afterwards we went to a family reunion (to my surprise). This was intense for only having 2 weeks worth of language lessons in Malagasy. Fortunately a few of them spoke French, so I was able to get by. A bunch of the highschoolers were learning English, and of course they wanted to practice it. So I literally said every sentence once in French, again in Malagasy, and a third time in English. By the end of the day, I thought my head was going to explode. I slept very well that night.

I am learning so much everyday. Last week I learned how to plant rice, and kill a chicken. That's just how REAL it gets in the PC, yo!!! (ps, there will also eventually be a video about this on youtube, so stay tuned! ;)
I should also mention that the other trainees in my stage rock. I am truly blessed to be a part of this group. But I better go or they will trample me!

Peace,
Mo
ps. i am typing this on a weird keyboard...meaning that the letters are not where they should be. be forgiving please
pps. i go to bed at 8pm. there's no electricity, and you would be amazed at how hard it is to stay awake by yourself in the dark. letters and postcards are coming, i promise.
ppps. my pictures can be viewed at http://s51.photobucket.com/albums/f382/sunshinedreamer07/
and I think you can search for all my Youtube videos by searching for videos by Sunshinedreamer07

Goodbye!

2008-02-19T16:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I fly to Jo-burg, then on to Madagascar. By Friday afternoon I will be living with my host family. I have met everyone I will be going over there with, and they are all supremely cool. Some people are really worried, but I haven't a care in the world. Is that weird? Maybe it's just because I am well within the weight limit for my baggage. Thank God!

I will be out of communication for awhile, but I will be thinking about all of you (when I'm not trying to learn to speak Malagasy).

Peace,
Mo

Please write!

2008-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I have been preparing for my upcoming departure. I think it has been going well. Fortunately, I already have a lot of the items I need. I have also been getting rid of most of what I own. This process has been surprising to me, because I consider myself to be a minimalist. I don't like collecting anything (except, maybe DVDs), and I have the tendency to move every six months. We all know that whenever you move, you get rid of stuff. I usually unload at least 3 garbage bags full every time I move. When I moved to Hawaii at the end of the summer I had 2 yard sales, and a carload of stuff went to Goodwill. When I came back to Flagstaff I realized I still had a truckload of stuff. I spent the week before I left Flagstaff (for the second time) selling stuff; I dumped another garbage bag or 2; and I still took a carload to San Diego. WTF?! I plan on leaving my mother with a suitcase full of clothes (surprise mom!) before I leave. I will be taking a suitcase, backpack, carry-on bag, and my guitar with me to Africa. That will be everything I own, and I couldn't be happier.
One of my favorite things to do lately (while being jobless in SD) is read the blogs of current PCVs (that's Peace Corps Volunteers- I will be introducing you to the lingo along the way). The people LOVE IT over there. Well, after the first 3 months or so. It's not that they don't like that time, but it's difficult. That separation period, you know. Not that I'll have any trouble leaving your sorry-asses behind (jk! ;). The one thing that helped them through it was letters from friends and family. So, here comes my pathetic begging...ready? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write me letters. Tell me what's up. Went to a party last night? Hey, send me a picture!
Also, remember that it takes 2-3 weeks for letters to get there. Packages take 6-9 weeks. (so, you should write before I even leave, heh-heh).

Make sure to write "Airmail" and "Par Avion" and any letters/packages. (if stuff doesn't go by airmail, it apparently takes way longer). Also, I hear drawing crosses and writing "Jesus Saves" helps deter thieves. Hey, whatever works.

For the first 3 months, this will be my address:

Maureen Maloney, PCT, Peace Corps
Corps de la Paix
BP 12091
Post Zook Ankorondrano
101 Antananarivo
Madagascar
East Africa

Peace,
Mo