So I'm going to start with today because it is fresh. Literally it is fresh! This morning I had breakfast with the fam, including malformed banana bread that I made yesterday after school with my friends. Our Director actually has an oven that he has let us use on occaison. Surprise for the family! and delicious! It was interesting trying to get all the ingredients together and improvise a bit. So far the goodies that have been made include carrot cake, grilled cheese, and cookies. I think the carrot cake and banana bread turned out the best.

So I had breakfast this morning and then went running on the beach (Sarah, Breanna, Julia, and Lauren). Then we went for a quick swim. I love swimming out past where the waves break to just chill. Plus getting out there is a bit of work. I returned home to a locked house....Quick change of plans and walked to the doctor's office to chat about health here. I'm doing a nine week observation project on public health and sanitation.

But you have to imagine all of this with a backdrop of a BEAUTIFUL DAY! I don't really know how to describe. Maybe I'm finally falling in love with the culture? People selling peanuts and bananas, women washing clothes, sweeping the house and their little front stoop, women carrying really large loads of anything balanced on their heads, men making bricks and hauling wood boards that they probably cut themselves, children playing soccer with strofoam, twine balls. Not only that but I have to say, i'm really proud of myself about the whole interview thing. I called the doctor yesterday, set up the appointment, walked there (without getting lost), and then had the interview. All in French! Yea! I've found i'm not really using a lot of my strengths here (econ, math, micro-type science) but I'm trying to embrace this as am opportunity to improve on things i find difficult (like directions, languages...) Besides, i don't want to work in a lab.

So to backtrack a few days: We went on a 4-day trip to Berenty Private Reserve to do a comparative habitat and behavior study on two species of lemurs (malagasy names maki and sifaka). I like the sifaka better. We stayed in 'bungalows' for four days that were nicer than out homes here in Fort Dauphin. Real flushing toilets and a shower! It was nice to be pampered for a few days and the food was delicious. After the studies we came back and did oral presentations with our field groups and then wrote up papers (again, in French...).

It was really neat and great to get the field experience, but honestly I still like plants better. The highlight of la sortie for me was the last night there. We went on a night walk to attempt to see two species of nocturnal lemurs (a mouselemur and a lepilemur). We sort of saw the lemurs, but on the way back we had to walk along a long dirt road. There was arboroeuse savanna to the left, spiny forest to the right, and wide, starlit sky above. I was so filled with joy thatI flipped on my headlamp and ran the whole way back. It was great!

I've also realised that a part of me really wants to return home-- that working/living in Wyoming has become a home for me. That I need to really be able to receive God's love before I can share that with other people. I guess really all this means is that, although I will probably journey outside of the US in life (and maybe even for most of it??), I need to return to my spiritual home for awhile before I do that. I don't know if that makes sense...but there has been some sort of breakthrough in my mind. All that being said...I really DO like it here and am enjoying my time!

Latest food breakthroughs: mofokondro (literally bread-banana) are AMAZING. it's basically just a fried banana but it rocks my socks. Also bonbon koko...sugar + coconut. yum! By body has been craving sugar and fat like no other recently. What else is really good? There's lots of rice... and the fried eggplant is pretty decent. Citrus Fanta is delic, but being discontinued. Someone should petition against that.

We're leaving tomorrow for a week-long village stay in Faux-Cap. I'm nervous but also excited. I guess I am mostly nervous about the general lack of communication there will be. But we'll see! For a part of our time we will have some of the CEL students with us to help translate...so I"m hoping to be able to ask some health related questions, maybe go and see the traditional healer. Learn about some plants??

I guess that's all for now. I've gotta walk home, get some lunch, wash clothes, etc. I'm going lamba shopping this afternoon with Sarah and a girl who lives in her house who's hilarious. (She always is laughing about some inside joke with herself...) A lamba is just a brightly colored piece of cloth that can be worn in many of different ways.

I would like to talk about the health issues that I've learned about here, but maybe I'll save that for the next post. Gotta run,

Peace and Love, Em