So I guess I am allowed a bit of a downer post every once in awhile, right?

The village stay was difficult. Not due to lack of ammenities, as I am used to that. But nearly everything else. Cultural awkwardness! The first day I was only with my SIT partner, Rebecca, and neither of us can put together a sentence in Malagasy. Moreover, my mere d'accueil thought that if she repeated things more loudly and closer to our faces, then we would understand. This doesn't reallly help!

There's too much to describe. I'm doing an observation project on health, so when CEL students showed up later to help us with translations I several informal interviews about health and sanitaiton. Working with our partners was amazing! and doing the interviews was fun! BUt it was really depressing to be in that environment. I guess I just feel like God would not want people to live like that. Everyone is borderline (if not entirely) malnourished, and really dirty. They have to walk 3km every morning to fetch water from a salty well. Because of this effort, they dont' have enough water to wash their hands, clothes, dishes, bodies, etc. There is no concept of hygiene. The toilet is far from the house due to smell, but only if the family has enough land. They suffer from mostly preventable diseases!

So I got to notice all of these things. Maybe i'd imagined the village stay as quaint in my head? Instead I realised that many of the things that I find meaning and value in aren't present for these people: education, exchange of ideas, trying NEW things... such as new food, new music, new literature. Their world is so small and bordered. But is it might right to say that they need ______? I don't want to destroy culture....

Because of this seclusion, my partner and I (as vasaha..meaning white, foreignor, money...) are the coolest thing since sliced bread. I literally had children watch me sleep. I can't sleep if there are people watching me sleep! I also had zero privacy or time to myself unless i was using the cabone. Anyone who knows me understands that I thrive off of my private time.

There are many more things that I could say about the village stay but I am also still processing it all. It was difficult but very worth the time. I still haven't had a lot of time to really process. I got sick after we returned to Fort Daup[hin. (Mom your letter came in perfect time...great boost when i was feeling poopy.) I slept for a day with stomach cramps and then woke up throwing up. But it's over now and feeling stronger everyday! (I think that my secret stash of dark chocolate may help some...)

There are also some fun things to report from the village: Mamapriza thought that Rebecca had raqueta (cactus) spines/hairs in her leg and tried to help pull them out. Actually it was Rebecca's real leg hair. Mamapriza was pretty confused, and Rebecca was in minor pain. We also eventually learned some Tandrooy dance, how to prepare and pound corn (tako), and dig for bageda (sweet potatoes). There were a couple fun football games (soccer) and time trying to walk with things on our heads. I eventually got so I could walk with a bag of bageda.

So now I'm off to Tulear, then a series of National Parcs followed by Tana. I'm pretty sure I can find an internet cafe in Tulear, but this could possibly be my last post till Tana. Still working on getting my ISP topic/proposal together...yikes...

I realise this doesn't begin to describe my experiences over the past few weeks, but it's better than nothing. Moreover, I've gotta get home to give going away presents. This concludes my FOrt Dauphin stay. C'est un vraiment jolie ville.

Please keep me in your thoughts in a happy way, and pray for me if you are the praying sort. I need some guidance and time to comprehend the sadness that I saw. And I will be thinking of you as well...

Love, Em