What a great month with so many interesting and exciting things to report. I'll waste no time on introductions, but start first with the conclusion of my latest building project.
Here you can see that I have taught myself to sew. I'm not that great, but it works for what I need it to do, and that's the important part. This is my mosquito net after cutting it down to length and before I added the elastic band.
Here's the finished product. My bed is now a complete and functional piece of furniture! The elastic makes getting in and out much easier and now I don't have to tuck in the net every night, just slip inside and go to sleep.
I also replaced my curtain that separates my kitchen and room. The previous one was eaten by a mouse, so I found a fabric store that has some really cool prints and got this one sewn to the shape and size that I need. It's a much heavier fabric, so hopefully it'll stand up a little better to the rodents.
I wanted to be able to hang a heavier curtain, but still be able to remove it easily for cleaning, so I had to make a curtain rod. This was formerly a piece of the support for my mosquito net that I cut down, sanded, and made a notch in. The nail locks it in place, but with a firm push it pops open and the curtain can be removed for cleaning.
As it is probably evident from my many blog posts, I enjoy building and fixing things. The members of my community have noticed this too, and asked me to help them learn more woodworking skills. I took up that challenge and combined it with a project the community desperately needs done. The elementary school has very few functional desks and I, along with my community have banded together to fix this problem.
The only issue that remains in our way is financial. Wood is cheap here, but not free, and we're asking for your help! Please consider donating to our cause through the Peace Corps' website located here: https://beta.peacecorps.gov/…/p…/community-woodworking-club/
All donations are tax deductible, will make you a better person, are guaranteed to make your dog love you, and will increase your IQ by at least seven points*.
*Not all claims verified by independent research.
Seriously though, it would mean a lot to me and my community to be able to complete this project and see the kids have a functional learning environment, not to mention the community members learning new skills which they can use to further develop projects on their own.
Speaking of things at school, we have finished the school year! Here are most of the teachers at my middle school finishing up the grading process and preparing the report cards to go out. It's a tedious process to do it all by hand, but it makes you so happy when it's all done. I really enjoy working with this group of people, and I can't wait to start my second year with them.
That being said, right now we are in the equivalent of summer break. However, this being the southern hemisphere, its winter, so here its called Grandes Vacance (Great Holiday). So far, it's living up to the title. I've moved to Diego Suarez for the time being to take up a new project. Above is the namesake park for the area of Diego that I'm living in, Place Kabary (Speech Square).
I've really enjoyed getting to know the city better, and took this picture one cloudy morning walking down by the bay along the Rue de l'Abattoir (Slaughterhouse Road).
My apartment is wonderful. Centrally located here in town just a stones throw from the Peace Corps office and all the other necessities. I have electricity, a fan (just out of the picture), a TV and DVD player, a mini fridge (also just out of picture), and a bathroom.
Here is my shower, with hot and cold running water! Yes, that is a fishing rod in my shower, it needs to keep clean too you know! I don't have wifi at my apartment, but we all need to make some sacrifices for our service here.
As for what I'm doing here, I'm working with the local office of Conservation International. CI is an American nonprofit that has worked in Madagascar for 25 years doing environmental conservation. My project is focusing on marine biodiversity in the areas around Diego. As such, I've been taking trips out to field sites in the area to meet local fishermen and interview them to get information.
Here is a map of one of the areas I work in. In the upper left you can see a town called Ivovona where I have been a few times to gather information.
This was taken on a walk into the foothills near Ivovona to inspect a new water pump that was having some issues. All those leaf-less trees are baobabs. A whole forest of them looking stately on the hillside.
This sign is posted in the town of Ambavarano. It reminds the people of the town not to kill bats, lemurs, or mangroves. All are important and at least moderately endangered species here, and in the case of the lemurs, they only exist here, so very important not to kill.
On another trip to Ivovona I met with some local kids who wanted an English lesson. Afterwards, they asked me take their picture, and true to Malagasy culture they either stood there and looked at me, or made nonsensical hand gestures.
The kids in Ambodivahibe were more intent on playing with their newfound plastic balls. A truck with a few tourists rolled through town while I was visiting and threw out the balls to the kids standing by the road. These few took theirs out to the sandbar and had a blast running around and throwing them in the wind.
Ambodivahibe is right on the water, and on my second visit I had some free time to get out and see what was out there. The green boat above was my transport, while the larger one in front was being prepped with nets to go out the next day.
My wonderful Malagasy guide paddled me all over for about an hour and a half. On the way in the fisherman use poles in the shallow water because it's easier to fight the winds.
I caught a fish! This is a Bluefin Jack, or a Batola Mizoza-bava in Malagasy. He fought hard like most Jack species in the US, but came in with a decidedly more tropical color scheme that any Jacks back home!
He was a two footer, and weighed in at 2.9 kg or about 6.4 lbs. I also caught a handful of those little guys hanging out above him there called Amboabe (Big Dogs). My guide thought it was quite hysterical each time I pulled in a Big Dog and let me know by laughing quite heartily with each catch. I donated the fish to the community members who helped me out on my visit, and came away with some great pictures, so altogether a win.
While we're on the topic of fish, might as well do the rest of the monthly animal report. Here are some of the fishermen in Ambavarano bringing home the Orita and Makoba (Octopi and Rays). The one on the left is weighing the catch while the two in the back get ready to put theirs on the scale next.
This was the haul for one of the fishermen in Ivovona. He went out at night in about 150-200 meters of water and pulled up this Giant Grouper and a few Red Snapper. The grouper weighed in at 25 kg or 55 lbs.! Although these Grouper are capable of getting up to 400 kg, this fisherman was quite satisfied with his catch.
Time for something a little more terrestrial. This chameleon was walking along the frame of a stand in my market one day when I glanced up and took this picture. Normally the color schemes are much more flamboyant here, so I was intrigued to see him in a more stealthy mode.
This little lizard was living in the water pump that we went to check out in Ivovona. He was very relaxed and even let one of our team members pick him up for some photos!
Lastly this month, a new friend! This cutie lives in Ivovona and likes to chew on shoelaces, fingers, and the neighborhood cats. She came right up and wasn't afraid of me at all, so now I have to give her ear scratchings each time I go to Ivovona which is quite alright by me!
To cap off my month, a last look at the ocean from Ambodivahibe. This is where I relaxed and cooled off after my fishing trip out on the reef. I've had an amazingly busy month, and I can't wait for the next one. I've got more exploring to do here in Diego, more trips out to the field sites, more life to be experienced! Hopefully you'll join me again in a month when I have even more awesome things to report.
