Misy Vaovao

It seems like a lot has happened in the last few weeks.

The cruise ship day was a bit of a flop. It was extremely strange to see so many very obese, very demanding white people wandering the streets of Fort Dauphin. I had forgotten how large Western culture is. Sadly, it was a case of the rich get richer. Fort Dauphin isn't what you would call a typical cruise port. For one, there isn't really anything to see. A lot of them just went straight to the one upscale hotel, had drinks, and went straight back to the port. At least the taxi drivers had a good day.

My English teaching days have finished... a bit of a relief I have to admit. I spent the last couple weeks in the bush village of St. Luce. I was doing some monitoring work where fast growing tree species were planted to serve as a source of firewood for the village in the future. I love the bush! There is nothing better than a night sky in rural Madagascar or waking up to the sound of frogs and roosters.

A Peace Corps volunteer is living in St. Luce and is currently working on a bee project. Yes, bees. Now that I've learned how to build a bee house, capture bees, protect them from enemies, and harvest honey, I'm determined to start a couple hives when I get home. In fact, we were all so excited about the project that part of the lunch break was spent coming up with semi-clever bee-related puns to include on the 'to do' list.

In not so terrific news, I arrived home to Fort Dauphin to find that my house had been broken into and everything was turned inside out. They stole my computer, ipod, dishes, and foam mattress. Luckily I'm living in a country where there is no use for credit cards. Although they were obviously found, they weren't taken. I'm just thankful that I wasn't there when they broke in. I've spent the last couple days in and out of the police station filling out declarations and drawing maps of Canada in an attempt to explain why I don't speak French.

Because of the whole ordeal, I spent last night at a friend's place. She's one of the few people in town who has hot water, so I had my first hot shower in six months.

It's been one of those times that just makes me want to talk to mom. Lucky for me, it just so happens that her plane is landing in Fort Dauphin in 4 hours from now! Hooray!