The months go on, and I’m in the last part
of my service. Where does the time go? Over the course of my stay here in
Madagascar, I have mused more than once on the perception of time as a Peace
Corps volunteer; there’s too much time, there’s not enough time, time goes so
fast, time goes so slow…and so on. Even after all these months, those slow
Peace Corps days still get to me. In order to combat that feeling of
purposelessness that gets to you on your worst days, I started to compile a
list of the little things and memories that I love so much here in Madagascar
and that make my time and my work worthwhile and fulfilling. I realized pretty
early on in this whole journey that my legacy would be measured by my
relationships and experiences even more than my work and projects; this list is
a reminder of that. I read back my own memories, and I can’t help but smile a
little to remember all these little things that have shaped me over my time in
Mahatalaky. How lucky am I.
·
The first time I ever floated on
my back in the Indian Ocean in Ste Luce and that feeling of total
weightlessness that you only get in super salty ocean water.
·
Watching Malagasy music videos
with 6-year-old Christian every night for the first 4 months I lived in
Mahatalaky and the way he would look at me with his big brown eyes and quiz me
on who the best Malagasy singers were.
·
My first rainy season in
Madagascar, watching Disney movies on the floor of my house with Erica,
Christian, and Elena.
·
How obsessed every single person
in my village was with this song back in October 2011: Benono!
·
Four year-old Elena falling
asleep in my lap every morning at 10am during my first 4 months at site. This
little girl alone made me feel like I was finally a part of the community.
·
The classic Madagascar
thunderstorm that rolls in so quickly you don’t even notice until you feel the
thunder rumbling beneath your feet.
·
Watching the Mayor wade around in
giant galoshes and a rain suit during said thunderstorms.
·
The joy written all over the
kids’ faces when we’re doodling with chalk all over my house.
·
Christian’s bright pink snow
pants that he wears on every single rainy day.
·
Blowing bubbles for the kids
until I see stars from oxygen deprivation. The way they squeal with delight as
they try and catch them, and the way they gaze with awe and wonder as they watch
one float away on the breeze into the sky.
·
Sitting around the yard as the
sun sets and the Mayor strums some songs on the guitar while the kids dance.
·
Washing my hair upside down with
a bucket of water in the middle of the day, just because it was hot season and
I needed to cool down.
·
The time Patricia rearranged my
whole little house and I had no idea what was happening until it was nearly
fully completed. Just goes to show that after a year and a half I still have no
idea what’s going on most of the time.
Little things
like this have made my time in Madagascar the most amazing and growing
experience I have ever had. Just wanted to share! Bisou.
