Swimming with Sharks

I jumped from the boat and plunged feet-first into the ocean. As the water gently swirled around me, my body breached back to the surface with natural saltwater buoyancy. Submerged in the sea with eyes wide open and a snorkel full of air, I stared down into the clear cyan depths...and into a mouth large enough to bite me in half.

Three Times the Malagasy Nailed Texan Lifestyle

As Texas is globally famous, I often entertain humorous conversations with people when they find out I hail from the great Lone Star State. Most people naturally turn the topic to core Texas stereotypes, such as cowboys and guns, or whatever they have seen in the movies. Some people, however, seem to have a broader understanding of Texas culture, and their ideas about Texas are hilariously accurate. Such Malagasy people thus nailed Texan lifestyle...


1) When they understood the love for steak and BBQ...

Neighbor: Where are you going?

Me: I'm going to the market to buy meat. 

Neighbor: You really like eating meat. Is it because you're from Texas?

I'm sure there's a few vegetarians in Austin or something, but otherwise... Yes. Nailed it. (We're not the largest beef cattle producing state for nothing!)

2) When they totally comprehended the capricious nature of Texas weather...

Friend: Does the weather today feel hot to you?

Me: Yeah, it does feel hot. 

Friend: Yeah, it's hot every day here. But in Texas the weather is hot-cold-hot-cold?

Cold today and hot tomorrow... Or, as I would say, chili today and hot tamale. Yeah, you nailed it!

My Home Life in Madagascar, As Told by Snapchat

My Home Life in Madagascar, As Told by Snapchat from Darcy Rae Jacoby on Vimeo.


What is a typical day for you in Madagascar like? How is the weather? What are your living conditions? What do you do with your trash? How is your cat???

At last, all these questions answered and more! This compliation of Snapchat videos and pictures offers a short glimpse of my little hut-life on a normal day. But for real, what could depict my life better than on-the-scene footage through a social media app?

Amongst the musical ambiance and to-the-death battles, you'll see quite a few stand-out characters of my homestead, such as my trusty appliance Grandpa Stove, my comically ferocious feline, and various invasive creatures. All-in-all, the Snaps truly do speak for themselves to paint a true picture of my true life (except for the part about the narcotic effect of mangos, but wouldn't that be something?)

Darcy vs. Nature: The Mango Tree

I've had an interesting problem at my house lately. 

Mango tree branches hang 12 feet over my tin roof, and while raindrops pattering on a tin roof sound nice, big fat mangos hailing down on it do not. It is full into mango season right now, and I love mangos, but many of these looming tropical frenemies have been gracing me with their booming arrivals. Either the neighborhood kids shake the mangos down while I'm inside the house, which sounds like WWIII has descended upon me, or the mangos go unshaken and drop on their own in the middle of the night to wake me up. So I've been caught in a lose-lose situation... Until today. 

Laughing Linguistics

Learning a new language takes patience and practice. The process of mastering foreign tongue is often challenging, frustrating, confusing, and exasperating. My experience of learning Malagasy is no exception. Fortunately, however, in my plight of this arduous task I have encountered moments of happy sunshine beaming through in the forms of hilarious-sounding vocabulary and phrases. Even more fortunately, enough of this candescent hilarity has occurred to inspire a list of my 10 favorite Malagasy words to say, which I now present. I am also sharing 10 of my favorite Malagasy proverbs (in their English translations), which I value for both humor and wisdom.


My favorite Malagasy words

» Adaladala (ah-dahlla-dahlla): adj. Kind of crazy

» Migaka (me-gack-ah): v. To drink (Antakarana dialect)

» Madinky (ma-dinky): adj. Small or Tiny (Antakarana dialect)

Ex"Site"ing Times

At last, after 10 weeks of training and one week of traveling, I am moved into my Peace Corps site where I will live for two years of service. Revealing the diversity of Madagascar, my site is quite different from the community I lived in during training. Fortunately, I am fond of these differences, and am rather excited to be in this region. What's it all like, you ask? Well, here's a glance at my new life:

First-World Withdrawal

"I'm here...and they have everything...and I can buy it!!" 

Floating through the aisles, I filled my shopping cart with the desires of my heart: Milk, rocky road ice cream, Columbian coffee, trail mix, Pop-Tarts, and more. Nearly to the point of tears, I was flooded with overwhelming joy. Even the store floor tiles shone with the light of Heaven, with the promise of all things good.

Secret Police

It is nearly impossible to remember every person you meet the first few days after moving to a new place. This is true at least for my experience of installing at Peace Corps site. There are few people I actually remember meeting, and even fewer names that I can recall.  Yet, even in the blurred flood of names and faces, there is one encounter from my first week at site I will never forget. 

It was my third day in my new home. While sitting in my doorway doing laundry, I heard a "hodio!" called from my gate. In Madagascar, "hodio" is the equivalent to a knock, meaning "can I come in?" I looked and saw I man I hadn't met yet, so I went to meet him at my gate to see what he wanted. He seemed a bit strange, but not threatening, so I commenced speaking to him with the gate in between us. 

Cat's in the Bag

Covered in blue paint and weary from my toils, I sat down with the setting sun, thinking I was finished with a long day of painting my kitchen. Indeed, the painting for the day was over... but the day itself was far from it. In fact, the most eventful part of my day was just then walking in my back door. 

Four neighborhood school girls, some of my newest friends in this first week at Peace Corps site, eagerly entered my half-painted kitchen. 

By their timing and excitement, I knew they had come for more than a casual visit. We exchanged a few words in Malagasy, and I came to understand they had brought a gift for me. They presented a tied-up, nearly empty rice sack...but judging by the size and shape, whatever was inside certainly wasn't rice.

Nutshell

This is the end my friend, this is the end....

...of Pre-Service Training!

As described before, PST was a whirlwind experience. I did everything from planting pineapples, to bargaining for a live chicken, to learning how to say "smell ya later!" in Malagasy, to beyond. It's been an educational 10 weeks, a tough 10 weeks, a wild 10 weeks. I wish I could capture and depict the experience in its entirety, but my mind is still exhausted and currently doesn't have the capacity for that level of processing. (And how can you truly describe PST, anyway?). So I've selected three major components of my PST experiences to feature "in a nutshell": Homestay, Technical Training, and PCTC Life. 

Viewfinder

Pictures convey what words cannot explain. 

My best description of the Peace Corps training, communities, and nature I've experienced my first six weeks in Madagascar are in the photos below. Enjoy!

Whirlwinded

Overwhelming. Enthralling. Stressful. Exhausting. Vibrant. Grounding. Confounding. Riveting. Intriguing. Intense.

Many words can describe Peace Corps training. It's a multifaceted experience. You are plunged into a new language, culture, and lifestyle. Amidst the rapid adaptation, you are fed a vast wealth of information. Survival skills, technical skills, and logistics are all crammed into your head in a thimble of time. You are immersed in your new life, absorbing as much as you can...You are constantly adjusting, growing, and learning....and it is stressful, but absolutely fantastic. 

It is fantastic because the experience produces high yields. Greater perspective, capability, knowledge, and strength are fostered by all I see and learn. The adventure of a new land and the passion for purpose stimulate my progression. The stress is real, but I take it in stride. I know all I am gaining is worth the stress. I embrace the whirlwind.

So training is fun. Training is challenging. Some of training builds off my previous knowledge and experience. Some training is relatively new. All-in-all, it's an experience of a lifetime. And I've only been here two weeks!

Here's some details of my Peace Corps Madagascar lifestyle, observations, and experiences thus far:

Departure

Saved by the Bell (photo from quickmeme)

This is really happening.

I have officially left Texas. 

First, to Philadelphia for staging. I met my training group of about 45 soon-to-be Peace Corps Volunteers. In staging we had a day of preparation for departure, training, and service. A day to bridge ourselves between home and Madagascar.

Next, to Africa. Before long, I will be flying over ocean blue and distant lands to Madagascar. I will be going to my new home for the next two years.

Once I arrive to Madagascar, I will be off the communication grid for the first few weeks of training (aka, no phone or internet). In other words, you won't hear from me for a while. But I

Swan Song Adventures

What's the deal with this picture? What does it mean? Learn the significance here. 

My Last Hurrah. My Final Round. My Swan Song. My last days before leaving the United States...

The goal » See as many people as possible one last time before moving to Madagascar
The challenge » Complete the goal within the month of January, via road tripping

So goes my Swan Song Adventures...

»Stop 1: Phoenix, AZ, 5 days

With my mom, sister, and two nephews, I drive from central Texas to Phoenix. We visit my Grammi, aunt, uncle, and two cousins (oh, and my Grammi's cat). Aside from being delayed seven extra hours in a Texas ice storm, it's an excellent trip.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Arizona

»Stop 2: Cherokee, TX, 3 days

I meet up with other Aggies For Christ members in Cherokee to serve at the local children's home. Each year AFC members go on "Weeklong" trips; groups split and travel to eight Texas children's homes to assist and encourage children and staff. This is my fourth year to go to Cherokee, although this time I'm only able to stay for three days instead of the full week.

AFCers wear "war paint" to the 
Cherokee Middle School and 
High School basketball games.

Giving pigs "crew cuts" for the livestock show is a 
traditional Cherokee Weeklong project.

finis

Movie still from Madagascar (2005)

Preparing to die.

That's what I feel I've been doing for the last five months. More in an amusing way than a morbid way. An amusing--but very real--way. 

Reality sharpened when I received my Peace Corps assignment and departure date. Priorities shifted at the realization of an approaching drastic life change. 

The first thing that changed? I stopped dressing up every day. Just kidding... I've never dressed up every day. But other things quickly became unimportant and impractical. I quit

Party Pooper

Saturday Night Live's Debbie Downer (photo from quickmeme)

I am the Party Pooper.

When my family suggested a send-off party for me, I couldn't tell them no. I knew it was something they wanted to do because they love me. So, with hidden inward objection, I consented to a party.

Oi. Most people know me by my extroverted side. The side of me that is always ready for fun. The side of me that socializes until I could pass out from all the conversing, smiling and laughing. The Energizer Bunny side of me....

Few people know of my introverted side. The side of me that secretly fears the inability to escape a social cluster. The side of me that gets uncomfortable with too much attention. The side of me that gets tired and grouchy from the hustle and bustle around me. The Party Pooper side of me.

A send-off party? For me? Oh no. This party is bad news for a Party Pooper.

Bad news for a Party Pooper, indeed. So it's a good thing my Party Pooper side had to eat. my. shorts.

The party was incredible. Any discomfort I felt faltered to radiating encouragement and support. I was taken up with joy. I was excited to be with those around me. I was deeply

Live Action

It started as a mere concept and theory. It started as a collection of words--peace, justice, compassion, understanding, development, service--that first manifested intellectually. A collection of words that patiently, painstakingly grew beyond a theory and sunk into my heart.

It started with me. How easy it was to

Aspiration Statement

My Aspiration Statement for my Peace Corps Madagascar assignment identifies my strategies and expectations for training and service.


»Identify three professional attributes that you plan to use during your Peace Corps service and how these will help meet your aspirations and commitment to service.

Resourcefulness, diligence, and communication skills are three professional attributes I plan to utilize in my Peace Corps service. I hope to be resourceful by finding creative solutions, seeking opportunities, and networking with others. In diligence, I will strive to