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. 

HOMESTAY

Manahoana from the family! 

What time is it? Rice-thirty. The typical Malagasy family serves rice at every meal, and my family was no exception. Fortunately, I came to Madagascar with a pre-conditioned capacity to consume substantial quantities of rice, and was able to fine-tune this skill over my six weeks of homestay. 

I also lived without electricity and running water in homestay, which actually wasn't that difficult to deal with. For me, the most challenging part of homestay was the social context. Reaching over language and culture barriers, as well as going from my independent American adult lifestyle to "living at home" again, proved to be somewhat daunting.

However, despite the social challenge, my host family was incredibly hospitable, patient, and considerate. Not to mention all the funny memories we made! I'm thankful for our relationship and all they were able to show and teach me. Plus, it's hard to beat the spectacular view I had from our house! (You can see some of it in the background of our family picture).

Along with my host family, I had the opportunity to meet and build relationships with other members of the community. During breaks between trainings, I would visit an epiciri (a road-side shop booth) to drink coffee. I became friends with the family who owns the epiciri, which really helped me with cross-culture interaction, business, and friendship skills. Even after finishing homestay, I still go back and visit them!

TECHNICAL TRAINING

Practicing SRI rice planting! 

Unsurprisingly, working in the dirt was my favorite part of PST. In Agriculture Technical Training, we embarked hands-on to learn the best agriculture practices of possible projects for our permanent sites. It was fun and engaging to learn about these many unique projects, and also encouraging to see how they could further development in Madagascar. And, of course, I always enjoy the opportunity to get outside and work with my hands!

As part of tech training, we also took a six-day trip to different farms and sites in Madagascar to practice the application of these projects. In addition to the educational aspect, this trip was cool because I finally saw my first wild lemur!

Agriculture projects and practices: 

»SRI rice planting

»Permagardening

»Food security

»Nutrition

»Pineapple planting

»Tree planting (including banana trees!)

»Hillside farming

»Land management 

»Beekeeping

»Chicken farming 

»Small business management

»Basic financial management 

PCTC Life, A.K.A. Summer Camp 

Sunset at the Peace Corps Training Center

Puppies. Volleyball. Free weights. A couch.

These are a few of my favorite things at the Peace Corps Training Center. That's where I lived the last 2.5ish weeks of training with my fellow trainees. If you can imagine being at summer camp as an adult, you can imagine exactly what PCTC life is like. Amongst my stage, we also refer to the PCTC as "Little America."
The free weights, complete with a homemade bench/squat rack, were the saving grace for what precious "gains" I have left. The Training Center Peace Corps guards got a kick out of this Texas girl who knows how to lift! And between a little iron pumping and running the hilly roads of the community, I've had some pretty good workouts.

Noteworthy events:
»We played the local Gendarme (police/military) in a volleyball game... and lost.
»We played the community men in a soccer game... and lost.
»We played the Peace Corps Staff in a volleyball game... and won!
»The PCTC dog had eight puppies. Now we are constantly overwhelmed by a charge of fluffy, cuddly cuteness. 
»Tacos for Easter dinner!

So, that's the nutshell of Pre-Service Training. Coincidentally, I also feel like I've been living in nutshell... A metaphoric, tiny, crowded, closed-in space, in which I am the nut inside. While I have learned and experienced much in PST, it's been an exhausting experience. I'm excited to move to my permanent site, live on my own, see more of Madagascar, and officially begin my service!