Babies, Brushes, & Banana Peanut Butter

This April I had the awesome opportunity to work at an orphanage, La Maison d'Arnaud, in northern Madagascar. As part of a site-exchange*, I and two other Volunteers (one third-year education Volunteer who lives at the orphanage and one health Volunteer from my Peace Corps entry group) facilitated a week of health-related activities with the children and staff!

A nutrition cooking demonstration was our first activity on the week's menu. First, we made our own peanut butter with the Malagasy orphanage cooks and nannies, then mashed some sweet bananas into it. We got to feed it to the babies for morning snack, and they went BONKERS for that stuff. One baby actually cried when we ran out of it! Then with enough vegetables to feed a small elephant, we went on to make a hearty, nutrient-rich soup. If you don't believe kids like eating vegetables, then you wouldn't have believed your eyes to see the kids slurpin' up this soup at lunch. But they did enjoy it, and so did the staff! (Shout out to my Volunteer friend Jenna, who was the mastermind behind our cooking plan).

Stomping Out Malaria in Madagascar!

Shaking. Chills. Vomiting. Sweating. Aching.  

It's anything but fun. It's painful. It damages your body. It can even kill you. It's malaria: the world's buzz kill.

Malaria cases and deaths are prevalent in multiple regions of the world. Just in 2015, there were about 214 million malaria cases and 438,000 deaths throughout the globe. However, while malaria can be devastating, it is also completely preventable! One day, it can be totally eradicated. So as part of the global effort to eradicate malaria through education and resources, April is designated as World Malaria Month and April 25th (today!) is World Malaria Day.

In accordance with World Malaria Month, I and two other Peace Corps Volunteers facilitated a malaria training over two days at a women's prison in Madagascar. In our training we discussed malaria symptoms, science, and prevention methods. All the women participated with excitement and especially had fun acting out how malaria is transmitted! On the second day, we hung bed nets for all the women in the dormitory, which is one of the most practical and effective methods for malaria prevention. The women created a great atmosphere with their enthusiasm and energy during the activities. In the end, we had 40 women empowered to stomp out malaria with their new prevention education and resources!

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

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

Pilot

My Peace Corps journey begins at the end of my normal, Stateside life. In 40 days, I leave for Madagascar... In 40 days, I leave Texas. I leave for new adventure... I leave the familiar. I trade the known for the unknown, the comfortable for the challenging.

I am grieved to leave much... My community, my nephews, and cheeseburgers. I am relieved to leave some... Let's not specify those. But I