Week 8 of 10

I am counting the days until training ends... soon, very soon I'll be on my way home to Soavinarivo, Mananara. I'm dying in anticipation.

Right now, we're on a trip visiting Andasibe and Moramanga. Andasibe is one of the 7 national parks in Madagascar. It is home to many species of lemurs, including the Indri, which is the main attraction. We went on a night hike around the area last night spotting chameleons and lemurs hanging out in the trees all around. And this morning we hiked through the rainforest. The lemurs seemed just as curious about us as we were about them. And they doo like to "move it, move it" after all.

We also got our feet dirty yesterday transplanting rice seedlings in a muddy rice field. And we learned how to graft fruit trees. Fun stuff!

The main tasks over the next couple of weeks include our final presentation (in Malagasy) which I plan to do on SRI, an improved rice farming technique. We also have our final language test where we have to prove to be at an "intermediate high" level of competency, meaning we can speak about a variety of topics related to every day life using complex sentence structures. I think I'll do okay. It's amazing how much I've learned already. It's also amazing how much more there is to learn.

I'm starting to formulate ideas of what projects to do at my site. I've met some really inspiring volunteers since I've been here and I can't wait to get out on my own and integrate into this amazing beautiful culture.

That's all for now. Next time I check in I'll be on my way to swearing in.