To Danni

Dear Danni,

What’s up Girl????I have been putting this letter off for some time now and feel that I must put what I know and feel down onto paper (or I should say type it out). Today marks 1 year; how that is possible is so beyond me……it seems as though just last week we met at Kuku for meetings, played around in the rolly chairs and swapped movies with each (thanks again for the boy meets world!)

 One of the last things I remember us talking about, in our bunk beds, is how amazing it was that the heads of the major Peace Corps initiatives were from our group (50^th) and Women! Lizzy-GYD, Jojo-SWAT, me- FS and you, GhAP; strong independent women, who knew what they wanted and got it done! That was who we are and who you will always be in my eyes.

I am back in Africa, and I feel so much closer to you here. I look out across the mangroves and wish with all my heart that you were here with me. I know part of you is because I can feel you, but I know I won’t ever be able to swim with you in the channel or laugh at nuggets side by side. You would love it here! The food, maybe not so much, but the people! They would flock to you just like they did in Ghana. I know that I would always be able to pick you out from a crowd by your confident, head held high, I know where I am going walk. I have yet to meet someone who walks like you did, sass even when walkingJ.

You inspire me, you push me to do better when I all I want to do is give up. You are always with me, in everything I do and I thank you for that. There will never be enough words to say how much….you touched us all! There is one song that will forever remind me of you and I have not been able to listen to it, because I just start to cry and it’s hard to stop. Rihanna- Diamonds. But tomorrow I will listen to it, and think of only the best memories of you and know that you are with me, listening to it.

God Danni, I miss you so much. I wish I could just call you instead of write a letter, but I know this will have to do. You shine, brighter than so many others, and that light truly helps me to be a better person every day. It’s hard to be so far away from our Peace Corps family right now; the only way we got through this time last year, was because we were together, a strong unit, knowing, understanding, helping each other in any way possible. You did that, you brought us together in a way that has never been seen by me. I am going to spend a day teaching the villages all about the risks of Malaria and how they can protect themselves. You will be a strong part of this teaching, and even for me it is a good reminder to always be careful.

I love you, a simple sentence that is not said enough I think. But with this letter, each person who reads it, I send my love to you, no matter where you are in the world. Danni Girl, you taught me that it should be said often and with feeling because that’s the truth. I know not to be afraid of it, Love, because you teach me each day to remember what could happen and to live the fullest, happiest life I can!! I feel better after writing this letter to you, I feel a bit lighter. I can see you smiling as you read this, with the pair of earrings I wear often, and laughing just because you can.

I love you Danni, and will NEVER forget you. Know that I talk to you often and can feel you with me when I need it most. I will Cherish my life and live life as you did, with a huge smile on your face and dancing feet.

Forever more,

Tess May 

Crab in your shoe??

Hello Again! I have been in Madagascar for a month now, and things are going well. I am learning Malagasy better (salama-Hello) and speaking french with more confidence. We are working on a few projects: 1. Beekeeping a more natural way, 2. painting murals on the primary schools in 2 of the villages, 3. Plan Vivo, 4. Partner relations, pretty much means going to all the hotels around the area and giving them our poster to promote tourism ( i made this poster by the way)!

I am all moved into my new place, which i am loving, other then when it rains and is windy since it has a lot of cracks in it! Just adds adventure! We are preparing the center and the guides for the upcoming tourist season which starts in May.
One of my favorite things that i do is go for a swim each day. I try to go at high tide, so that i am able to swim more since the current is much stronger. Yesterday was the full moon so the tide was at its highest! This means the current was strong, the water was high, and the crabs and mud skippers were EVERYWHERE!!! As i was drying off and relaxing after having to fight the current for some time, i was putting my foot in my shoe when i looked down and saw a rather large crab sitting there. The first time i saw a crab "attack" someone i was show that the only way to get the crab off was to put the pincher in your mouth and bite down....the thought of doing this with my foot....No thank you! So remember to always look in your shoe before you put it on....there could be a crab in it!

I have posted my address and a wish list for any of you wonderful people who might wish to send me something!
Until next time, Merci!
                                                 

What is Madagascar like for me?

Hello! Welcome again to another wonderful addition to my blog and life in Madagascar. I have been in the South West region of Madagascar for around.....2.5 weeks. I live near the village of Amdonrolava, which is around 30 mins from the regional capital, Tulear, on a TERRIBLE road. The area that i live in is split in two parts; the dry, arid, desert to the east, and the lush, wet mangroves to the west. The NGO is centered in between these two distinct climates, making it a fun place to live! We are about 2 KM from the ocean (an easy walk) and have a large channel to swim or kayak in anytime we would like.

There is a constant wind that blows, making it feel cooler then the average 95 degrees it is. Because of the climate, we do not have many lemurs in our area (sad face) but have plenty of bird species and reptiles in the area, I even rescued a frog from our well the other day! That is another thing that amazes me, most of Ghana has problems getting water, but here, even in the desert, the water table is so HIGH that all you have to do is dig a few feet and you reach water. Most households share a well with a few families and there is always water there.

As i mentioned earlier, it is HOT here, but because of the wind it does not feel that hot. At night, now that we are going into winter (southern hemisphere) the nights are getting very cold and i need a blanket!!!!  It is also sunny here around 300 days a year (my skin is not to happy about that), so i might just turn into a huge freckle!
I have been waiting to move into my permanent house till they re did the thatch roof (needs redone every 4 years or so),which they are doing at this moment. I will hopefully be able to move into my place this monday!!!! I will take pictures and let you know!
I will be posting my address to side of this blog, so if you would like to send me a letter or Package ( both are AMAZING!) you can send it to this address.
Life here is great, i am enjoying Madagascar so much! If you want to come visit, let me know and i can help! Until next time, Merci!