30 May, 2008

A little taste of my life to come

This evening my friend Mary prepared a traditional Malagasy meal for me, my sister, and Molly. She did the research and was able to find just about everything she needed-minus lychees-right here in Grand Rapids, MN. Amazing. Well let me just say that if her recipes were indeed authentic, which I do not doubt, then the food is one thing I am not going to stress about. It was delicious: a vegetable soup puree with turnips and carrots, a tomato salad with tangy scallions, some stewed beef served with a little dab of a paste made out of crushed red pepper, oil and garlic (my favorite), and of course rice, which was cooked with mustard greens. Yum! For dessert; fresh strawberries, pineapple, oranges, and cantaloupe drizzled generously with vanilla, a little sugar and lemon.

Recently, I became sad about missing my favorite season in Minnesota - summer - and my favorite summer activity - farmer's marketing (hey, I hear there's a verb in Malagasy meaning "to go to the market" so I figured I'd give it a shot). But then I realized that I will soon have ample access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Really good ones. Year round. So no worries here, although I will miss the cute tomato guy at Mill City...and the walnut, fig and anise bread from Mid-town...and of course sweet corn.

So, thank you Mary for giving me a break from the packing and good-byes and endless errands to enjoy a wonderful meal with perfect company that also succeeded in re-igniting the sparks of excitement that had somehow gotten buried beneath the previously mentioned errands.

29 May, 2008

Write to me!

For those who are so inclined, I give to you my address, beginning June 12, 2008 (and promise to try my hardest to respond to each and every letter received):

Elizabeth Tofte, PCV
BUREAU DU CORPS DE LA PAIX
B.P. 12091
POSTE ZOOM ANKORONDRANO
ANTANANARIVO 101
MADAGASCAR

Just plain "Beth" will probably due too, but so far they only know me as Elizabeth. Oh, and don't let the "ZOOM" in the address throw you off, it will take a very long time to reach me. They recommend numbering all correspondence, as they don't always show up in order, and this is supposed to minimize confusion.?. Also, I will have a different address post-training, which I will try to send out, but this one will also work for the duration of my time there.

For those who are extra ambitious and feel like sending me a package (I promise to name my first born child after you), it is recommended that you try to stick to padded envelopes, which tend to be taxed less heavily than boxes, and only take 1-2 months rather than 4-6!

Thank you in advance for keeping me up to date on the goings on in your lives.

Veloma! Mandrapihaona!

Beth

25 May, 2008

The Countdown

Two weeks from tomorrow I will board a plane to Philadelphia, where I will finally meet my fellow PC trainees for a couple of days of pre-departure orientation (staging). From there, we will somehow get to JFK, then to Dakar, then to Johannesburg, and finally, land in Antananarivo, Madagascar sometime on June 12. I will spend the following 10 weeks living with a Malagasy host family and taking part in intense language, cultural, technical, and health and safety training, which, combined, will hopefully prepare me for the following two years as an English teacher somewhere on the world's fourth largest island.



This blog is my attempt at keeping my family and friends in the know.

Welcome! I look forward to sharing my adventure.