Transfering to Madagascar-depending upon the cyclone

It is with great sadness and joy that I pass along the news that I will be continuing my Peace Corps service as a Madagascar volunteer, I think. As I was writing this I received the news that cyclone Favio has just hit Madagascar. I will keep you posted on the plans.

I have neglected to write in my blog during the strikes, evacuation and continuing unrest in the country I love so much. The program in Guinea has been suspended with the hopes of reopening it once the country is viewed as safe and stable.

All 106 Peace Corps volunteers have spent the last 4 weeks in Mali waiting for things to calm down in Guinea. I am so proud of the Guinean people for not stepping down. During my one-year service in Guinea, I have experienced 3 strikes. Over 100 people have lost their lives since the commencement of the last strike on January 10th. While I was leaving my village, people were saying that they were willing to die to a better future. Unfortunately, this has become a reality for many in the capital and in larger regional capitals. No doubt this last strike will alter the history books for Guinea. Selfishly, I wish this were just another news story that I read and could not envision faces, friends and host family members along with the horrific black type in the New York Times.

When I left my site on January 25th, I knew I was not finished with Peace Corps. I have accepted a new and exciting position in Madagascar. Currently, they do not have the business development program in which I spent my last year working towards in Guinea. I will be working as a "guinea pig" volunteer along with another SED Guinea volunteer in Madagascar. Based on our work experiences, we will attempt to develop an ag-business program for Madagascar.

The transition will all happen very fast after over a month of waiting for something to happen. I interviewed with the country director yesterday and was given an offer which I accepted. It is probable that I will be on a plane on Saturday and living with a new host family and meeting the new training group that just got into country by Monday. Luckily, my training will be only 4-5 weeks with focused efforts on learning the local language that I will be functioning in and agricultural skills.

I will be posting my new address as soon as possible and be looking forward to receiving letters and packages.