I Want to Tell You a Story, I Want to Tell You About My Town

I’d like to thank Marshall for setting up this group blog, and Brendan and Charlie and others for the idea behind it. I can’t wait to head everyone’s stories!

Now, allow me to introduce myself: My name is Chris, I am a Cancer who enjoys candlelit dinners and long walks on the beach… Er, wait, let’s try another style – (dim the lights, cue the music): Starting at small forward, at 6’2”, a Freshman PCV, hailing from Madison, Connecticut, by way of South Bend Indiana and Washington D.C…. Chris… Pllllaaaaaanicka! Wooo! Yea, so I am a Peace Corps Volunteer here in Madagascar, Envir08 training group. I have been at site for a little over a month now, and figured I’d offer a few brief observations to give you an idea of life here.
-Perceptions about foreigners’ work ethic- People here are always amazed to see me work. When I am working with farmers, they are shocked that I know how to use a shovel, and they think I will get tired after only a few minutes. I think this is similar to language: Malagasy people are surprised, but also happy, to see a foreigner sharing their work and speaking (or in my case, “attempting” to speak) their local language. Either that, or I am particularly awkward with a shovel.
-Rice- Often, the Malagasy are surprised that eating rice does not make my stomach sick. I always reassure them that we eat rice in the US also, but only a few times a week instead of thrice a day everyday like they do. Well, what else do you eat, they ask. I tell them veggies, pasta, fish, bread, meat, potatoes… they eat all of that too, they say, only in addition to rice. My first meal with a friend at site consisted of rice and a side of macaroni… mmm, carbs!
-Random American Music- It is played at random on Malagasy local radio stations. Sometimes it is fun to guess what made them choose a particular song, mostly pop songs from the 8-s thru today. I laugh to myself when I hear Lionel Ritchie or the Titanic song or Love Hurts… But the downside is getting an annoying American song stuck in your head (my example: YMCA) and then not hearing music the rest of the day. Singing the Village People in a rice field in Madagascar is an incredibly strange feeling (I mean, it WOULD be… this is strictly hypothetical, I swear!)
Well I hope you enjoyed this brief look into my so-called PCV Life thus far. You can check out my blog, cplanicka.blogspot.com , also for past tales. Thanks for reading, and Mazotoa!

-Chris Planicka

N.B. To other PCVs from my stage reading: mere months (weeks even!) til Stache Fest 08 (and of course Ridiculous TShirt Off 2008). Are you preparing? I know I am… EnviroSED IST 2008: Catch the Fever!