Snail Mail...

Well I'm off to Tanzania tomorrow...and from what I hear, there's no internet. So this will be my last posting for a while...(I'll be back online in Moshi around June 4th)

So if you feel so inclined to go back to the last century and put pen to paper...here's my address at the school...

Michelle Burlock
c/o St. Thomas Aquinas
PO Box 184
Igunga
Tanzania

New update...I now have a cell phone here... 011 255 787 544 641 and I can get e-mails to my yahoo account through my cell... mburlock@yahoo.com

Take care...
Michelle

R & R

I'm sitting here in a cyber cafe in Nairobi...I've been up since 3am (to catch my flight from Madagascar), have only eaten a few crackers and a Fanta, and have been on the internet for over 9 hours with only one pee break...so you'll have to hear about our R & R later...But to sum it up...

"Don't touch my feet.."



You can check out the lodge we stayed in at ...
http:/www.hotel-vakona.com

Michelle's theories on driving...

Driving in Canada usually meant that my Jetta was in the shop at least once a month...I used to curse that but I am now rethinking how good I had it in my little VW...

In Ireland's narrow roads, I found that if I sucked in my breath, our tour bus almost always squeezed through...even if there was a transport truck coming from the other way and the road was technically only big enough for 1 1/2 vehicles...

I won't even go into my terrifying night ride into Nairobi...(see previous blog)

Then we went onto our build in Miarinarivo...Our bus driver decided he wouldn't drive the bus into the park because of how bad the roads were...so we had a 30 degree, dusty five mile hike to the falls...I was willing to pay anything to get a ride out but our hosts didn't want us to pay the $20 USD for 15 of us to ride in the back of a truck...too expensive...so when they bargained them down to $6, I was all over that...And I didn't even blink an eye when they had to keep stopping to put in brake fluid...



So today...I'm back in Nairobi and my buddy Sammy picks me up at the airport...and puts me in the front seat because my bags are in the back seat. (I didn't want to even ask what was in the trunk so that my bags couldn't go there)... Sammy hands me a newspaper as I got in...(and it was in english??) So of course we run into traffic jams so Sammy does his usual "shortcuts" through town and we end up in this flooded area...and we're hitting bottom of these foot and a half pools of water...and I'm still hiding behind my newspaper, pretending not to mind...ugh

So here's my newest idea for getting me around town safely...

Team Poem...

Team Madagascar…
It has been a blast!
It’s hard to believe,
That it’s gone by so fast…

Together we celebrated Victories,
Like real teams do…
Like the cheers that went up,
When Dennis finally went to the Loo!

Fusas eat Lemurs,
Or so you say…
But when you’re ailing,
It’s Duck Lemur that saves the day!

John, the bald headed Lemur,
Who dances so fine…
It’s a good thing that Laingo is here,
To keep you in line…

And Val and Nick,
Which one is the dreamer?
To think you’d get any sleep,
Rooming with the Snoring Lemur!

Then there’s the Princesses…
Group peeing each and every night.
But when in doubt…
Go left, go left, boogie on down, go left, go left, goooo right!

And although we love Finley,
She’s a little bent.
Cause she hates to have impurities
In her Ce-ment!

Then there’s Christopher,
Our HomeGirl’s alter ego…
Who will live forever in a magazine,
Left behind in Miarinarivo!

Now team…tomorrow as you pack,
And you run out of space.
Just give it to me,
Cause there’s always room in Rick’s suitcase!

We have memories of Madagascar,
Bucket showers, orange socks, zebu steak…
And Karaoke singing,
Furniture moving neighbours at daybreak!

So Val and Pam,
You’ve done this trip with flare.
You both are truly…
Habitat Team Leaders Extordinaire!

Meet the team...

Lauren...

Pam...Shake, rattling and rolling...

Val...

Finley...

Liango...

John...

Rick...

Anne...

Dennis...

John, Pam and Marc (HomeGirl) ...


The Princesses...


More Pics to come...

Habitat Build

Habitat Day 1 – April 9th…

Along with our two Habitat Volunteers (Liango and John), Lauren, Joe, Dennis and I picked up the rest of our Habitat Team from the airport late last night. (After our Easter Sunday dinner at the beautiful Sakamanga Restaurant)
Madagascar Note: You cannot buy or sell Madagascar money, the Ariary, anywhere else except Madagascar. And the largest denomination it comes in is 10,000. (which equals about $5 usd…) So as our team arrived on Easter weekend and we were leaving the next day for our small town, our entire team had to change all of their money at the airport…All eyes were on us as we got our wads and wads of cash…

Breakfast this morning..
Coffee, fresh squeezed OJ, French bread, butter, omelet and a croissant
Cost = 5000 Ariarys = $2.50 usd

Practiced our Malagasy
Hello – Salama
Please – Azfady
Thank you – Misaotra

Then headed off to Miarinarivo…a town about 2 ½ hours away where we were doing our build.

Our accommodations were in a “guesthouse”. (our room was bottom left)
Once we got finished hanging our mosquito nets, it looked more like a harem then the bare cement room we started out with. Anne, Finely, Lisa and I dubbed it the “Princess Room” …
And the best part is…(after I had already used the WC with the footprints and hole)
We found out that there was a real western toilet available to us in the group meeting area!!! (as many of you know from camping/cottaging with me,…Tara, Kellie, Brandi, etc…I would rather hike to the next town if it meant I could use a real toilet instead of a hole in the ground!)

Habitat Day 2

Still have yet to start working…In Malagasy culture, it seems like socializing is a precursor to work and to jump right into working would be a fady. (taboo)
So today started out with breakfast, a welcoming ceremony, long breaks, lunch, meeting our host families, a tour of the town and the worksite, playing with the children…Just my kind of day...except that whatever I ate yesterday had other plans for me. After a night of excruciating stomach pains, I have spent the day quarantined to my mosquito net bed…Thank goodness for Lauren’s Ciproxin….

Habitat Day 3
Market day in Miarinarivo…Stalls line all the main streets in town…hats for 40 cents, dried fish in all sizes, underwear hanging from the tents, bike parts, (no bikes, just parts), etc…

We were greeted by the Mayor of Miarinarivo, Andry Raveloson, and given a tour of city hall.



Then we actually started to work in the afternoon…The team split up into two and my group, the Lemurs, went to work on house No 1.



Today, as we walking home from the work site, a family on the hill ran out to greet us. They offered us food…it was taroroot (sp?) It’s funny…after spending the first few days in Tana, we were used to being followed around by people begging for money…and now that we’re in the countryside, people who have next to nothing are sharing... :-)

Habitat Day 4

Still being on the “disabled” list, I was put on market and kitchen duty today…It’s a good thing that my Habitat Team doesn’t know my motto, “Every pan is a No-stick pan if you don’t cook”. I spent the morning shopping in the market with Harry, Flawier, Patrick and Robert…even got them to try to teach me to carry a basket on my head…



Then it was onto chopping carrots and cucumbers for lunch…I brought my MP3 into the kitchen to liven things up with some Shania Twain line dancing… I’m not sure exactly how to say it in Malagesy but I think the word “Loco” came up a few times…

Habitat Day 5

We’ve now come up with our team name, “The Screaming Lemurs”…And each of us are our own specie…There’s Thong Lemur, Snoring Lemur, HomeGirl Lemur, Doc (Duck) Lemur, LD Lemur (can’t reveal Anne’s name) and I am the Red Dred Lemur…(there’s limited bucket shower time so hair takes too long to wash…so Lisa and I are having a contest to see who can go the longest without washing our hair…hence the Red Dreds…)

The Lemurs...


Oh yeah…amongst all the fun we’re having…we did do some work today…and now have almost all the floors done…and that’s a lot of ce-ment mixed by hand.

Tomorrow, we’re going to the other half of the team’s worksite to get filmed for National TV.

Habitat Day 6

Well, after getting all gussied up in our finest workwear…we find out that TV people don’t work on Saturday so they were a no-show… They missed us doing our Madagascar Step Class…We had to move 2000 clay roof tiles up 63 uneven winding steps to the buildsite.

Some of the Habitat Families joined us on our afternoon of R & R (which now stands for roasting and rigor mortis walk…hehe)
Chute de Lily…



Please see driving theory blog for truck ride home picture...

Words of wisdom from Anne...
Even on hell rideds, you are probably safe because although they don't particularily care about you, they probably don't want to wreak their vehicle and jeopardize their livelyhood...Please note, this is only applicable if the driver is also the owner of the vehicle...lol

Habitat Day 7

Today we spent the afternoon at a Geyser…and the bus drove us all the way in this time. Although the Geyser was quite fascinating, we were spent a lot of our time in the coolest outhouse. It actually had no roof, didn’t smell and was kind of funky. (watch for Anne and Finely’s upcoming new series, “View from the Loo”.



There is a really cool Habitat community here in Miaraniviro…with around 30 Families living in Habitat homes.
Tonight we each went to stay with a Habitat Family…Finley and I stayed with Isabel, Roger, Martina, Martino and Herizo.



On the way, Finely and I had one of those strange moments where you look at each other and just wonder how you got to where you are…We hadn’t really met the family…and a van of three guys just dropped Finely, Roger and I off at the side of the road in the pitch dark…Finely and I proceeded to use our headlamps and follow Roger through a field, not knowing where exactly we were going…We just had to trust that everything was going to work out…
And once we got to the two room house, we got a wonderful greeting from the family. We gathered by candlelight (no electricity) and had Coke and cracky. (my newest snack..kind of like ringos) Only Martina spoke French…(and for some reason, because I’m Canadian, everyone thinks that I speak French…and sometimes I do??) So we had conversation mixed with Malagasy, French, English and sign language…Then the entire family went to sleep in the other room while Finley and I were put under mosquito netting in our own room. (we had the option of staying for up to three nights but we felt bad for crowding them.)

Just a note about electricity here…there is a shortage of breakers (or some other piece of equipment like that?) so people go on a waiting list to get electricity into their homes. In fact, one family had a tv but was not scheduled to get electricity until 2008.

Habitat Day 8

Another hard day at the office…Monday’s will never be the same.



Best dinner so far…
Omelets, homefries, cucumber salad, meatballs…and Three Horse Beer.

Habitat Day 9

Our masons, Rene and Aristad started out quite serious with us…communicating only by "meet" (thumbs up) or "si meet" (thumbs down) but we have gradually worn them down and today Aristad broke down with a full belly laugh…When we are mortaring the walls, we usually bring either Rene or Aristad in to say either "meet" or "si meet"…so today I do that but meanwhile, I have etched a smiley face into the wall…so when I call him in so seriously, he burst out laughing…Rene, on the other hand just gave me a thumbs down when the eyes kept poking through as I tried to fix it…Our team now thinks that the family might think the house is haunted if a smiley face comes through when it rains…

Habitat Day 10

Today was the last day of the build…We spent a half day at House 3 chipping away at the bricks...(did I mention that between the bricks is just water and clay…no cement? I’m not exactly sure what keeps the walls together when it rains?)

It was also a very special day as Lisa and I finally washed our hair in honor of Celebration Party…

Speaking of the Party…I’m not sure if I mentioned this…but I learned a new"repeat after me song" at the camp in Ireland…
“Ah oh, Capt’n Jack
Meet me at the Railway track…
With a “guitar” in your hand.. (or hose, or drumsticks, or etc)
You can be my music man…” (or fireman, or drummer man, or ec

Then comes the dancing part…
“Go left, go left, boogie on down, go left, go left, goooooo right!”
“Go right, go right, boogie on down, go right, go right, goooooo left!”

I taught it to some of the kids over the last few days so it was a hit with the families when we sang/danced it at the party…

Habitat Day 11

Today we are leaving Miarinarivo…and a lot of the families came to say bye…What started out as a civilized ballooning session for a few kids…

“balloon” picture to come...

Words cannot express how it feels after a build...the impact on the families, on the community and most of all, on yourself!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world"
Mohatma Gandhi

Touring Tana...

The keyboard here is much different from home so please excuse any typos...
The keyboqrd here is ,uch different fro, ho,e so pleqse excuse qny typos:::

I have now moved from Susans place to downtown Tana, to the hotel where our Habitat team is meeting...There are four of us, Lauren, Joe, Dennis and I, that came in early so we have been exploring for the last day. This morning Dennis and I walked for a few miles alongside market stalls...Usually there is a lot of begging going on but I think we were out of the tourist area...There were a few times we were bumped to check out our wallets and once followed by some teens but overall, it feels pretty safe here. [although they stare and scream out Vazaha] We could not bring any valubles with us on our walk so no camera...but here are some pictures taken out of our hotel window.

Outside of our hotel, there is some type of bus pickup...A guy hangs out the back door on a ledge and lets people in the back...very interesting to watch.

We walked by a church today, where Easter Sunday Services were going on...lots of kids dressed up in their Sunday best. It is such a contrast when you see other children, shoeless and dirty, following you, begging for money or asking for your almost empty water bottle... Breaks your heart...

Thought of the day...by Dennis...

In tribal times, when people begged for money, it was better if they put out two hands...it meant, please give me something and...I do not have a knife in my other hand...

Happy Easter...
Michelle

Don't touch my feet...

In Madagascar...

Phoeby...you're the best! Susan and her family (David, William and Elizabeth) are amazing...

I'm getting terribly spoiled here. Their house is just lovely...it has a beautiful backyard with a swimming pool... and four tortoises. (Fact of the day...the difference between a turtle and a tortoise is that tortoises don't swim...thanks Elizabeth...)

There are currently two Queen's students, Josh and Kristy staying here as well...They are heading home today but have been great at showing me the ropes...(even how to catch a cockroach...)

Yesterday, Gene, our driver took the three of us touring downtown Tana...And I learned very quickly that even listening costs you $$$. There are people constantly wanted to sell you something or earn money by being your guide...Just when you think they're giving up on you because they stop, you find that you've actually just come to the edge of their territory and someone else is going to take over...lol

Many of you may have heard about the cyclones here...here's a picture of some of the still flooded areas in town...

Besides Gene, we also have a guard Pierrot and a cook/laundress Noro...I'm not sure how I'll cope with bucket showers and pit latrines next week on the Habitat build???

Au Revoir
Michelle

Nairobi at Night...

They say not to arrive in Nairobi at night...I flew in at 7pm. Fact of the day: It turns out the sun sets in Nairobi at 6:30 pm every night of the year.
Many of you know how apprehensive I was about going to Nairobi...After hearing first hand stories about getting stuck in traffic and having the trunk crowbarred open and bags stolen. About not stopping at lights, just slowing down to avoid carjackings. Even the tourist video on KLM calls it "Ni-rob-ya! So I was pretty worked up after my 7 hour flight there.

I had e-mailed the hostel at least 5 times to schedule an airport pickup but it always came back undeliverable so I wasn't sure what to expect at the airport. I was quite relieved to see a sign with my name on it as I went through customs. We threw my bags in the trunk and Sammy and I were off. My high spirits were quickly squashed as we drove down the highway into town. If you can picture scenes from futuristic movies such as The Terminator or Children of Men...that's how it looked. There were people everywhere walking down the pot-holed highway. Tin shacks everywhere. Smoke from the open fires on the side of the road made for a permanent fog overhead. The acrid smell was burning my nose...

Then Sammy decides to pull into a gas station. (I'm thinking to myself...why the *%#@ couldn't he have filled up earlier) There are about 15 cars trying to get to a pump and at least 100 people milling around the station. And Sammy just keeps on driving around it. He's looking for someone he says...So I just about lose it when a guy with a crowbar starts pounding on our trunk...It turns out that it's Sammy's cousin Kefar...earlier that day, Sammy had helped him change a tire and Kefar was just wanted to give him the tire back...ugh

I was never so glad to see my hostel....Thanks to all of you that were on MSN that night and helped me calm down...Mom, Sonya, Brandi, Tamarra....

But everything always looks better in the daylight...and I'm now on my way to Madagascar. The flight attendent just came on because the top of Kilimanjaro is coming through the clouds for us to see...(I'll post the picture for you soon Tim...and here it is now...)

Life doesn't get any better than this....

Take care
Michelle

Barretstown...

Dia Daoibh (that's hello in Irish...and the kids would laugh at me whenever I tried to pronounce it)

Barretstown is where a kid can be a kid, parents can play and volunteers dress up, dance, sing and play all day! Just my kind of place... It's in a castle and is truly a magical place!




I'm here on family weekend so we get to hang out with the kids as well as the parents...It's been a long time since I've been at camp but it has been a truly amazing experience! I'm not sure who had more fun...the kids or me? And Watch out Eddie, Emma and Travis...I have a whole new repertoire of songs and dances to teach you! I think I've perfected the Capt'n Jack one, but still need some help with the Moose one...

Shannon, you are going to have a blast here next week...Make sure to hook up with Bernie while you're there...She and I were partner Caras... There's also some other Canadians...and believe it or not, a London connection too...


Off to Amsterdam tomorrow, then Nairobi on Tuesday, then Madagascar on Wednesday...

Ciao
Michelle