Extending

After a lot of consideration and a few discussions with my family, I believe I am going to be extending my Peace Corps service here in Madagascar. I think I actually had it in my mind for quite some time now that this is what I wanted to do but this past weekend I spoke with the person who I believe will be my co-worker for my third year and he gave me his approval for the job in Manakara. You may recognize the name of the city because it is my banking town and the closest “major city” to Ampasimanjeva. The third year job would be with the CISCO Manakara which is essentially the equivalent of any public school system in the states. I would live in Manakara but most of my job would take place outside of the city in the smaller, more rural towns that I have really come to love during my two years. You might be wondering why I would choose to move to a bigger city only to continue working in the rural areas, especially if I prefer the small town life. Well, Manakara is hands-down my favorite city in this country and I think it would make for a nice transition from rural Peace Corps life to life outside of Madagascar, wherever that may lead. But back to the job… I would hold English clubs once per week at the lycee in Manakara, but the primary project would be to organize teacher trainings for the English teachers at the CEGs (middle schools) and Lycees (High Schools) within the district. Following the training I just did with all the teachers from the small region of schools near my house, I realized the English education in the area is so much worse than I previously knew. These teachers can speak only a few sentences in English and, even worse, they have no idea how to teacher grammar or sentence structure. Since that first training, I have held one workshop for the English teachers only and will continue to do so once per month until the school year ends. I’m hoping by the end of the school year we will have improved a little bit. These trainings may not seem like a lot, but it really feels like these teachers are getting something out of the instruction. And, as Peace Corps would say…what is more sustainable than training English teachers how to properly teach English. Otherwise, these Malagasy teachers will be teaching incorrectly for years after PCVs leave and we will have nothing to show for all our work. This new job will also allow me to do something that I have really come to enjoy since I arrived in country: biking. Right now, my lycee is one of the farthest schools from Manakara that still lies within the district and I have biked the distance (about 72km) more than a dozen times at this point. The other schools I would go to are between Ampasimanjeva and Manakara. If I ever get tired of biking (which I most certainly will) I apparently can ask for a ride in one of the CISCO cars (and not have to take a taxi-brousse! Livin’ in luxury). Aside from the trainings/workshops that I’ll organize with the English teachers, I’ll also be traveling around to sit in on their classes and hopefully making some suggestions on their lessons or their English in general. When I was thinking about the extension process, I wanted to make sure I stayed here for a good reason and I think this could be something I’d be really proud of while still being able to experiences some of the freedoms and amenities that I haven’t had in some time. So, the CISCO is currently looking for a house for me in Manakara. After that, I will need to get final approval from Peace Corps Senior staff and then it will be a done deal. If it doesn’t work, there is a current third year volunteer who lives in another big city close to the capital. She has raved about how much she loves her job right now and says I would love it too, so that could be another possibility should this job in Manakara not work out. Two years is a long time to be in Peace Corps, ask any volunteer who has ever served in the world. Three years is obviously even longer. But when you love what you’re doing and can take pleasure in the impact you’re having, why is any amount of time too long? I miss my family (immediate and extended, I miss the big family gatherings and I miss my friends, but I love what I am doing here and right now I don’t know if there are too many jobs that could give me the same day-to-day sense of reward and satisfaction that I get here. This is an opportunity I have now and I don’t want to regret not taking advantage of it 20 years down the line. I’m sure any opportunity that I may have been able to take advantage of stateside in September will still be a possibility a year later (fingers crossed). Now, for the really good news: each volunteer extending for one year is allowed one month of home leave. Looks like mine will be around August or September to coincide with my cousin’s wedding. You all should start thinking about taking some time off work around then. I’d love to see as many of you as I can in that month. Finally, I am currently in Fianarantsoa to do a promotional event for Peace Corps and University of Miami. If you’re near Coral Gables, you should definitely come check it out. Three UM grads/current PCVs and I will be video chatting with everyone about our experiences. It starts at 6:30 your time. Here are some links I have received advertising the event: https://everitas.univmiami.net/2014/02/13/learn-about-joining-the-peace-corps-at-live-chat-with-current-um-volunteers-and-president-shalala/. http://peacecorpsvolunteers.blogspot.com/2014/01/rory-lincoln-of-university-of-miami-fl.html Hope to see you on the interwebs!