I am north of Tamatave at David’s site. I am going to stay here for a night then stay in Tamatave. David works with some Indians, from India, not native Americans. They are heading up a religious organization effort in water and sanitation and teaching small farming technique and animal husbandry. They make water filters and toilets. Next year they are going to add cook stoves to their product line. I am getting some ideas about charcoal briquettes. Sylvester is an Engineer and speaks English. He has been a huge help. I have gotten a few tours of the plant and it is different every time. I got two tours today.

They are expecting forty 20-somethings in a week or so. This is will be the first six month farming and animal husbandry class at their new facility. There is a small farm fifteen kilometers away, but they have on-site work areas. I would like to be in the program it looks very cool. John, one of the Indians, took a trip to the small farm to see some of the cool things the students will learn. He was honored to see a pig castration. Oh, the fun the farmers get to have, that is sarcasm. I am not into the animal stuff, ducks, maybe.

They are talented cooks. The make really authentic Indian food I think it comes naturally. Last time we were here I did not want to leave. The accommodations were great and they are doing a lot of cool stuff. Learning cooking is an added bonus. I am looking to help them out by finding different kinds of rocks up in Mananara. They need a lot of different minerals to produce their porcelain products. Also, Brother is interested in charcoal briquettes. Brother is the friar that runs the place.

Dave is in Tana now, he gets back on Friday. I will get my goodies then. I will be able to take pictures of what is going on and y’all can get a view into my home away from home. We are so excited. Our camera is on vacation and refuses to respond. A special thanks goes to Mom and Dad. Thanks for the camera and solar panel. I also want to thank all the people that are writing us and sending packages. It is great to go to our mail box and actually have something. The boat comes once or twice a month. Here soon I should be getting lots of mail.

I signed up for a partnership program to exchange info with an American class. I was matched with a high school freshmen English class in Comanche Texas. That rocks. I am excited to correspond and see what there life is like. I have driven through there many, many times heading up to Abilene. I think I might still have family there. If so, shoot me an email bthaile@yahoo.com or if anyone wants our mailing address shoot me an email.

Back to the Indians, I just got done with dinner. I wanted to give them something as a gift of appreciation. John was excited when I handed him a third of a kilo of vanilla. It pales in comparison to the treatment I get here and all I have learned. For lunch I had a very nice simple bean soup, it is the delicate application of spice that I am learning. The bananas for dessert were a great companion. For dinner there was a savory vegetable pancake with an anise-liquor mixed with water to drink and tropical fruit, anpolybe for dessert. I will get a picture so y’all can check it out. Tomorrow I will leave this sanctuary to stay in town and jump on the information super highway and pick up Faith’s birthday present. Margo was so nice to pick up our post. For a reward we are giving her a kilo of Imorona’s finest vanilla.

Getting to Tamatave was not too bad. It was about 12 hours 4x4 then another 6 hours on good road. We had to change two tires that had slow leaks and one of the new concrete ferries had mechanical problems so we spent the night. They also did not move the boat to deeper water last night. When the tide was down we helped to push the boat. It was comical, 20 guys pushing a large flat that has the capacity to move over 25 tons. Anyway it took about an hour to get on our way.

We, the truck full of people, had to spend the night there. I shared a stick hut with a spider about the size of my left hand, I measured. We were joined by a couple of mice having a domestic dispute. They chattered for an hour starting at 3:00am, I checked my watch. I got up at 5:00am, so I would be on Gasy time and not get left behind. I am making two references here. First one, Faith and I were left at a ferry crossing while having lunch and had to take a dug out canoe to catch up with our party.

Second, the Malagasy people are early risers, this we know because of new neighbors that live five feet from our house chop firewood at 5:00am; every morning. They also have a small child who has a chronic condition called screaming. I say it is a problem, it might be causal fair for them, but at 5:00am it sucks. Between the dogs, roosters, and the new neighbors we do not get much sleep. It has been wearing on us and is taking its toll.

I got up in plenty of time to help get the boat unstuck and get on my way. There weren’t any problems after that.

Back to the waking up early thing, I am a cranky monster most mornings. People come by selling stuff before 6:30am. They get ignored. Our laundry lady came by twice at 6:00am. We had a little talk to straighten that out. I would be fine if people got the hint to come by after lunch. They might get a warmer greeting, unless they are begging for food or candy or want to barrow something they can just save their breath.

I think we have made a lot of mistakes that we have to overcome or maybe they were the right thing to do at the time. We will never know, we inherited downsides and a lot of upsides from the PCVs before us. It will be up to whoever follows us to decide. There are far too many things to mention.

My basic strategy is the “slow build” method. Basically don’t do anything but plan and do research for a while or so then taper off. Right now, I am putting together a basic business class using material I got from a Small Enterprise Development (SED) volunteer. It is barebones, but my main concept is investment. Resources dedicated today yields tomorrow. It sounds fun to me and people are interested. There are a lot of people that have followed the vanilla money to our town and region. Of course they are still looking for money because they don’t have any money. Sounds like a universal situation, but maybe I can give them some ideas to improve their situation. I am using the idea of making money to motivate higher rice yields using SRI and food security by drying fruits and vegetables and basic home gardening and other small things.

One guy has attempted bee keeping and fish farming but has failed. He is motivated and has resources. I think he can use the knowledge he already has to put his six kids through school. He needs to manage what he has, because he has a lot. He is a smart and educated guy. He has done SRI in the past and is open. I hope to get him back on the SRI train. He still has a fast rice field weeding tool. I forget his name, but it ends with savy, so I call him Savy. Savy is short, wirery, chipper and likes to talk. I can understand most of what he says. He knows how to talk to us white folk. We call it “Special Gasy”. Meaning he has a simple way of explaining things, like talking to a five year-old. I will keep y’all updated on him as time goes.

Another character I am talking to is Bas, like the fish. Bas is a very smart quick whip. He is not using SRI, but has read a lot of literature on the subject. His rice field is two hour away by foot which is a hindrance. Maybe, I can get him to transplant his rice earlier. He also has a weeding tool, kind of like a garden weasel. Anyway I have presented food dehydration to him. We will see what happens. I like talking to him and his wife. I get a cup of coffee as an excuse. The coffee is nice and bitter. I think I am getting addicted to it. I still refuse to prepare it at home. So, if I blog about drinking coffee alone in my house, I need an intervention.

I have been talking to the soup places to get an idea of their operation. Basic stuff like, daily costs and daily-profits (potter pun intended). The soup places and the little “country” stores are a good way to get out and feel the pulse of the community. They are social places and I can come and go as I please and there are a lot of them. I have been getting a list of people that are known for growing and what they grow; who is selling in Mananara (the big town, 12 km north of us); and why other things aren’t grown.

Another plan is to work with the largest rice producer in Imorona and convert them over to SRI. That way they can sell their surplus and make some money. As a side note, the Malagasy can not meet their own rice demands, they have to import.

The various venders are in business to make money. There are people selling vegetables and fruit and imported rice. I think if they offered a more selection of produce and have an abundant supply of rice they will make money. That is my main thought thread. I am using their desire to make money to diversify their diet and increase food security. It is a little sneaky but don’t tell them.

In other news my left shin is still infected. I am on my third round of antibiotics. It gets better then a few weeks later an alien tries to exit through my shin. Puss and who knows what else is coming out of my leg. It is annoying and I have a health obligation to not die, so I take drugs.  I am cleaning it and keeping it bandaged and drying it out at night. I will keep y’all posted if I birth something out of my left shin or my leg falls off. I have been scared enough by my peers and doctors to stay on top of it. I have heard something about getting in the bloodstream or moving to the bone. I will keep you posted on my progress.