TWO WEEKS?!?

So I was going through my blog when I noticed that my page for future adventures was totally outdated. It stated that I was leaving for Madagascar in five months... Let's try TWO WEEKS!!!!! From here on out, you will find all my Madagascar musings on my homepage. The future adventures page is now a bit outdated. But anyways...I cannot believe this trip has crept up on me so quickly. I am so excited yet very nervous at the same time. I am excited to be in a completely different environment, learn and see cool new things and have an experience that will change my life. I am anxious to venture into the unknown. To have to live for four months without the luxuries that I am used to in life- Though, I see this as more of a challenge: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? I am sad to leave behind my family, friends and wonderful bouyfriend. I will miss them dearly and it saddens me to know that email and phone calls will not me the most accessible while I am in Madagascar so my communication with them will be limited. 

Many people have been asking me: "What are you doing in Madagascar??"

Well... Funny you should ask that question- I will give you all a little synopsis.

After a short flight to JFK from Burlington, a tiresome 16 hour flight to Johannesburg and a four hour flight to Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar I will have finally arrived in the country that I have been preparing to visit for the last six months. Upon my arrival in Madagascar, I will be greeted by a staff of the SIT study abroad program. I will then be taken to the site of my orientation which will be outside the capital city of Antananarivo (where I will be staying for most of the duration of my program). The orientation will introduce me to my professors, some of the SIT staff and the other students in my program. After orientation I will be taken into Antananarivo ("Tana" for short) where I will meet my homestay family and classes will begin. 

According to the program itinerary, I will spend about 1 and a half to two months with my host family in Tana. During this time I will be taking classes at a location affiliated with the University of Antananarivo;. I will be taught by SIT instructors (school for international training- the study abroad program/school I am going with. My program's website can be found here: http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/ssa_mgr.cfm) I will be taking classes that focus on the national identity and social change of Madagascar today. I will be taking an advanced French course, because of course, Madagascar was once a French colony and French is still spoken in many of the major cities. I will be taking an introductory course in Malagasy, the language that I will most likely encounter outside of the city, on my rural home visit and on my coastal home visit. I will be taking a class (as mentioned before) on the national identity and social change of Madagascar which will focus on the impact of globalization on the Malagasy peoples and the issues that they face in the development of their country after colonialism. The last course I am required to take is a seminar that will teach me how to conduct a field study. This seminar will give me the tools I will need to conduct a research project (in french none the less) that encompasses what I have learned during my time there and that focuses on a topic of my interest. This "Independent study project" will take of the last month of my time there- during this time I will be interviewing people, gathering information etc. And the awesome part of this project is that I have the whole country at my fingertips!  

As many of you can probably see, this study abroad experience is different than many that other students may have. The School for International Training model is based on an experiential learning process. Thus, staying with a host family and being integrated into the culture right off allows for immediate cultural immersion. The ISP (independent study project) is also a unique way in which SIT allows for a very experiential-based learning experience. This is very attractive to me because I really benefit from doing and seeing, rather than just reading about. I am so excited to be able to challenge myself in a culture and way of life so different from my own and be able to learn so much from it.

As I mentioned previously, in addition to staying in Tana, my program also includes a few excursions. One such excursion is a visit to a national park. Because of Madagascar's geography (and the fact that it slit off of mainland Africa many years ago), it has many flora and fauna that are specifically unique to the Island. The picture of the trees above this one of the sailboat is a photo of L'Avenue Des Baobabs. If you have read Le Petit Prince, you might be familiar with these large trees known as Baobabs. If not, they are a type of tree that is native to both mainland Africa and Madagascar although, Madagascar is home to all seven species of Baobabs and the Mainland only hosts one of two species. In addition to seeing the baobabs at the national park, we are bound to see a few lemurs. Lemurs are a type of primate that is an offshoot of the monkeys we are used to seeing. Lemurs are only native to the island of Madagascar so it will be a chance of a lifetime to see them in their natural habitat! I will also be visiting the coastal town/city of Mahajanga (see above picture). I do not know too much about this trip only that I will be residing with another host family and probably doing some schoolwork while I am there.

So that is really my trip in a nutshell. I only know as much as they tell me in the emails and on the websites so I think that a lot of what I am going to be doing while I am over there will be a surprise! As I have said before, I am very nervous and excited at the same time to start my grand adventure!!!

Oh and at the end on my program I will be traveling to an island off the coast of Madagascar (in the middle of the Indian ocean) called Mauritius. I am giving myself a mini 5-day vacation after my program ends where I will be able to relax, soak up the sun and use my new NAUI certification card by doing some diving inn the warm reefs of the Indian Ocean!

Oh and I don't know how many of you have seen the movie Madagascar (it's pretty cute!) But maybe I will come across these characters while I am there... Who knows!?

I will keep you all updated! I leave January 25th at 6am- So definitely expect to hear from me before then with some final thoughts before I leave the United States behind-