Ok here goes Blog entry number one - at last!

Hard to know where to start .... but they say at the beginning is usually best. As some of you know, i finally left the UK 8/1 after 2 cancelled flights due to the snow. Arrived in Fort Dauphin a little jaded after all the flying but ecstatic to finally be in Madagascar. The nothingness, beauty and contrasts of the landscapes flying in really struck me, so fantastically different from home. Met by a huge beaming smile from the lovely Tsina, a Malagasy woman whom I now know as the 'Mum' of Azafady who makes most things.. no I'd say everything happen.

Met the other volunteers and got to know each other over a few beers and days in the town. Joined by several short term volunteers for the first project - constructing a 2 classroom primary school in a small village called Ebikika only about 35 km from Fort Dauphin but about 3 hours in a clapped out old mini-bus that you can't believe can possibly survive another puddle come river crossing or pothole usually big enough to bury a small farm animal in! Dodging pigs, chickens and villagers we finally arrived where we set up camp in the chief of the villages back garden.

Ooh while I think of it visited Nahampoana, a reserve not far from town. A sad reality of madagascar is that land has been so over famred or burnt down for charcoal that you can now only find true native species of plants and animals in managed reserves. Not saying everywhere isn't beautiful but it isn't teeming with the wildlife it once was. We saw the dancing sifika's and ring tailed lemurs so tame they jump all over you munching as fast as they can on bits of bananas, grabbing more from you as hurriedly try to peel them so they don't loose interest and jump away. They have these amazingly soft hands perfectly shaped and adapted for climbing and jumping from tree to tree - despite feeling like you're at a zoo without cages, it was a fantastic experience.

Back to Ebikika, we were welcomed officially by the chief in his front room before setting up our camp on about a 35 degree slope! Something you get used to as long as you head is at the top and your tent doesn't flood during cyclones - luckily mine wasn't on of them!

Took a team of 13 Vazahas (what the malagasys call foreigners) plus about 8 Malagasy construction workers- the hardest working guys I have ever seen 3 weeks to build the school. They would start about half 6 and work until 12 when it was blisteringly hot and then start again before 2 until 5 sometimes 6! We all learnt the art of sawing with blunt saws, hammering nails that would look like spaghetti by the time we'd finished with them. 'Get it done' was the general chief moto - 'as best as you can' was a close second. When I get somewhere with a better internet connection I will upload photos so you can see the progress and the finished building - a real sense of pride and achievement was felt by all.

Whilst in the village we also took part in some health and sanitation education with the children, this involved us making complete fools out of ourselves singing and acting out various 'shoa' (good) or 'ratsy' (bad) situations where you can get ill/would need to wash you hands etc

There was also a huge Saturday night bush party with about 500 people dancing the night away to a mixture of Malagasy and Western music mainly the venga boys and barbie girl!

The Malagasy people in the Anosy region in the South, where I am, dance frantically and the only way I can describe it is a bit like a bird doing a mating/courtship style dance to impress the female! Its all about the 'vody" (bum) ladies! Needless to say a lot of rum and fun was had by all that evening!

Not long after that we said goodbye to a few of the short-term volunteers and then headed back to town. Had a decadent few days, shopping in the market for 2nd hand and new clothes. All bought skirts and got dressed up - so nice to feel like a 'lady' just for a short time mind! Pigged out and stocked up on supplies for the next triop to the bush. Have become addicted to 'crackies' a kind of crisp of the non drug variety!

Next step Emagevy where the project is to plant 13000 trees in 2 weeks, sound a lot? it is ... (but I can say we did it!) Emagnevy like most villages in the area consists of several hamlets with a central area usually where the chief and school are based. Campi g this time on flat ground and in the trees with a beautiful view over mountains and just vast expanses of empty space. Bliss! The villagers again work very hard digging the holes and planting with us in the morning and we all laugh the time away trying to practice our limited malagasy with a mixture of French and English to get by.

Anyway back in town now... I will blog again soon. Hope everyone is well. Lots of love from Madagascar xxx just thought sorry if this doesn't read well as internet is about to die at any point I can feel it!