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Giovanna

2012-02-15T03:36:00.002-08:00

Tratra ny St. Valentin daholo!

Today Madgascar was hit by a Category 4 cyclone named Giovanna. (Why the name of a cyclone in the Southern hemisphere hitting an African island has an Italian name, one will never know.) First, let's just address the elephant in the room: I am apparently haunted by epic weather phenomenon...there, it's out. Katrina, Rita, and now this. I am hesitant to apply for homeowner's insurance letter in life, my premiums will break the bank. Second, we are ok! Granted I am writing this from my village with no electricity so I have no way of speaking for those volunteers along the East Coast, but Fonohasina fared well.

We were alerted of the storm two days ago, and a majority of us forced to evacuate. I got home to Fonohasina in a panic - buying candles, getting buckets of water, nailing my windows shut, the whole kit and caboodle. The villagers were alarmed...that was all. No candles, no buckets, no nails, just intrigued by what the weird white person was up in arms about. So I went to bed to be woken up around 10pm by the sound of massive wind and rain against my tin and straw roof. The ceiling had already begun to leak in various places, so I put out buckets accordingly. Thankfully I was able to sleep through the night. At 6am things went biserk. I heard large objects flying around outside and incessant moo-ing from cows. (For a minute I thought the cows themselves might've been airborne, you know like the movie "Twister", but then returned to reality.) I hunkered down and had a Top Chef marathon until my computer died. Once the wind died down around 9am, I slowly pushed my door open to assess the damage. A few of the neighbors were doing the same, so I threw on a raincoat and decided to walk around. My neighbors cow house was blown to smithareens (cows were still there.), many roots were strewn about on the ground, and some very large trees had taken a tumble. Our village waterpump now looked more like a bush. Then the villagers ran up to me saying I had to go back in my house, that we were only in the eye of the storm and the other side was coming at 10. How they knew this I had no idea. So it was back to my dark cave for another 2 hours.

Now I am able to have my door open, the rain is still pretty heavy and so is the wind, but by tonight the coast should be clear. Throughout all of this I have been amazed by the Malagasy people. The minute they were able they began helping one another pick up and rebuild. Men have been walking by my door with huge tree limbs on their back, as they have immediately cleared the rubble and put it to use as firewood. Today was also the deadline for the silk weavers to bring their portion of the fiber content label price to me. (Great timing, right?) Once I heard the intensity of the storm, I had resigned myself to fronting the costs at the pick-up tomorrow. Nope, more than half of the weavers (some living more than 2km walk away) knocked on my door soaking wet, to turn in their money. It was a great reminder how excited and dedicated they are to this project.

I hope that all of the communities out east are safe, my thoughts go out to them today.

Thanks for the soggy Valentine, Cupid.

Agenda

2012-01-26T04:56:00.000-08:00

As we approach the “year in country” mark (holy cow), I realized I’ve never told you guys the typical day’s schedule in the “ambanivohitra/countryside”. Well, it goes a little something like this:

5:30am alarm goes off. Open windows.
5:45am stumble my way to light switch to see if this day includes electricity.
5:50am take last night’s trash to burn pit and empty “po”. (TMI, yes)
6:00am get two buckets of water from pump.
6:10am wash yesterday’s dishes.
6:30am make bed, coco brousse floors, and sweep house.
6:45am make breakfast: tea, fruit, sometimes eggs.
7:00am begrudgingly go for a run.
8:00am make self presentable. (usually consists of brushing teeth only)
8:30am off to work! Depending on the day this means keyboarding lessons, silk
federation meetings, or trips to my NGO’s office in the capital city.
12:30pm home to cook lunch: whatever vegetables haven’t gone bad from
Tuesday’s market trip.
1:30pm nap/read.
2:00pm study language, write letters, or figure out exporting in sweet potato field
of choice.
4:00pm play with village children. (usually jumping over a string)
5:00pm make dinner: tea. Watch Top Chef if electricity is cooperating.
6:00pm over think the contents of my planner.
6:30pm prepare for bed/read until calling it quits.
Repeat.

Here’s to another year.

Twas the Season (Holidays in Madagascar)

2012-01-09T05:17:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve

2012 in the Village

Girls Night Spread

Happy New Year and a great big welcome to 2012!

I hope everyone has recovered from a wonderful holiday season and is still riding the resolution train. (I’m on my 5^th draft as we speak.) Experiencing the holidays halfway across the world from loved ones has its moments, but all in all, we managed to make the spirit bright here in Madagascar. Highlights are as follows:

A girls night of Love Actually, gift exchanges, and homemade baked goods kicked off the “summer wonderland”. Soon thereafter I headed down south to spend Christmas Eve/Day in another Peace Corp Volunteer’s site, Anjoma, a small village outside of Ambositra. The people of this region are referred to as “Betsileo”, and let me tell ya, Betsileo living is slow and easy. We spent the days painting, playing (French) Scrabble, doing yoga, and listening to the soothing sound of turkey gobbles.

On Christmas Eve, we were invited to the local Catholic church’s “Christmas program”. Now Anjoma, unlike my village, does not have electricity; therefore, our escorts through the dark night (two mid-teens girls) showed up at the front door around 8pm and informed us we would be taking the route past their house as opposed to the commonly used, daytime friendly route through the market because of an “alika masika”, or rabid dog. At this moment my fellow Peace Corps volunteer pointed out that families back in America were opting for Interstate 75 as opposed to I-10 due to holiday traffic jams – the similarities of our lives are uncanny.

We arrived at the church to find a 12 foot forest tree draped in all fashions of irredescent plastic, a “stage” with a “curtain” (two shower curtains hung on a thin piece of rope), and around 700+ people stuffed into a room the size of my last US apartment’s kitchen. Next to the tree, that sat at an exact 90 degree angle, was a massive speaker through which blasted the five Christmas carols the Malagasy are familiar with. Each performance was concluded by a dramatic shutting of the curtains, regardless of if the proceeding performance was being given by the exact same group of people. Already accustomed to the countryside schedule, we retired around 9pm.

Christmas Day consisted of a nice cut of pig and homemade mulled cider (which I briefly brought aflame). We also hung a single stocking.

Next it was off to Tana to ring in the New Year with friends. A friendly cyclone joined us for the event as well. It’s been raining now for about 10 days straight. This did not dampen our evening, 2012 was welcomed with excitement by all!

I’m now back at site working on the formation of our silk weaving NGO and wishing, hoping, and praying the weavers are accepted to the Festival (we should find out this week…eek!). If you haven’t already looked at our funding proposal, we would love it if you did! Every penny helps:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=684-123

Sending good hopes and wishes to all in the New Year!

Tratra ny ho’avy indray! – And into the next!

Gimme Yo Money!

2011-12-29T23:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year all!

So my first funding proposal has been posted and I would love it if you took a glance at it:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=684-123

Misatora indrindra! (Thank you so much!)

Fruits of My Labor

2011-11-20T02:24:00.001-08:00

Wish List

2011-11-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

My Fellow English Speakers,

It seems as though I often get the questions, “What do you need? What can I send you?”, from a lot of wonderful people back home and, like a kid on Santa’s lap, I freeze up. So I am sitting down today to make a list of things that would be very much appreciated (but totally not necessary) here in Mada:

Fashion magazines – Nylon, Vogue, Marie Claire, etc.

Tea!

iTunes Gift Cards - great for new movies and music

Tupperware

Toiletries – Aveeno rocks.

Perfume samples

Pictures of you!

Clif bars

Granola

Dried fruit

Batteries (AA)

Dental floss

Books

Nail polish

Cereal!

Seasoning packets

Clothes are always welcome.

Cheap, fake pearl earrings, apparently my ears self-eject them on a weekly basis.

Yourself

Love

Updates

Hopefully this helps and thank you so much for always asking, I am constantly amazed by how thoughtful you guys are. Hope everyone had a spooky Halloween and “mirary soa”!

Introducing: The Rainy Season

2011-10-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Ela be! (It’s been a while!) Hope everyone has been enjoying the leaves turning colors, the cooler breezes, and the return of Starbucks’ fall drinks (jealous.). Is it possible to have a Venti Cinnamon Apple Spice shipped to Mada? vc girl can dream right? Things have been uber busy ‘round these parts lately. Here’s a run down:

First and foremost, our stage was reunited! The Peace Corps provides an “In-Service Training” five months after volunteers have been at site, in order to answer questions that have cropped up while living village life. All 39 of us (yep, no one has gone home yet…props) went back to Montasoa, where we lived for the first 2 months in Mada. It was beyond exciting to see everyone and hear about what everyone was up to at site. Some of us live directly on the beach while others live in the spiny forest, and one even requires a 4-hour boat ride to get home. Everyone gave a presentation on their communities and their work at site. It ranged from upkeep of nature reserves to crunching the numbers for microfinance institutions; each and every assignment is super impressive. We also learned the different methods and options we have when applying for project funding now that we have ideas coming out of our ears. (I apologize in advance for how much I am going to bug all of you over the next few months with pleas for money/materials, you have every right to block me on Facebook.) My highlights: computer skills trainings and a fashion filled weekend!

We were lucky enough to catch Tana’s version of Oktoberfest when we returned from IST. There was a huge outdoor stage/festival sponsored by the local drink of choice, Three Horses Beer. They had an amazing line up of Malagasy performers and it was crawling with festivalgoers. Jerry Marcos is like Mada’s Usher here, and after you’ve heard his music at least 1.3 million times it becomes quite catchy. I got a bit teary because it reminded me of so many festivals back in New Orleans. This time last year we were bee-bopping around VooDoo Fest, miss you guys!

After IST, we dispersed all over the island. Everyone took advantage of us being together and planned their first vacations. It’s no surprise that the majority of us headed straight for the coast. The group I vacay-ed with went to the city of Tamatave, which is the only port city in Madagascar. It’s also the second largest city on the island…you wouldn’t think this walking around the streets. It was a ghost town. We quickly hopped on the next taxi-brousse to Foulpointe, a cute little beach town an hour north of Tamatave. It was absolutely breathtaking. We stayed in bungalows made of bamboo and banana tree leaves right on the beach and ate so much seafood I thought I was going to develop gills. The fishermen there carve their boats out of tree trunks and paint them vibrant colors, making the lines and lines of them on the beach just gorgeous. We took one out and snorkeled in the coral reef, saw some pretty rad fish, then ate a scrumptious lunch of fresh grilled lobster right there on the beach. Sunrise yoga was also on the intinerary, Bruno would be proud. Apparently my picture taking ability is nonexistent, so I apologize for the lack of pictures…hopefully I’ll be back soon.

It was difficult to bid the beach bum lifestyle adieu, but we eventually made our way back to Tana for a wonderful birthday weekend! I’m officially a quarter of a century old and it was pretty bomb to celebrate a birthday here in country. Not to mention, my fellow PCVs are amazing people to spend a birthday with.

Next on the docket was visiting my friend Kristin’s site, Ambohimiadina. Here a group of five of us spent the day with some extremely intelligent farmers who taught us how to properly plant and prepare seed beds. Their organization, TAF, focuses on ecotourism and protecting Madagascar’s unique environment. After planting, we had a scrumptious picnic of fresh pineapple, sweet potatoes, and citronella tea. We wrapped up the day with an accordion serenade from the farmers…absolutely incredible. Kristin’s house has a gorgeous wrap around balcony and separate kitchen, to say we took advantage of both is an understatement.

Finally, we applied what we learned at TAF ‘round my neck of the woods. A few weeks ago there was a huge, accidental fire on one of the mountainsides close to where I teach keyboarding. The damage was heartbreaking and created quite the eyesore. So, the five of us brought over a ton of Moringa tree seeds with the hopes of reforesting the area…and more! We taught the villagers how to prepare the perfect compost mixture (unfortunately, this includes playing in fresh cow poop for a few hours) and planted a little over a 100 new baby Moringas! Moringa leaves can be cooked or steamed for tea and contain bucketloads of Calcium, Vitamins A and C. The bark, when grounded, can remove 90-99% of bacteria from drinking water. Once the seedlings have grown 60-90 cm, we will transplant half of them to the destroyed mountainside and the villagers will sell the other half for complete profit. Hopefully this will bring in enough revenue for them to buy a silk weaving machine that will allow them to make silk by the meter (a necessity in order to be competitive in the silk market here).

Now I’m back at home, missing everyone, and cooking meals for one again. It was a stellar few weeks that ended far too soon; but I’ve got stacks of books on funding to read and am pumped to get things rolling. Oh yeah, and the rainy season has officially begun. There. Is. Mud. Everywhere.

I also just want to send a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful Mom. For those of you who know her, you know what an incredible person she is and for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, words cannot express how loving and caring she is. Thank you so much for all of the support, comfort, and reassurance you have given me and I wish I could be celebrating right by your side this week. I love you Mom!

Happy Fall y’all!

Omby Jam.

2011-09-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

“omby” – Malagasy word for zebu (cow with the camel-esque hump on its’ back)

Most Malagasy households include omby. Some may have a stand-alone omby, others may have a whole Brady Bunch of omby; needless to say, omby are rampant around these parts. Now I’ve never been one to be frightened by the presence of a large, relatively stagnant, unthreatening grazer of an animal like the cow… until now. “Tandremo ny omby!”, can be heard echoing the arrivals and departures of these horned clod-hoppers which translates to, “Watch out, here come omby!”. After I heard grown men and women scream this in a pitch otherwise known as utter terror, I figured there must be some reasoning behind this fear. Although I have yet to witness a rabid omby attack, my imagination has run wild with the possibilities of what that would entail. Impalement? Trampling? Being sat upon? Or perhaps worse, sh*t upon? Whatever it may be, I do not intend on partaking during my two years in Madagascar.

Today proved quite the challenge in avoiding this horrible situation. Fridays are my free days. No keyboarding, no English Club…I’m free to do whatever I please with the 12 hours of sunlight. I woke up this morning with plans to bike to the nearest (larger) village for groceries, wash clothes, read, and run. Splendid right? Until I came upon the first of many of the days’ omby. While enjoying the weather on my bike ride, I came upon one of the hairpin curves carved into the mountainside. Due to the fact that I was bumpin M.I.A. on my iPod, I figured I could take the curve at the tempo of my current jam. An omby felt differently. Before I knew it I was face to face with an unhappy omby, swerved chaotically, and ended up grounded by the side of the road. Omby – 1 Katherine - 0

The women here carry large loads on top of their heads, mostly because it’s much easier than by one’s side. I have adopted this habit, although not as expertly as the Malagasy women, and perched my bucket full of dirty clothes atop my head as I made my way down to the river for laundry. Secretly, I went during lunchtime on purpose in order to wash clothes alone…the river being quite soothing. I wasn’t taking into account that the omby herders would be enjoying their kilo of lunch rice at this time too. This left me clumsily fumbling my way through the rice fields with a bucket overhead and the omby…whose territory was being encroached upon. Herders tie up these 200 lb animals with a thin rope connected to a stick they bang into the ground with a rock…yeah…right. Well, one herder thought today would be a great day to place his most threatening omby right next to the laundry rock. Rude. After a ten minute stare down with this unusually long horned omby I decided to scout a new path. My only options were a leap across the river (bucket still on head) or an old fashioned boxing match with this omby. I made the jump across safely. The leap back? Let’s just say my recently cleaned clothes are no longer recently cleaned. Omby -2 Katherine – 0

I’m happy to report that reading was successfully omby-free. Omby – 2 Katherine – 1

Eight omby butts. That was my view for the greater half of my run, stuck in an omby jam. Although, I had had it up to here with omby, one omby butt was cuter than the others. A calf! A black and white, straight off of the label on your milk carton, baby cow. I guess my petting zoo instincts kicked in and I waltzed right up to the little guy with all intentions of giving him a good scratch or two. Big mistake, Mom and Dad omby went bizerk. The herders snapped into action trying to diffuse the uproar that ensued while I tried to slip out of the picture unnoticed (a concept that does not exist when you are the one strange American in a Malagasy village). I will now be avoiding the houses of said herders for the following weeks.

Omby – 3 Katherine - 1

How It's Made: "Lamba"

2011-09-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

this is a wonderful video about the Malagasy silk weaving process. although this video takes places in Soatanana, my weavers (in the Talata Volonondry region) produce the same products. enjoy!

9 to 5...or something like it.

2011-09-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

So what exactly am I doing here? Good question….that I think I can now answer! It has been four months in village, I’ve gotten my bearings, and have figured out what sort of work related goals need to be accomplished. Thanks to my incredible family, we successfully shipped our first carton of scarves back to the States last week. Now that I am familiar with average freight costs, needed mark ups, and duration of delivery, we can get the ball rolling on a larger scale! I have already begun keyboarding classes with two different groups of weavers and they are taking to it extremely well. We have class three times a week for two hours each class. A few of the U.S. Embassy employees here provided funding for us to buy five keyboards and we use a huge poster of a keyboard hung on the wall for the weavers to look at while memorizing the typing strokes. I bring my computer to class as well and we rotate so that everyone gets a turn with a fully functioning computer. One of the groups is already close to finishing! Now that they have mastered typing, I am writing a proposal to do a weeklong “Basic Computer Skills” training through the NGO I’m working with, Prosperer. We will all go to Antananarivo and use an office that has many computers with free Internet for artisans associated with Prosperer. There I can teach them the basics of computer knowledge and how to navigate around the information superhighway. This will hopefully give them the foundation to move on to the next training I have in mind: Gmail. Before we can even begin to think about exporting their scarves, the weavers need to be familiar with a free and convenient way of communicating with their customer base abroad; therefore, I would like to do a second training in regards to general email etiquette and working with Gmail’s interface. Madagascar is a Francophone country and most of the weavers are close to fluent in French, so we will be using the French version of Gmail. (I, on the other hand, am on a hasty search for a French tutor as my high school studies just did not stick in that arena.) After they have completed the keyboarding, computer skills, and email trainings we will then move on to Paypal. With the end goal of starting an Etsy store in mind, Paypal knowledge is a crucial step in the preparation process. Once again, we will have a training in Antananarivo on the subject of transactions through Paypal’s site. The final training will be actually opening their Etsy sites for business! If you have not yet visited Etsy.com, please type it into your browser immediately! It is a wonderful E-bay-esque site that provides “storefronts” for artisans specializing in handmade goods at a mere .10 cost per item posted for sale. It is also offered in French and therefore we will be using it as so. This will, in the click of a few buttons, open up the Malagasy silk market to most other foreign countries. (Post to come about the type of silk here…spoiler alert – you can ONLY get it here in Madagascar, pretty cool.) So there we have it, five trainings that should get the weavers up and running with a long-term, sustainable method of marketing and distributing their products abroad. If time permits I would also like to put together/video tape a fashion show displaying the variety of products offered by these super talented people. This would provide a much more cost efficient way of emailing a “sample book” to wholesalers/retailers back in the States as opposed to paying postal costs. Also I think the weavers would have a blast strutting down the catwalk.

Peace Corps has an “In-Service Training” during which we learn how to write grant proposals and draft budgets re: applying for funding. Ours is at the end of September. Hopefully I can get these trainings going after learning those funding tools. Voila, the next two years wrapped up into one little blog post! I am bursting at the seams with excitement and am so lucky to have been placed with such motivated artisans…here goes nothing!

And now for this week’s bullet points:

Am now a member of the Protestant Church Choir. Still not quite sure how it happened.

· Had our first successful shipment of scarves to America!

· Attended a luncheon/fundraiser raising money for a new police station in my village. There was a raffle. I won liquid dish soap, two chocolate chip cookies, and one razor.

· *WARNING – graphic. Vomited while biking. That’s a first.

· Have started bucket showering again now that it has warmed up…much to everyone’s relief.

· Garden has sprouted!

· Accidentally participated in a Malagasy Police Force morning exercise session; took a few days for my quads to fully recover.

The Saga That is My Garden. (excuse my lack of terminology.)

2011-08-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving in Madagascar and unleashing my inner bush child, I decided that painting my thumb green would be an integral part of squeezing every bit of “experience” out of these two years. Before leaving, my Mom (the family’s resident gardener) and I went seed shopping in the States. I came to Mada toting a Ziploc bag full of all varieties of horticulture! Each time a group of volunteers arrives/is trained, they are a mixture of two sectors; ours being Small Enterprise Development (me!) and Environment volunteers (all of my roomies!). Therefore, my desire to produce a heap load of …produce… grew even stronger while being surrounded by these highly experienced farmers. Watching them plot, till, and create beautiful plants lit a fire in me that had never even come close to a spark. We also learned a little bit about sustainable farming techniques that we could pass on to the village farmers.

So, after I had gotten over the initial awkwardness of being the strange white person in a village of Malagasy, I asked my neighbor where a good place would be to start my garden. Mistake number one. She doesn’t like me traveling too far from our neighborhood on the pretense that I might be stolen and/or killed; consequently she told me she would prepare a plot for me the very next day. Splendid right? Wrong. I woke up the next morning, walked to our village trash burning pit and there, not two feet away from me, was my brand new garden plot…complete with chickens and ramen noodle wrappers galore. Dilemma: how do I explain that this area was probably not going to cut it without seeming ungrateful? Solution: avoidance. The longer I “waited due to the cold winter” the more trash and chicken traffic piled up on the land. My neighbor then realized that not even weeds would be able to grow successfully there and suggested that I go with Zafi, their crop worker, the next day and use a piece of their potato plot in the rice fields. Sweet!

Early the next morning, I put on my most “I’ve Done This Whole Farming Thing Before” looking clothing, grabbed my recently purchased watering can, and headed out to the rice fields. As we meandered our way through the different plots, guffaws of laughter could be heard from each and every direction. Apparently a woman, let alone a foreign woman carrying a Ziploc bag full of cute little seed packets, does not waltz into the farmer’s clique very often. We got to our plot and set up shop. We also met up with two other farmers, Njaka and Rakotomanay, that would be working in the same field as us. So, I rolled up my sleeves and asked what needed to be done first. The land was already tilled and sectioned off (see picture above), next it needed to be beaten, for lack of a better word. I, being a lady, was not allowed to partake in this step, so I observed as Zafi and Co. used long handled spades and logs nailed horizontally to a vertical handle to literally beat the ground. This broke up the dried mud-like dirt into more manageable pieces.

Next Rakotomanay told me I needed to go buy liquor. Obviously. So I walked up to the only “liquor store” in our village, shocked everyone inside when I asked for rum, and brought it back to my fellow mpambolys (farmers). Njaka then poured some in the soil, said something I absolutely did not follow, threw back a fourth of the bottle, and passed it down the line. Mind you it was around 9 AM and it was a full handle of rum; by the time it reached me there was not a drop left in the bottle. Now began the discussion of which seeds were going to go where. My ability to communicate in Malagasy with business terms? Fabulous. My ability to communicate in Malagasy with farming terms? Disastrous. They finally gave up on even including me in the planning, and gave me the single job of dropping the designated amount of seeds in each hole and watering them. It became somewhat of an assembly line: Njaka digging the hole, Rakotomanay adding fertilizer, and me dropping and watering. This after they repeatedly let me know that my watering can was much too small to be considered a reputable farmer…my cover was blown.

Around 11:30 we walked back up to the neighborhood to eat rice, then back down again to finish things up. In about a month or two I should have cherry tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, zinnias, basil, parsley, rosemary and best of all – sunflowers!!! Yes, when I am walking to work in a few weeks I will look down among the vast, flat rice fields and right smack in the middle will be a ray of yellow sunshine! So far every morning after fetching water, I walk down with my puny watering can and pour some love on my seeds. I think I’ve gained some clout with the farmers…at least now they don’t laugh as hard. Above are before and after pictures, be sure to notice Rakotomanay posing with my comical watering can.

Mandrapihaona!

technologically challenged.

2011-08-12T02:31:00.000-07:00

hi all! as you've noticed by now, i've changed the blog a bit. the picture (that is HUGE and I cannot figure out why; if you are a blog-pro please help!) above is the stairway up the mountain to my house. doesn't it look like the set from The Secret Garden?!

not much to report this week. the weavers are in a week long "Product Design" training with the NGO I work for, Prosperer. some of the new products they are coming up with are incredible!

hopefully a much more interesting post to come next week.

sending love your way.

A Day in the Life

2011-08-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

A Day in the Life

New Orleans, USA	Fonohasina, Madagascar
Checking the expiration date on the milk in the fridge	Checking the expiration date on my anti-malarial medicine
Packing heels for the office in my work tote and wearing flats to commute	Packing my slippery flip flops away to go barefoot while commuting from one mountain to the other
Groggily dragging myself into the warm shower every morning	Groggily dragging myself and my buckets to the water pump to scrub…last night’s dishes. My body? Psh.
Waiting on the avenue for the morning streetcar to the business district	Waiting behind the zebu driven wooden cart on the dirt path in front of me
Microwaving Lean Cuisines in the office kitchen for lunch	Bringing a cup of rice in a paper cone to work in order to contribute to lunch
Changing the air conditioning filter every three months	Convincing a taxi driver to take me and my empty gas tank to the nearest gas station for a refill
Gossiping on Gchat while at the office	Discussing who poisoned whose cows this week during meeting breaks
Happy Hour and Delachaise fries with the girls on Friday	Indulging in one beer, alone, in my house, with all the doors locked tight, windows shut, and disposing of the evidence in our trash burning pile early the next morning before anyone else wakes up
After hours emails on my Blackberry	After hours artisans poking their heads through my window…literally.
Excitement of Netflix envelopes in the mailbox every week	Excitement of $5 outdated DVDS from Wal Mart sent from home last month
Driving to Whole Foods when the cabinets are bare	Biking to market every Tuesday and hoping this week I find something other then bananas
Dodging the other 6pm joggers in Audubon Park on my afternoon run	Dodging chickens/ducks/snakes/geese/children on my afternoon run
Routine dental/physical check ups	Reading my Peace Corps Health Handbook to determine if the three week “dirt spot” on my leg is truly just that or a flesh eating parasite
Afternoons spent dog watching and crawfish boiling on the Levee	Afternoons spent sitting in a sweet potato field watching kids fly kites made of scraps
Calling the landlord to send the fumigation man to spray for bugs	Improving my aim with catapulting heavy objects
Fumbling with the latest business jargon while on conference calls	Realizing I told my neighbors I cooked them “rat soup” when bringing over the pumpkin soup I made them (“voalavo”, “voatavo”...big difference.)

it's only practical.

2011-07-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

salama! just debuting a few more looks straight from the "ambany vohitra" to you. first, Camilla, the trendiest baby in town, is wearing her winter gear and displaying that there is not enough time in the day for petty wardrobe changes. if you feel the urge to run to the restroom (which does not exist), just let it lose in your trousers and start a new fad. divas not allowed in this rustic setting. second, Maholy and Zafi are recreating American Gothic, with a tad more joy in their faces. Maholy is wearing a "lamba", all the rage here, and used for sticky situations when traveling and forced to use the restroom on the side of the road. (Did you notice the fleur de lis?! Missing you 504.) Zafi's one shoe is the result of a market purchase gone wrong on my part in which I returned home to find two left foot-ed flip flops (called "Scooby Doos" here...naturally).

work has been a bit busy, overwhelming, exhausting lately; but will be posting a full update on that front soon.

mahavita soa!

in recent news...

2011-07-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

this round of bullet points might require further explanations, here goes:

finished mural in bedroom.
village member passed away last week. village adults sang gospel and played drums around the body during the whole first night. absolutely beautiful to have as a lullaby.
bought sparklers for the 4th of July and lit them with my neighbors. could not convince them to actually move their hands...but stagnant sparklers are just as wonderful.
English Club. First few classes were rocky, but my group of about 30 kids and I have finally gotten into a groove. The effectiveness is still questionable; now when I run into one of the kids in the village they yell, "Hello! My name is Katherine!"...eh, we're getting there. I did get my first spitball on the chalkboard, that qualifies it as a legit class right?
average daily wind chill so far this month: 45 degrees Fahrenheit. needless to say bucket baths have been few and far between.
conducted extremely interesting SWOT analysis with a group of silk weavers. one of the threats: scared of foreigners.
achieved first "Peace Corps Madagascar" rite of passage: a mouse has moved into my kitchen.
have developed a nasty crossword puzzle addicton.
while in the capital city, was pooped on while admiring a puppy (by the puppy thank goodness) and a friend's bracelet was stolen right off of her wrist all within one hour.
cried at one of my silk weaver's meetings out of pure joy. yes, PMS does translate into Malagasy as well.

here are my latest street style pics. Zafi stays on top of all of the latest trends. This week's latest craze: newborn calves. secondly, homeboy is rocking the parka to celebrate Independence Day, but forewarning, this outfit can only be pulled off with the right display of attitude.

mahavita soa anareo!

2011-06-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

ok I’m going to come right out and say it: I despise blogging.

every time I sit down to write a new post i feel exceedingly emotional and utterly self-centered...yet i want to share this incredible experience with all of you. dilemma. every night before i blow out my candle and turn off my headlamp i write down bullet points of memorable events from the past 24 hours. voila. perhaps the solution to my blogging bothers are these exact bullet points. so, without further ado, here are the past few weeks' bullet points:

- painted my bedroom...on a leaning tower of stools.

- no water throughout the whole village today.

- bought a new table. cab driver bought beer to drink on top of the table halfway home...while table was still atop taxi.

- invited to egg exposition?

-had lunch at the School Director's house, followed by group karaoke in the living room.

- poked chameleons with bamboo poles.

-blow dried my hair!

-Malagasy Independence Day (June 26th) - consists of beer, children walking around with candlelit paper lanterns, beer, cheap Chinese fireworks, and beer.

- day two of village-wide drought.

- Marlon Brando ate a bad berry and is no longer with us. R.I.P.

- next round of baby geese due July 15th.

- found a store that is NOT on the next mountain over!

- watched the birth of my neighbor's new calf.

- watched the slaughtering of other neighbor's adult cow.

- third day of no water at the pumps. still covered in paint.

there you have it. I've also decided to continue documenting current fashions, just with a Malagasy twist. Shopping here consists of roadside stands with gigantic heaps of clothing that didn't fly off of Goodwill's shelves all across America. This random assortment of frocks makes for some epic ensembles. I'm going to snap candids of these outfits in action and post them whenever possible. It's street style, taken to a whole new level.

love you all til the last drop.

Silk for Sale!

2011-06-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! So I've updated my Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.711655464609.2222883.2808566) with pictures and prices of the silk scarves, hats, and dresses. There are also sandals and bags available, pictures are soon to come. Prices are under each picture and I can quote shipping based on individual orders. The quality is absolutely outstanding and the colors are magnificent! They have on stock a few scarves of each color but can easily and quickly made orders by command if you have a liking for a certain color. These artisans are super motivated and beyond excited about the prospect of their work being seen in America. If you have any questions at all, please email me at kquayhagen@gmail.com or leave a comment here!

Veloma malalako!

Madagasikara...in a (pea)nut shell.

2011-05-30T03:52:00.000-07:00

So I’ve been at site for three weeks now and the looks of the next two years are beginning to shape up. Meeting people, figuring out what types of problems exist here, and where exactly I can fit into the solutions have taken up most of the days since arriving (that and explaining yet again, that I am not French). Here’s a basic rundown on a myriad of things:

Climate and Surroundings: The seasons here are a mirror image of the States. Yep, I left freezing in February and have just begun freezing until August. “But Madagascar is an island? …relatively close to the equator?...and still Africa?” you say? Yes my friend, you would be correct, but apparently in the high plateau, where I live, it can get down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit when the sun goes down - quite brisk when your house is a cement box with a thatched roof. I’ve heard rumors of possible frosts as well. (Hence my current excuse for postponing tilling my soon-to-be garden.)

Food and Water: My village is fortunate enough to have two water pumps that are accessible to everyone. I still have to filter the water and bleach it before drinking or cooking, but it sure beats teetering over the edge of a well everyday! Cooking is one of the best parts of the day. So far my menus have consisted of fresh salads, fried zucchini, spaghetti, mushroom couscous, and all the fruit your heart could desire! Guava grows wild all over my site, so fresh guava juice is definitely on my to-do list. It’s amazing the new palette one can acquire due to a lack of processed foods. For example, I cannot get enough avocado, fresh peanut butter and home made yogurt here…things I would have never touched back home. Bizarre. No extreme illnesses yet besides the occasional upset stomach…knock on wood.

House: Love my “trano”! It’s rather small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in character! I have one big room divided into two by a wooden wall; therefore, I have a kitchen/bath/entry/bike room and a bedroom. So far no sign of rats or fleas, keeping my fingers crossed it stays that way. One slight bed bug scare and a few jellyfish-sized spiders, but nothing a good scrubbing and some spray can’t handle. I have a huge window that stays open all day for sunlight and two lightbulbs (and outlets!) for nighttime light. One wall is dying to have a mural painted on it, so I’m saving that for a rainy or just “bored out of my mind” day. My neighbors and I share a bathroom which does not have running water, but it does have a tiled floor and it’s tall enough to stand up in! Showering is a twice a week ritual, as the water is ice cold. Sometimes I prefer using the kabone (hole over a pit in the ground about 20m away) for restroom purposes because it is surprisingly cleaner and easier than the bathroom itself. And yes, I still have my “po” to use at night. I have made a small fashion shrine on my room divider and am always looking to expand…cough, cough, send Vogue clippings please, cough J

People and Work: The villagers could not be more incredible. Most of the people living in and around Fonohasina are silk weavers. In the early 1900s the King’s castle was here in Ambohidrabiby (the next mountaintop over) and the neighborhoods that exist now are where his silk weaver’s planted their roots; so the people have so much pride in their work. As they rightly should, it is demanding and tedious! One silk scarf can take up to six days and four different people to make. Everyone has been super welcoming to me, I feel so spoiled having such a great site. Currently, I am working on creating business cards and brochures about the different silk organizations in my region in preparation for an artisan’s exposition in the capital city next month. I am also trying to get funding to buy five or six keyboards to carry around with my to the different villages and teach typing classes. You pay for internet by the minute in cyber cafes here, which is already painfully slow, and most people are still using the pecking method, causing them to rack up quite the bill. With them turning barely $5.00 worth of profit a year, they obviously cannot afford this extra expense; but all of them want to start utilizing email addresses. We’ll see how it all plays out! I’m also working with carpenters, farmers, embroiderers, and “mpanao kobas”. Koba is a very popular snack here made of peanuts, honey, flour, and sugar, all mashed up together and wrapped to look like an elephant’s trunk in banana leaves. To be honest I was hesitant to dig in because it looks like raw meat that’s been left out in the sun too long, but it is dee-lish! I’ve been warned that if you eat it everyday though, you get the stomachache of all stomachaches.

Miscellaneous: A few stories of note –

- Fell into a rice paddy while walking back from the river where we wash clothes. Was trying to balance my bucket of laundry on my head and ended up covered in mud from head to toe.

- Neighbor’s gave me a pet goose. Named him Marlon Brando. Today is his one month birthday and he still fits in the palm of my hand!

- Spent a day with the local doctor…will never do that again.

- Learned the Malagasy word for “always smiling” and finally pronounced “it depends” correctly…small, personal victories.

That’s all for now! I hope I haven’t bored you all out of your minds, still working on this blogging thing. Thank you so, so much for the letters and care packages, it is always exciting to see new mail arrive and the village kids love getting “bonbons” from the U.S.! I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and enjoying the summertime!

Amin’ny manaraka! (Until next time!)

Farany (Finally!)

2011-05-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

The best roommates a girl could ask for!

Hiking near my site, in Ambohidribiby

Whole gang in front of the World Map we painted on Earth Day

Hoady o! I finally have enough downtime to give an adequate blog post, so I apologize in advance for how lengthy this is about to be. If you're up for it, I suggest grabbing a nice cup of coffee and a pastry of your choice before settling in to read this soon-to-be-novel.

First, an update on my current location: I am in Tana (the capital city) for the weekend and will be moving into my new home away from home Monday morning. The past week was quite the whirlwind; beginning with bidding adieu to the PC Training Center/Montasoa/host families on Monday, being officially sworn in as Volunteers on Tuesday, apartment shopping (or some form of it) all day Wednesday, moving my friend Kristen in Thursday, being trained (in French, yikes.) by my NGO all day Friday, and now enjoying my last weekend in Tana...whew. I am going to be working with a silk weavers organization, helping them to qualify for Fair Trade and hopefully getting their exportation on its feet. The Swearing-In ceremony was fabulous! It was held at the U.S. Ambassadors house here in Tana and many returned PCVs and government officials were in attendance. A few of us gave press interviews in Malagasy, hopefully the links to those write ups will be coming soon! I finally got to see pictures of my house and it looks as cute as a button! It's one big room with a thatch roof (that currently is not exactly ON the house...minor detail) and a plot of land in the back for a garden! Can't wait to get started on my tana-masoandro (sunflowers). I bought a table, two stools, a straw mat for floor dining, a single bed, and one wine glass. Ha! Other necessities on our shopping lists were: buckets to bathe in, buckets to cook with, buckets to use the restroom in...I have never seen so many buckets in my life.

I think that's it for now, above is a random assortment of pictures to browse through. This country still takes my breath away every morning with its beauty, I hope these pictures do it justice. I'm also including a blog post I wrote while at home stay, just a typical day in Montasoa, enjoy!

"So I'm going to attempt my first ever journal entry. Is it sad that the only reason I'm doing so is because I have eaten myself to the brink of a food coma and do not have the ability or strength to go get water from the well? Maybe...ok, yes. But I shall mask it with the fact that I am in Madagascar, and more than likely will not be back here again; therefore, I must begin documenting this absurd experience. Today our dog, Doggy, ate the neighbors' duck. Yes, our dog's name is Doggy and yes, he was parading a recently mauled duck around by the neck when I got home from language class. I guess the neighbors had duck for dinner, as we returned its body to its righful owners. It's actually been quite a bizarre day. To begin, I woke up to a spider the size of a jellyfish on my ceiling, causing me to retreat the entire upstairs immediately. After Neny (my host mom) took notice of my unusual presence in the kitchen, I let her know about the terrifying monster of a bug in my room. So, she grabs the fly swatter, quickly takes care of the situation and corrects my before mentioned statement - apparently jellyfish size is considered small here in Mada. Here's hoping I don't run across a big spider anytime soon (or medium for that matter). Then it was off to climb the mountain and visit our small business partner, Madame Llala. Our chat today was much more insightful and we found some incredible opportunities for her to improve her embroidery endeavor. After our "business meeting" we finalized steps for our upcoming IGA (Income Generating Activitiy) in Majankadriana. Pokatsaka Amerikana is soon to be a money making machine! That is if our kernels come in from Tana on time. If not, we may be forced to bring back the kissing booth...it brings shivers to my spine. We saw our first tenrec today! A yellow and black one outside of the school (while I was indulging in fromage Montasoa, mofo, mofogasy, AND chocolate. And did I mention we actually got pasta for dinner?! Hence: food coma.) My water filter broke today. Neny and I got soaked trying to balance the bulky thing while stumbling down the stairs. Luckily we're going to the PCTC tomorrow so I can maresaka (chat) with Nimrod, our logistics advisor. That's right: Nimrod. This is our last weekend with our host families. I'm truly going to miss them so much.

Ok, I must study, our first time has been real blog."

Manahoana avy eto Madagasikara!

2011-04-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hi from Antsirobe! So sorry for the extreme delay in posts; but we have arrived safe and sound. Today marks Day 36 in country and boy have they been fabulous. I'm not quite sure where to start: living with no electricty, eating my weight in bananas everyday, or (apologies, TMI) using the restroom in a bucket in my bedroom in the dark. Yes, that's right, we are not allowed to venture out in the dark and, due to the fact that all of the daytime "restrooms" are holes in the ground about 10 feet from the house, we have buckets for those nighttime reliefs. I'm absolutely in love with this country and the people are beyond incredible! I have so much I want to write but must get off of the computer. I basically just wanted to let everyone now that we are here, snug as a bugs! I miss everyone betsaka (very much!) and would love love love letters from you guys! I've tried to send out a few, so email me and let me know if you have recieved them. Ok, veloma (bye) for now and I should be back on the information superhighway in about another month! Veloma malalakoa! (Bye darlings!)

Philly

2011-02-28T07:23:00.001-08:00

And so it has begun. All of us PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteer. Apparently there are acronyms for everything, I'll try to compile some type of glossary for further posts) are settled in, yellow fever-ed up, and giddy with excitement. We have such a phenomenal group! Today we go through name-game sessions and other overviews, then attempt slimming down our luggage to a mere 80 pounds before bussing it over to New York at 2:30AM! We touch down in Johannesburg around 8:40 Wednesday morning, Malagasy time, and finally...our new home sweet home around 11:00.

While indulging in authentic Philly Cheesesteaks last night, stories of bone chilling bugs and gut wrenching diseases floated around the table. Yummm, right? I think we're all so anxious to arrive that the most disgusting tale couldn't deter our enthusiasm. Only 48 more hours!

All of my love!

I Will Miss: Family.

2011-02-26T15:26:00.001-08:00

there is nothing like family. i will miss you guys to the moon and back.

I Will Miss: Frands.

2011-02-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

i can't begin to express how much i will miss all of my friends.

I Will Miss: Computer Couture.

2011-02-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

fashion blogs. yes, there are an absurd amount of them, but when you happen upon one that fits you like the perfect cashmere sweater, you have found gold my friend. as i am not sure how often i will be connected to the information superhighway, i am going to abstain from checking my faves altogether. so, when i return to the states and become a social hermit, i will merely be catching up on the TWO YEARS of fashion posts i have missed, do not fret. the shots above are from Refinery 29's NYC fashion week street style collection...stunning.

This is me begging: I offer to bring back a pet lemur to anyone who includes the new U.S. fashion trends in their emails to me in Madagascar.

Blogs, I will miss your daily outfit inspiration.

I Will Miss: Live Music.

2011-02-16T20:19:00.001-08:00

I apologize for the dismal photo quality of this post, but it was one that I just couldn't go without. Being lucky enough to live in the epicenter of all things musical, I have been blessed by the sounds of many a live band. Word on the street is that Malagasy music is pretty rad, but I must admit, I will miss the beats of New Orleans jazz and soul. Reading the line ups of upcoming festivals brings a tear to my eye. Coachella, you and I have a date...around 2013.

Live shows, I will miss your all night dance fests and smooth jamz.

I Will Miss: The Creek Streets Gang.

2011-02-15T21:14:00.001-08:00

You are laying eyes upon the roughest, toughest gang around - the dogs of our neighborhood. No one messes with this crew, unless you want to end up slobber-coated and covered in a myriad of dog hair. Since being back at home, my Dad and I have gone on long walks every afternoon, only to be accompanied by these fine gentlemen (and one woman). I have created a soap opera-esque web of drama for these characters; here's a run down of the line up:

1. Gimp - although he may be lacking a leg, he makes up for it in spirit.

2. White Wolf - ferociously territorial, with a huge heart and a bone-chilling howl.

3. Frazier - no car exits the confines of the neighborhood without a good scare from this lovable guy first.

4. Black Dog (name tbd) - the old master; full of wisdom, experience, and a little too much kibble.

5. Bear - my personal favorite, clumsy, free-spirited, and full of mischief.

Creek Streets Gang, I will miss the lovely smell you leave on my gloves after a good walk.

I Will Miss: The Open Road

2011-02-14T20:14:00.001-08:00

Road trips are a thing of beauty. One never knows who or what they will come across, or how they end up where they do; but you press on with purpose.

These pictures are from my most recent road trip to visit old friends and family in rural Louisiana. Pumping my favorite jams and stopping at Mom and Pop roadside eateries all along the way, hitting the open road is one of my favorite activities. Malagasy "road trips" will consist of dirt paths and my own two feet.

Road trips, I will miss your spontaneity and endless excitement.

I Will Miss: Phalange Fun

2011-02-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

let's be honest, who doesn't love a sensational at home manicure?

i openly admit this is beyond girly, but not being able to express my emotions through the color of my fingernails like the changing color of a 1991 mood ring will be a luxury well missed. i've posted my three favorite shades above. they are as follows:

1. Essie - Chinchilly

2. Sally Hansen - So Much Fawn

3. American Apparel - Office

nail polish, i will miss your wide array of hues and your endless re-nail therapy.

I Will Miss: Photofruits

2011-02-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

although Madagascar boasts the likes of apples, watermelons, and strawberries, here are some of the fruits i will miss the most.

in my opinion, a kiwi cures all. whether it be a gloomy day or an aching elbow, eat a kiwi and voila! you can't wipe the smile off of your face.

(get it? photofruit? hehe)

Fruit, I will miss your scrumptious juices and beautiful colors.

I Will Miss: Morning Tea(cup)!

2011-02-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

This is my all time favorite tea cup. Yes, it is aluminum. Yes, it is rusty. Yes, no other tea cup will ever compare.

I grapple every morning with the artwork: are they pears? are they apples? The world may never know.

My parents, being the superb antique store surveyors that they are, uncovered a full tableware set of this hand painted beauty.

Tea cup, I will miss steeping warm goodness in you every morning.

getting iced.

2011-02-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

olsens anonymous

empty handed.

this is how i feel.

a little haiku i wrote in memory of canton trade days. apparently living in louisiana has lost its prime appeal: the absence of seasonal depression. it snowed all weekend, yes that's right...the white fluffy stuff that belongs in places like montana and north dakota. this winter weather made it impossible for vendors to get to canton; therefore leaving wide eyed gals such as myself empty handed and feeling cheated. there's always 2015.

so we have entered the true reason i started this blog: THE COUNTDOWN TO MADAGASCAR!

tomorrow i will began posting the 14 things i will miss the most over the next 27 months.

until then, mko will kill it in this fox print sweater right before your eyes.

Scavenge Numero Quatro

2011-02-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

last month i got a retro kitchen table similar to the third picture, except mine is canary yellow! since this purchase, i have been a tad obsessive compulsive when it comes to retro kitchenware. i.e. the fabulous milkshake mixer above.

voila! we have my fourth and final canton goal - any piece from june cleaver's culinary haven.

we leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. i'm beginning to feel like a kid on christmas eve!

keep a lookout for monday's post to see how much success was had in tejas.

happy weekend!

Scavenge Numero Tres

2011-02-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

there are so many uses for retro, vintage luggage.

a. pack your things in them

b. make them into furniture

c. make them into a cozy bed for moose! (my future basset hound)

Scavenge Numero Dos

2011-02-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Pendleton knock offs.

whether it be a cozy blanket or aztec inspired curtains, these will be a must have in my future humble abode.

Scavange Numero Uno

2011-02-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

this weekend the fam and i will be rolling up our sleeves, donning our wranglers, and attending canton trade days. up until our departure i will be posting the top four items i am hoping to find amongst the myriad of vendors. the first is the perfect macrame plant hanger (although now i'm thinking a macrame bed makes total and complete sense).

baby it's cold outside.

2011-01-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

refinery 29

kershaw.

2011-01-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

i can hear my productivity for the day flying out of the window:

http://babyabbeylee.blogspot.com

snail male.

2011-01-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

1. tattoologist

2. stylesightings

3 & 4. sartorialist

rouge.

2011-01-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

1. little plastic horses

2. kate - borrowing my topshop boots

3. abbey lee

4. vogue paris (still warming up to flatforms. eh.)

ho-hum.

2011-01-21T21:46:00.000-08:00

1 & 2. the impossible cool.

3. topshop antique pull on boot. (please become my possession.)

4. kate, harper's bazaar 1997

5. atlantic-pacific

smorgasbord.

2010-12-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

1. finger tattoo? muahaha

2. ballerina of the streets - reminiscent of charlotte ronson spring 2010

3. LF lookbook

4. new blog obsession - purse n boots

vagabond no more.

2010-12-15T07:31:00.000-08:00

my temporary gypsy status has come to an end. is it sad that i miss it a bit?(i do wish my vagabond lair would've resembled the one above. maybe next go round.) after weeks of life altering phone calls, craigslist binges, and automotive death notes (R.I.P. Party Pro, ride into the sun my love)...i have set up shop in DC. basement living is surprisingly cozy; perhaps given that THE WIND CHILL IS EIGHT DEGREES EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF EVERY DAY. gazing out at the snow provides a serene landscape upon which to drink steaming chai and wear thick, cable knit knee highs....not so bad, eh? working two (rad) jobs has cut back on my allotted blog time, but i promise, here and now, to make it a priority in the coming months.

on a larger life scale: i am no longer leaving for Guinea...duh? right? you're in DC katherine HELLO. i have been reassigned to Madagascar and am departing Feb. 28th. given the rough political landscape of Guinea, this is a bit more reassuring of an assignment and i'm ecstatic to meet the other twelve volunteers! (the blog will be solely dedicated to Peace Corps updates come March)

so, in conclusion: I am a frozen work horse in DC until February.

i truly hope that everyone is well as we come upon this holiday season. safe travels and happy holidays to all!

tripit.

2010-11-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

final US road trip begins aujourd'hui. can't stop smiling thinking about everyone I get to frolic with.

this is a picture I took of a fresh (and yummy!) pomegranate. kind of looks like a human heart. hm.

will update from the open road! all my love.

vogue masquerade ball.

2010-11-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

via knightcat

pixie dust.

2010-11-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

via nasty gal blog

today's outfit inspiration.

2010-11-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

wearing my own version of this outfit today (from couldihavethat). perfect for the sunny yet brisk weather up here in Ruston.

compiled of the pieces below:

forever 21 - sequin shorts

urban outfitters - striped top

gap - cardigan

aldo - platform pumps

chilly.

2010-11-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

1. loving this pant length for winter.

2. all h&m. yes. that's right.

3. africa tattoo is in the works.

4. first time i have missed my long hair. beautiful turban.

oh! oh!

2010-10-22T13:33:00.001-07:00

found: stylesightings

aujourd'hui.

2010-10-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

pamela love. fashion like heroin. stockholm fashion week.

usurped.

2010-10-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

out with the old and in with the new. this girl crush has been shanked.

major.

2010-10-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

blog hits.

2010-10-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

these are a few of my favourite things.

2010-10-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

spanish moss vintage, lanvin s/s 2010, hanger tattoo. yes please.

trick or treat

2010-10-04T08:25:00.001-07:00

halloween 2010 will be major.

forgive me?

2010-10-04T08:08:00.001-07:00

things have been a tad hectic, my sincere apologies. i offer this peace treaty:

a plethora of inspiration.

alexa in burberry, the man repeller (shoes.), start me up editorial - vogue uk 2003, salasai, abbey lee obsession pt. 1, mode d'amour, the glamourai, abbey lee obsession pt. 2, freja - isabel marant, via nasty gal, balmain, my newly discovered adoration for dandelions, vogue nippon

Saints Attire

2010-09-24T14:36:00.001-07:00

who dat.

London Fashion Week: Burberry Prorsum

2010-09-22T07:38:00.001-07:00

...and they didn't wear make up.

9/14 part 2: elie tahari

2010-09-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

in the meantime...

2010-09-15T12:35:00.001-07:00

WHAT?!

9/14 fw: vera wang

2010-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

9/13 fw: tracy reese

2010-09-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

the vibe, the glasses, the colors

9/12 fw: derek lam

2010-09-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

there are no words.

9/11 fw

2010-09-13T12:22:00.001-07:00

charlotte ronson...scouring the internet for more pics. dying to see the full line.

9/10 fw highlights: berardi and tadashi shoji

2010-09-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

9/9 fw fave: verrier

2010-09-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

feminine florals, girly patterns, light fabrics; can summer stay just a bit longer?

sidenote: coolio-esque hair? i'm going to have to marinate.

wishing and hoping and praying and dreaming...

2010-09-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

i was front row at the row.

free-kend.

2010-09-03T12:13:00.001-07:00

hitting the open road this weekend....with chanel polish on my mind.

cacteye.

2010-09-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

edie: now and then.

2010-08-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

beauty.

2010-08-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

tattoologist.

chanel haute couture.

2010-08-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

stunning. tousled bed hair has never looked so fine.

bambi.

2010-08-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

tobacco and leather

karla's closet

2010-08-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

love what she did with the american app sash

karla's closet

stone cold fox

2010-08-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

natalie off duty.

2010-08-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

natalie off duty

things that make me say...

2010-08-18T13:30:00.001-07:00

oh. my. goodness.

blue jean baby.

2010-08-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

hannelli mustaparte

overalls from my absolute fave vintage in NYC: screaming mimi's.

are you my mother?

2010-08-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

victoria via knight cat
hauntingly similar personal style, adore every look.

jubilation.

2010-08-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

abbey road

2010-08-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

abbey lee/ italian vogue august 2010 via tobacco and leather

schweaters.

2010-08-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

zara f/w 2010, deana visar

it's about that time.

2010-08-09T11:01:00.001-07:00

8/14/10

tis thee weekend!

2010-08-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

solid.

2010-08-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

elle street chic, the glamourai

let's sit for a while.

2010-08-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

unknown/abbey lee backstage at dj/wildfox

heat index: 110

2010-08-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

the animal blog

2010-08-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

unknown/vild via blua/yuria/paolo margeri/marleymarley, papersparrow/Madrid Zoo - Dani Pozo

viktor & rolf

2010-08-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

mka

2010-07-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

via olsens anonymous

charlotte ronson

2010-07-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

ballerinas of the street

erin awesome

2010-07-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

erin wasson

that hair.

2010-07-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Rosie Tupler - Bad Lands

Nippon Vogue August 2010

tobacco & leather

2010-07-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

turban.

2010-07-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

hanneli mustaparte

sisters of the black moon.

2010-07-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

sisters of the black moon.

ultimatewetwear.

2010-07-21T07:59:00.001-07:00

cynthia rowley resort 2011

more moss.

2010-07-20T09:19:00.001-07:00

V magazine august 2010

ambition to create novel expressions.

2010-07-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

acne fall 2010 lookbook

moss

2010-07-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

kate moss for topshop s/s 2010

white lace minidress again?!...it haunts me so.

you are here.

Giovanna

Agenda

Twas the Season (Holidays in Madagascar)

Gimme Yo Money!

Fruits of My Labor

Wish List

Introducing: The Rainy Season

Omby Jam.

How It's Made: "Lamba"

9 to 5...or something like it.

The Saga That is My Garden. (excuse my lack of terminology.)

technologically challenged.

A Day in the Life

it's only practical.

in recent news...

Silk for Sale!

Madagasikara...in a (pea)nut shell.

Farany (Finally!)

Manahoana avy eto Madagasikara!

Philly

I Will Miss: Family.

I Will Miss: Frands.

I Will Miss: Computer Couture.

I Will Miss: Live Music.

I Will Miss: The Creek Streets Gang.

I Will Miss: The Open Road

I Will Miss: Phalange Fun

I Will Miss: Photofruits

I Will Miss: Morning Tea(cup)!

getting iced.

Scavenge Numero Quatro

Scavenge Numero Tres

Scavenge Numero Dos

Scavange Numero Uno

baby it's cold outside.

kershaw.

snail male.

rouge.

ho-hum.

smorgasbord.

vagabond no more.

tripit.

vogue masquerade ball.

pixie dust.

today's outfit inspiration.

chilly.

oh! oh!

aujourd'hui.

usurped.

major.

blog hits.

these are a few of my favourite things.

trick or treat

forgive me?

Saints Attire

London Fashion Week: Burberry Prorsum

9/14 part 2: elie tahari

in the meantime...

9/14 fw: vera wang

9/13 fw: tracy reese

9/12 fw: derek lam

9/11 fw

9/10 fw highlights: berardi and tadashi shoji

9/9 fw fave: verrier

wishing and hoping and praying and dreaming...

recent post crushes.

free-kend.

cacteye.

edie: now and then.

beauty.

chanel haute couture.

bambi.

karla's closet

stone cold fox

natalie off duty.

things that make me say...

blue jean baby.

are you my mother?

jubilation.