I've joined ranks with Posh Corps. Reintegration into modern society wasn't actually as difficult as I thought it would be. Port Berge still emanates a very Malagasy vibe; however there is a bank, a radio station, and police station here, not to mention a market with meat available everyday of the week. I feel a bit guilty because of all of the conveniences available to me here. In comparison to what my life in the ambanivohitra (countryside) I feel like I've become royalty.
Initially, I had many anxieties about having to reintegrate into a new community after I found out I was moving sites. However, its only been two weeks and already I feel quite tamana (at home), a concept very important to Malagasy people. I remember the difficulties I had to overcome the first time I moved into my last site by myself. but of course circumstances were quite different for me then. My Malagasy was nowhere where it is now, it was a small village where traditional customs and beliefs were meticulously upheld, and overall a very huge culture shock. I am more acclimated to this country now culturally and linguistically. And there isn't the same pressure to integrate into a big city as much as in a small village. Plus, its nice not feeling guilty when I buy toilet paper (a luxury not many people could afford in my last home) and be able to eat meat more than once a week.
I suppose I am lucky that I could experience both urban and rural life during my service. I am still the same volunteer but I have a feeling that my service has taken a huge turn. My service will probably be focused less on cultural integration and the "experience" and more about productivity. Already, the pressures of being in a large town are coming back. I carry my planner everywhere I go now, before it was my switchblade just in case I needed it in the bush.
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