Staging, traveling, and arriving in MCAR

During Peace Corps staging is just all of us folk gathering in a hotel in Washington DC to get paperwork signed and to actually see who shows up to get on the plane the next day..For the March 2013 stage, there were 37 of us that arrived at the hotel for staging. There was paperwork, ice breakers, awkward moments, and ticket stubs distributed for free alcoholic (or nonalcoholic) beverages.We received our Peace Corps passports, and some of us went to see the White House. We also met people who were about to depart to serve in Senegal and Dominican Republic, kind of cool but also a cluster cuss as well with that many people in one hotel going to three different countries. An idea of what it was like, I'd see a person carrying multiple bags and has been crying and approach them, "Hi! Are you in Peace Corps?... ME TOO!... Oh, you're not going to Madagascar?... Okay, have fun, bye!" This happened over and over again until we were all separated into our designated countries. 

Proud owner of two passports.

Then, all 37 of us got on a plane to Senegal (but not with the other group of people that were going there to serve). The flight was something like 10 hours or so. Landed there for about an hour, didn't actually get off the plane and then flew another 7 hours or so to Johannesburg, South Africa. Within these 18 hours or so, many of the 37 consumed multiple alcoholic beverages, enough said. We stayed the night in a hotel five minutes from the airport only to get back on a plane 12 hours later. The flight to Madagascar from Johannesburg is 3 hours, and thank goodness for  that because the plane was tiny and we were all pretty sick of being in the air.  

I'm speaking for myself, seeing my new home from the plane was very exciting! 

Upon arrival in Madagascar International Airport, we were immediately sweating and approached by a woman asking for our passports. We didn't ask any questions and handed them over (we didn't see our passports again for another 3-4 weeks...) Then we were greeted by three Peace Corps Volunteers, got a sweaty group picture taken, and as we joke, met with someone who said, "here, take this pink pill and get in my white van." Which didn't necessarily happen in that order but I'm summarizing here. We divided into groups, got into six white SUVs and drove for what seemed like eternity (to Peace Corps Training Center in Mantasoa) on the worst road I want to say I've ever rode on. I got shot gun and no one threw up though. Antananarivo is ridiculously populated (blog to be posted later specifically on the capital of Madagascar and then another blog post on the roads in this country, stay tuned). 

Leaving  the capital and entering the countryside.

We arrive at PCTC to find that it is a surprisingly large compound with about 20 buildings located on a huge lake, Lake Mantasoa. We are greeted by many Malagasy people, which we later find out are our language and culture trainers and the rest of the Peace Corps Madagascar staff. We find roommates, get situated in our rooms and are told breakfast is served at 7AM and language classes begin after eating. Oh, and we go to our host families two days later. Most of us are too tired to freak out, but that came after a good nights rest under our mosquito nets.