Looking for the sunlight in Madagascar

Where to start? I'm currently worn out from a much-too-long trek around my banking town looking for a company called Madasolleil. After asking for directions ten different times, baking in the sun, turning in circles and side-stepping all the cat-calling pous-pous drivers, I finally gave up. I decided to make a quick internet stop and then just get lunch, try to find it later.
Just as I was walking up to the internet cafe Alliance de Francaise I saw a white van with a small satellite on top and a big blue sign exclaiming "Madasolleil!" in bright yellow letters. I almost fell over. I found the proprietor reading a paper and chatted with her about a possible project in January. She said it sounded great. Now all I have to do is pay for it somehow.

My In-Service Training is coming up which means I'll get to spend some time with all of the Americans I came here with. Immediately afterwards is our Christmas break and I don't know where I'll be headed. Apparently a few of my fellow volunteers are planning the first "Dirty South" Christmas down towards Fort Dauphin and that sounds like a lot of fun. However, a lot of people are headed to Nosy Be, which is supposed to be tropical paradise, so I don't know what to do.

I'm getting to know my town a little bit better, I sent my mom a beautiful Malagasy tablecloth and it got to her with no problems, I thought I was broke and found out I was far from it and now I have work with the TV station to look forward to. My site partner has fallen in love with a gorgeous Malagasy man named Parany, (which translates to "The Last" which I think is infinitely cool) and has started an AIDS awareness club in the high school. Lots of good things are happening.

Now my students drink the water

Well, the big news at the moment is that my classes are under control. For the most part. I learned the hard way not to ask them to sit boy-girl-boy-girl (this caused such a big fight my Director had to come in and get the kids to calm down).
I've also learned just how much my students love to sing. The love it so much that, one of my classes, given the option to leave class for the day insisted they not leave because they hadn't yet sung. "Hira! Hira, Madame-a," they yelled. I explained they were getting to leave. "It's a party," I said, "go!" But they wouldn't until I promised them we would sing the next time I saw them. Who knew?

Other news: my camera has been replaced thanks to my beautiful, wonderful mother whom I worship at every opportunity. Her generosity has granted me not only a wonderful new camera but also gorgeous new tank tops, a necessity where I live, and many wonderful letters. I'll never know what I did to deserve such a perfect, angelic being as a mother.

I'm hoping to get started on some media work in January. I've befriended the crew at the radio/TV station with the help of a wildly popular english lesson on the radio five days a week and now they want to do some kind of TV project. I've also been informed there's a German NGO not far from me working to train Malagasy filmmakers and videographers, so I'm hoping to meet her soon, but so far it's all talk.

In the meantime, I'm starting to have visitors, some of which are my students. The fomba, (the tradition), is for them to come to my house, mention how hot it is, then ask if I have any water. Because I'm a good hostess and just as hot as they are, I comply and run to my water barrell to fill up a glass. Sometimes the water is drunk. Other times, a single sip from a full glass is all my guest wants. That, and a chance to see what white people have in their houses. I'm happy to show it.