2009.03.13: March 13, 2009: Headlines: COS - Madagascar: Safety: Blogs - Madagascar: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer PCV Brian F. in Madagascar writes: Peace Corps Madagascar has been suspended
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2009.03.13: March 13, 2009: Headlines: COS - Madagascar: Safety: Blogs - Madagascar: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer PCV Brian F. in Madagascar writes: Peace Corps Madagascar has been suspended
Peace Corps Volunteer PCV Brian F. in Madagascar writes: Peace Corps Madagascar has been suspended
This means I am going to South Africa soon, where I will learn about what my options are for the future. Right now I know only vague details, and I still have trouble thinking about leaving, let alone what to do after. I will have better internet access from SA and will try to keep new info posted. For now I am safe, but in shock.
Peace Corps Volunteer PCV Brian F. in Madagascar writes: Peace Corps Madagascar has been suspended
Friday, March 13, 2009
The End is Here
Caption: Madagascan soldiers separate supporters of opposition leader Andry Rajoelina and President Marc Ravalomanana in the capital Antananarivo February 14, 2009. Photo: Reuters/Carl Hocquart/Files
For those of you not on my e-mail list, Peace Corps Madagascar has been suspended. The country's stability has deteriorated. Tanks in the capital, military divided and defecting, two presidents still not negotiating.
This means I am going to South Africa soon, where I will learn about what my options are for the future. Right now I know only vague details, and I still have trouble thinking about leaving, let alone what to do after. I will have better internet access from SA and will try to keep new info posted. For now I am safe, but in shock. Thanks for all your love and support. Maybe I will see some of you sooner than we thought.
Posted by Brian at 4:27 AM 0 comments
And Life Goes On
I am living through a coup d’ etat. It is less exciting than it sounds. There are rallies most every day, police shutting down large parts of cities, deploying tear gas and breaking up protests every day. Whole cities are shutting down in protests called ‘une ville mort’ (dead city), and roads have been blocked.
This is all happening in the capital and regional capitals, out here in the country side, you’d barely know anything is happening. We get daily reports from PC about the happenings around the country, but since the news is controlled by the president, most people here don’t really know what is happening on a day-to-day basis. Let me reiterate that I am safe.
There are heated discussions around town, rumors about protests and clashes with the police, but no rallies, ville mort or even police presence. The police just get drunk all day anyway, and the national military was all called to the capital. What people do know and agree on is that we need a new president. He went one step too far by buying a $60 million presidential jet, and now there is a general call for him to be ousted. It is just happening slowly.
I began working with an NGO called CARE and mentioned to them the ‘political crisis’ and they said ‘No Gordon, it is not a crisis, it is just part of life here in Madagascar. It is the way we do things.’
It was difficult to be pulled from site to consolidation, but I returned and restarted my normal routine and was soon settled. Everything is normal here, and life is as it was, but I am waiting (we all are) for something to happen. Regional capitals are restricted areas. We are on the first level of security alert (standfast) indefinitely. Every time the phone rings I think ‘this could be it, please let me stay!’. However, aside from that mild anxiety, life goes on.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: March, 2009; Peace Corps Madagascar; Directory of Madagascar RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Madagascar RPCVs; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Blogs - Madagascar
When this story was posted in March 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez. |
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Story Source: Personal Web Site
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Madagascar; Safety; Blogs - Madagascar
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