Field Trip to Tana

            Today we all loaded up into the PC vans at 7 am and rode into Tana on a field trip to learn about PC Madagascar.  Our first stop on our tour was the U.S. Embassy.  After making it through security, which included a security guard feeling up my leg because the titanium rod in my femur kept setting off the metal detector, we were able to make our way to the main embassy building where we were to have a meeting with the Madagascar Police, Gendarme, and the U.S. head of security in Madagascar.  This, all in all, was just a security meeting in which we were told the protocols if something were to happen and what we should do while traveling. 
            After the meeting at the embassy we left and went to the PC Madagascar Office.  Here we
were able to see the Country Director, the section directors, and all of their offices.  We were also given the opportunity to raid the library for useful books for teaching.  I was able to get lesson plan examples for the two levels I will be teaching, as well as a few books on teaching language, grammar, and ext.  Once we were done with our tour of the PC Office we walked down to the Meva where we were greeted by a host of PCV’s (Peace Corps Volunteers).  At the Meva, one of the PCV’s told us all of the rules and the Do’s and Don’ts for when we decide to stay there.  Most of this stuff we already knew though from our time there during our tech trip.  After this short meeting I was able to talk to one of the PCV’s that was from the Sudest and get a little run down about the area. 
            After we were done at the Meva we all walked down to the bank to receive our bank cards and check books for our accounts.  The trainees are spilt into two groups when it comes to banks; depending on what is available in our areas.  I myself do not have a bank in my town, so my banking town is Farafangana, which is the closest town with a bank.  The whole process of opening a bank account and receiving our bank cards took about two months, which we are told is fairy normal for that process. 

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