Coda Redux

I mentioned that we served previously as PCVs in Madagascar. We also kept a blog that at some point trailed off into oblivion owing to the fact that our computer died as well as to the tediously sloooowwwww nature of internet connections there. It was entitled, "Vazaha Vazaha" pronounced "Va-Za" which kinda sounds like some scaly-skinned alien space entity that ambulates sideways in a bad sci fi flick. And why? Because this is the term for a white person in Madagascar- it doesn't matter where you are from or who you are just that you are white. It is gleefully yelled at you tirelessly and interminably as you exist in or move throughout Madagascar- particularly by children, but it seems a joyful activity for adults alike. In any case, I have posted one recent and final entry to this blog concerning the events that brought about the end of our stay there as well as some info on the interim 16 months that have brought us to this day. Check it out!

Peace Corps 2.0

And so it begins again: Our second term of service as PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers). In case you don't know us, I am Tony and I'm serving with my wife Stacey. We served as TEFL (Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) volunteers in Madagascar from from 2007-2009. We are elated to have the opportunity to serve now as community resource specialists in South Africa. Presently, we are in Philadelphia at staging. The day after tomorrow we will deploy for South Africa. Here's what we know. We will stay at a teacher training college about two hours north of Johannesburg for one week before doing a home stay with a host family for seven weeks. Thereafter, we will swear in as PCVs and then move to our permanent sites around mid-September. We don't know exactly what language we will study yet, but it will be either Zulu, Setswana, or Sepedi. We will be placed in one of three provinces: Kwazulu-Natal, Mpulamanga, or Limpopo. Please see the map on the side for reference. This position will focus more on community development than our last. Our job will be to assist in under-served communities as a resource to teachers. We will likely be teaching some as well. In addition, promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and education will be a pivotal component of our service. HIV infection rates are as high as 30% in parts of South Africa and I believe that this focus may be the most important of all our duties. That's it in a nutshell. If you're hungry for more information please refer to the links on this page. We will likely have limited access to cell/internet throughout our 8 weeks of PST (Pre-Service Training). You can contact us via snail mail at the following address:

Tony and/or
Stacey Frallicciardi, PCV
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa

I (Tony) do most of the writing here and I encourage your comments and questions on these postings. I've been pondering exactly what it is I will write about since the Peace Corps experience is not totally new to us. I'll explore these musings in an upcoming post.
Best,
Tony & Stacey