Rachel called at 5:30 on Saturday morning ,June 10, because we had tried and failed to reach her the two days before. She was back in the village and said she feels 100% better. She is planning to go on a tree-counting mission next week with her friend Philip, a German researcher, in the northern rainforests. (We also talked to her on June 12 and she was leaving on that mission the next day; will be out of touch for 12 days or so.)

Rachel said everyone in the village appeared happy to see her when she got back from her long stay, recuperating in her banking town. The teenager who used to housesit for Rachel’s predecessor had apparently had a party at Rachel’s house every night while she was away; she came back to find him and a couple of girls playing her music and generally amusing themselves. Rachel will not ask him to housesit again and hopes to arrange for her neighbor (an unmarried woman) to stay there instead. Nothing was taken so it was not really so bad but Rachel’s neighbors were upset and said that the young man was “lacking in manners.”

Rachel broke out the first of theTrader Joe’s balloons and found to her great pleasure that they are 100% biodegradable. The kids were really happy with them; she had no idea they would be such a hit. [good thing, since we have 2 lbs of donated balloons to send her, bit by bit!]

Rachel’s malaria blood slide (she took the sample herself as PC taught her to do and sent it to the capital) came back negative, so it appears that she really did have chikungunya. It’s been detected in Nosy Be, Tamatave, and Maroantsetra, as well as on La Reunion and elsewhere. Having it apparently confers immunity, though it is really very unpleasant while it lasts! She said it’s good to be back in her village and feeling better!

Rachel said she got the “21 seasoning salute” (a Trader Joe’s seasoning that we sent in ziplock envelopes) and cooked anamamy and anamalao [two Malagasy greens, somewhat like spinach]with it. She said it was really delicious. She grows the anamalao herself; eats the vegetable stew with rice, of course. She planted a lot of seeds from the packets we sent earlier, but nothing is producing flowers or vegetables yet.

Discover Magazine is now coming to her directly, as is National Geographic. She received some little hotel soaps in a package from Dad. Keeps a piece of onein a shell from the beach, outside at her hand-wash station. When she goes away from home for a day or so, the piece always disappears. She says she puts the soap wrappers against her pillow so as not to waste the lovely, perfumey smell they have.

She asked us to send more dark chocolate and Emergen-C powder (a vitamin C drink). She said that on “Christmas Eve”, i.e., the night they opened most of the 10 packages she received while ill, she and her friends ate a lot of the chocolate that we sent a few weeks ago. Apparently, it was much enjoyed!