Second blog this week

Some animals are actually alive!!!
It's been such an eventful week that this week seems to warrant two blogs.
Yesterday was the winter solstice here - the longest night - and also the two year anniversary of my first date with Justin. We celebrated by going whale watching, and actually seeing a whale!
We took a pirogue over to Nosy Hau (the island just west of Andavadoaka) and sat on the purpose-built whale watching platform looking out to sea. The platform is about eight metres high and is on the south west of the island. Behind it, there are great views of the whole of the island - and beyond to Andavadoaka. In front, there is the reef flat, and beyond that the deep channel.
We scoured the horizon for a good 90 minutes. Every time I saw a pirogue or a white-cap, I
looked closer to make sure that was what it was. Then, I saw something unusual - a spout!!!! I asked Justin for confirmation, and yes, he confirmed that it was indeed a spout. Shortly after that we both saw the iconic sight of the whale's tail. After a few sightings of this, that was it. The whale had dived back under and we did not see it again. It might have been far off. It might have been tiny in comparison to the large sea in front of us but it was most definitely a whale - probably a humpback - and absolutely
definitely alive. Hoorah!
In the afternoon, the village took part in a 'theatre competition' initiated by Becks, our medic. The idea was to get a number of different groups to write and perform a play about STDs and using condoms and was inspired by the success of the play that BV has now put on twice.
Becks was terribly worried as there didn't seem to be many entrants. In fact there were only two. However, there was a good audience turnout - mostly of children it has to be said. I think there must have been about 100 of them - maybe more - and about 50 adults. The first play was almost identical to the BV "Captain Kapote" play - even down to the cross dressing theme with girls playing male characters and boys playing girls. When the young female character came out from behind Club Alo Alo the audience laughed for a good five minutes without stopping. With very tight jeans (complete with thong showing over the top of them) over his slim legs, a tight t-shirt with fake breasts underneath and pigtails, the vezu man made a very good woman. The audience thought it was hysterical and he really played up to the crowd. The crowd also loved the characters of the two drunk nahodas as well and the play finished with a song.
The second play was less obviously comical though the characters were all familiar as they were all supposed to be well-known members of the community and BV including Bic, Georgi, Farah (from Coco Beach) and Becks our doctor. This story was a bit more realistic and
involved the director of a big fish company sleeping with all the women in the village (including Georgi and Farah) but not using condoms, so that they all got sick.
Unfortunately, the audience got extremely distracted about three quarters of the way through, and in fact, more than half the children ran off into the village when the street lamps turned themselves on for the first time.
Yes, Andavadoaka - not on the national grid (or any grid at all) - now has its own street lights. Five of them to be precise. Powered by solar panels, they were erected over the last two days and funded by the money that the village received from the Equator Prize which they were awarded last year. Eventually, many families in the village would own their own battery which would then get charged up by the solar street lamps. So, as you can imagine, there was much excitement when they were turned on.
Back at Club Alo Alo, the second play finished and the judging began. The judges - Gildas, Becks, Garth and Mr Roger decided that though the second play was the more original, the first ended on a song and had more inventive costumes and so was awarded the first prize.
The shortest day was topped off by a sur boom (organised party) in the village organised by the women's association. BV staff and volunteers all went down to Chez Leon's - the epi-bar on the main street - and joined many women from the association, a few of the village nahodas and various other community members in the epi-bar. As we were there by official invitation, the curfew was lifted which made the evening much more relaxing for me as it meant that I didn't have to keep clock-watching to make sure that everyone left by 12. I managed to keep going until nearly 1. I think the last volunteer left by about 3.30 but I suspected that some of the village were still dancing past that.
Most volunteers really love the epi-bar nights. I much prefer organised events like this one when fahazar (tourists) are in the minority and where the attendees are from the whole community rather than just being teenage boys, very drunk fishermen and Floretta.
Unusually, Floretta wasn't actually there last night, and her shakey arse was definitely missed. I danced to more than a few tunes and it was really great to see a range of women from the village out dancing and having fun. I left just before 1 and walked back along the main street lit by solar street lamps and then back through poo beach, lit just by the almost full moon.
Though it was the 'shortest day' I think it has been one of the most eventful and is one of those days where I feel extremely happy to be here and to have had this experience.

Wildlife update: This morning, the group of volunteers plus staff members Louis, Justin and Al went out on a night dive. I had volunteered to shore marshal so woke up with Justin at 4am. They were held up for one reason or another and did not get out to the dive site until about 5.30ish. Anyway, to cut a long story short, they all had an amazing dive and got out to see about 12 whales not far from the boat - playing, jumping, breaching and
whatever else whales do. They got about 50 metres away from them and all came back glowing, saying it was the best morning of their lives. I am only a little sore that I woke up at 4am to NOT see any whales close up, but glad at least of my superdooper binoculars as when I was looking out for the boats - literally on the horizon, I actually spotted a whale breach and create an almighty splash on its way down. A small compensation for not being as close to them as the divers. But a compensation none the less.