I woke up late several weeks ago when I was in Tamatave. I had asked the gentleman who I was traveling with what time I should be ready to leave and catch a taxi-brousse home in the morning. "Early", he said. A knock came on my door at 6:30am from Kara, the other volunteer traveling with us in Tamatave, waking me up from a beer and brouchettes induced slumber, saying that it was time to go. (Since when were people ever in a hurry on this island and since when did early actually mean EARLY?). I scrambled out of bed, showered, and ran downstairs to get out of town. We left the hotel in hurry to get to the brousse station when my VOI Federation President (who apparently had arrived, unbeknownst to me, during the night) calls for us from the hotel that he needs to talk to us. We go back, he invites me to COME BACK to Tamatave in a few days to go the environment festival in Fenoarivo Est. I say, "Sure, sounds great, call me, we'll work it out, I gotta go, thanks!". Three days later, I leave site again and I travel to Moramanga (my banking, market, travel, and otherwise get'r'dun place) with the expectancy of possibly going to Fenoarivo that morning. However, no word whatsoever from Mr. President. I called his wife, Mrs. President, and asked if she would have him call me. No problem, she says. I don't hear a word from the man all day. I say forget it, and wind up spending the night in Moramanga eating delicious food. (Delicious food is a rarity in my life of rice. Mary Lois, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed Italy and its cuisine.) Anyway, such is the way that "time" and "plans" work on this beautiful island.
I was sitting in my town one Sunday afternoon, trying to explain to the people in my town that I did not need or want to go to church with them (I've been to Gasy church, I know what it's like, no need for round 2). One of the older ladies came and sat next to me and explained that a gentleman from out of town had come the day before to buy some cows. I asked her why he had come here to buy cows. She explained that he didn't have a wife. At this point, I remember my PC cultural training that in some areas of Madagascar, it's standard practice to present the bride-to-be's family with a cow/cows. I ignored my training. I said to the older lady, "So if you can't get a wife than you better buy some cows?". She, and everyone else sitting on the porch, found this to be the funniest thing they'd heard all month. Since then, when the people in my town ask me if I'm still looking for a wife and I say no, they find it very funny to tell me to go buy some cows. If you don't find this funny, sorry, guess you had to be there. :)
I came to the capitol on Monday this week because I couldn't hear out of my right ear for almost 2 weeks. Got that fixed. No problems. Used my coming to Tana as an excuse to go see a fellow volunteer to the west of Tana about 50km in Arivonimamo. Arivonimamo literally translates as "thousand the drunk", in other words, "the land of a thousand drunks". Don't worry, I didn't see one drunk person, including myself and Eric, the volunteer who lives in Arivonimamo. I did see Eric's Posh Corps house, running hot water, electricity, tile kitchen, the works. The night I was there, we went down the street from Eric's house to watch the European Cup match between Greece and the Czech Republic in a tiny room filled with church pews and a very small television. We payed the equivalant of 10cents to watch. We also went on a fantastic hike through the mountains around Arivonimamo (check the Facebook for pictures because I'm too lazy to upload twice). It was absolutely beautiful. The landscape and environment of Madagascar changes with every kilometer you hike or drive. Where I live, the land is steep, rolling hills with the occasional rock face and is a vibrant green in color thanks to year-round rains that fall in the easter rainforest corridor. In the central highland plateau (around Arivonimamo), the color is greenish-brown with shrub grass, pines, eucalyptus, and many many gigantic rock faces. The hilltops allow you to see for miles and miles. We saw what the Malagasy call "mitsangambato", standing stones. These are used to mark where people either died, are buried, or are simply remembered. I don't think this practice is very common here in the highlands anymore. Above ground family tombs tend to be the standard practice but, from what I've learned, mitsangambato are still fairly commonly used in the south of the island. The pictures I took will never do the landscape justice. Eric and his Gasy friend, Jean-Claude, brought their bikes along in the hopes of us being able to find a bike I could use in the town we were walking to. After 3 hours of walking, we came to the town we were trying to reach where Jean-Claude had a meeting with a newly formed cooperative that he was a member of. Held the meeting in the local elementary school which was vacant thanks to the ongoing teacher's strike throughout the island. After the meeting, had lunch at an hotely (the word for a restaurant the serves typical Gasy fair) for a very reasonable 50cents. We found a bike for me to ride and took the main road back to Arivonimamo. We got back to town in 1 hour after what had taken us 3 hours previously.
I'm currently in Tana and heading to Moramanga tomorrow for my regional volunteer meeting which is on Saturday. About 10 other volunteers in my region will be coming so it will be great to everyone (and meet everyone) that lives in my area.
Until next time, tsara ny fiainana (life is good),
J
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