Tuesday, December 29, 2009
In Mada they are in the midst of the rice harvest here and since there is quite a bit of space around our house (and we're just up the hill from the rice paddies ) they are busy beating the rice, gathering kernels, and piling up the chaff to be given to the cattle as feed. I went out to talk with the people to learn more about the process this morning. I took some pictures as well which I told them I would send to America to show how rice is harvested here.They were very excited that I wanted to learn about the process and even more excited that others would get to see what they do. So Enjoy
The Case of the Mistaken Consonant
As any of you who have learned a language have experienced, it’s a challenge to remember the right word at the right moment especially when there is just one sound that differentiates one word from another. When we first moved into our house here in the outskirts of Tana, Daniel had such an experience.
I was visiting some friends that live down the street but Daniel didn’t know that. It was starting to get dark so he decided to go out looking for me. As he started up the street, he ran into our guard who was on his way to our house. He said, “Mitady ny vadiko aho.” That means, I’m looking for my wife.
But our guard thought he said, “Mitady ny vary aho,” which means, I’m looking for the rice. So he asked, “Which would you like, brown or white?”
Daniel, thinking he had understood that he was looking for HIS wife, was shocked. Brown or white? What? Surely, he must be joking! I’m happy with the wife I have.
But he actually didn’t understand. Vady is the word for spouse while vary is the word for rice. Since the r in vary is a rolled, hard r, if you’re not precise, it can sound like a d! Later they both had a good laugh about it but since then we’re more careful when looking for one another! : )
I was visiting some friends that live down the street but Daniel didn’t know that. It was starting to get dark so he decided to go out looking for me. As he started up the street, he ran into our guard who was on his way to our house. He said, “Mitady ny vadiko aho.” That means, I’m looking for my wife.
But our guard thought he said, “Mitady ny vary aho,” which means, I’m looking for the rice. So he asked, “Which would you like, brown or white?”
Daniel, thinking he had understood that he was looking for HIS wife, was shocked. Brown or white? What? Surely, he must be joking! I’m happy with the wife I have.
But he actually didn’t understand. Vady is the word for spouse while vary is the word for rice. Since the r in vary is a rolled, hard r, if you’re not precise, it can sound like a d! Later they both had a good laugh about it but since then we’re more careful when looking for one another! : )
Vita Sinoa (Chinese Made) vs. Vita Malagasy (Malagasy Made)
For Christmas this year, I bought Daniel miniature cooking pots with mini metal spoons. We plan to put salt in one and pepper in the other and put them on our table. They are a miniature version of the real cooking pots that are found in most Malagasy households. Actually, that’s one reason we wanted them as they have the “name-brand” Cocotte written on the lids.
When our Malagasy friend saw them, she began talking about the one her six-year-old granddaughter has and how she enjoys cooking rice (probably only about two tablespoons of rice will fit) in it. I commented on how much stronger and realistic the Malagasy ones are compared to the plastic Chinese-made ones that are also sold on the streets here. Our friend didn’t miss a beat but replied, “Yes, the Malagasy ones are so much better! My granddaughter would melt the other one right away cooking over the fire!”
Of course, I just smiled. I couldn’t help thinking how in America, we would never dream of letting our small children cook over a real fire alone so the plastic pots would just be used for “pretend” play. But here in Madagascar, not only do children play by cooking rice but many of them actually cook meals for their families and take care of their baby brothers and sisters!
When our Malagasy friend saw them, she began talking about the one her six-year-old granddaughter has and how she enjoys cooking rice (probably only about two tablespoons of rice will fit) in it. I commented on how much stronger and realistic the Malagasy ones are compared to the plastic Chinese-made ones that are also sold on the streets here. Our friend didn’t miss a beat but replied, “Yes, the Malagasy ones are so much better! My granddaughter would melt the other one right away cooking over the fire!”
Of course, I just smiled. I couldn’t help thinking how in America, we would never dream of letting our small children cook over a real fire alone so the plastic pots would just be used for “pretend” play. But here in Madagascar, not only do children play by cooking rice but many of them actually cook meals for their families and take care of their baby brothers and sisters!
Ms. Sarah, Did You Know?
One day I was working on writing an English exam in the computer room at school. The bell rang, signaling the start of recess. A second grade Nigerian girl came bursting into the room, out of breath.
“Ms. Sarah, Ms. Sarah,” she exclaimed, “we just learned about your presidents in Social Studies.”
“Oh really, which presidents?” I asked.
“George Washington. Did you know his birthday is February 12? And the other one, Abraham Lincoln. His birthday is also in February. Why do you only have two presidents?”
“Well, we actually have had more than that, a lot more, but those are two of the most important,” I responded with a smile. Then I asked, “Who is the president of Nigeria?”
She thought for awhile and said, “I’m not sure. But Obama is my president.”
“Really? Barack Obama?” I asked, genuinely surprised, “I thought he was my president.”
“No, he couldn’t be your president. He’s mine because I’m African,” the little girl stated matter-of-factly.
At this point, I was laughing but managed to tell her that while Obama is African-American, he is the president of the United States. But that it’s really neat for us to have a black president so it’s understandable that so many people respect him.
I changed the subject by saying, “Why don’t you go outside and play? It’s such a beautiful, sunny day.”
“OK, but I don’t like the sun. It made me black!”
Again, I stifled a laugh and said, “That’s not possible. I LOVE the sun and spend a lot of time in it but I’m still white!”
“Ms. Sarah, Ms. Sarah,” she exclaimed, “we just learned about your presidents in Social Studies.”
“Oh really, which presidents?” I asked.
“George Washington. Did you know his birthday is February 12? And the other one, Abraham Lincoln. His birthday is also in February. Why do you only have two presidents?”
“Well, we actually have had more than that, a lot more, but those are two of the most important,” I responded with a smile. Then I asked, “Who is the president of Nigeria?”
She thought for awhile and said, “I’m not sure. But Obama is my president.”
“Really? Barack Obama?” I asked, genuinely surprised, “I thought he was my president.”
“No, he couldn’t be your president. He’s mine because I’m African,” the little girl stated matter-of-factly.
At this point, I was laughing but managed to tell her that while Obama is African-American, he is the president of the United States. But that it’s really neat for us to have a black president so it’s understandable that so many people respect him.
I changed the subject by saying, “Why don’t you go outside and play? It’s such a beautiful, sunny day.”
“OK, but I don’t like the sun. It made me black!”
Again, I stifled a laugh and said, “That’s not possible. I LOVE the sun and spend a lot of time in it but I’m still white!”
2009: The Year in Review
January
Sarah started teaching/training at MCA and Daniel started an English Club for children as well as an after-school homework help program for some of the kids at MCA. And we continued our language study two days a week.
Rallies and protests against the elected president began led by the mayor of Tana followed by Black Tuesday, January 27, the looting and burning of many shops and buildings, especially those of the president’s dairy business. School was closed for a week because of this!
February
Political unrest continued with a shooting on February 7 at the palace which killed about 30 people and heightened the problems. Ice cream and other dairy products became scarce. Our AIM team met often to pray and to plan in the event that we would have to evacuate the country. We also received a visit from the AIM Crisis Consultant who in the end recommended we stay in place as we were not in any danger, really just inconvenienced. We were glad to stay and continue to work with and encourage our Malagasy friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
March
We enjoyed a conference on Transformational Development by Lois Ooms. During that same week, Karin took over as Unit Leader for AIM Madagascar and March 17 we experienced our first coup as the mayor of Tana overthrew the president of Mada and the political rest continued.
Later that same week, we went to Johannesburg, South Africa for a leadership conference and interpersonal skills training with AIM.
April
We returned from South Africa to continued political unrest but despite continued protests, life began to take on a sense of normalcy again.
We celebrated our first Easter in Madagascar.
Daniel started the Talatamaty Language Center with an English class for adults in addition to the English Club for children.
May
We enjoyed a visit from Terry & Robbie Mason (Daniel’s team leaders when he did TIMO) when they came to Mada for his work as AIM’s Personnel Director.
Sarah organized and ordered the curriculum for the next school year.
June
The school year finished with plays from Aesop’s Fables, written by Daniel. We celebrated our first Malagasy Independence Day, June 26.
We praised God for how far we’d come since leaving the USA one year before.
July
The curriculum began to arrive and Sarah made many trips to the post office in the center of town to pick it up.
We went on vacation to south central Fianarantsoa and took the train to the east coast. We were involved in a horrible train accident on the return trip in which many people were killed and injured. We praised God that we were unscathed.
And we celebrated one year of life and ministry in Madagascar!
August
We traveled with Dudley and CAPRO missionaries, Diti & Sam, to survey the port cities of Mahajanga, Diego/Antsiranana, and Toliara. Time was also spent here in Tana. In all places, we met with pastors and Christian leaders to challenge them to pray about reaching out and doing missions in other parts of Mada and beyond. It was a rich time of partnership building as well as seeing how the Lord is already working in the Malagasy church in this way.
Sarah led a week of training (August 17-21) for the MCA teachers and prepared for another school year.
We traveled to a nearby island where Daniel received training to become a language facilitator for the LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical) course and became the language coordinator for the Madagascar unit as well. Sarah took care of the kids from the new TIMO team who were receiving the training for the first time.
September
School began again. In addition to teaching classes in creative writing, Sarah met regularly with the new teachers to help them prepare their lesson plans. She also observed all of the English classes at the school and made suggestions to the teachers on improvements that could be made.
Another term of the Talatamaty Language Center started with two classes and increased enrollment. A new Malagasy teacher was hired to teach one of the classes.
Daniel also led his first course in language acquisition using the LAMP method for some other missionaries.
October
We were blessed to be able to spend a week in France reconnecting with Daniel’s parents. We enjoyed seeing the sights, eating French food, but most of all doing it all TOGETHER!
We also did a lot of planning and preparing for the AIM Annual Team Conference held October 25-30.
November
On November 4, we celebrated 3 years of marriage!
Sarah traveled to the Short Term Forum in Uganda November 9-15. She learned a lot and officially took over her role as ST Coordinator for AIM in Mada.
November 18-19 Sarah took part in an American Embassy event to promote English education in Madagascar. It went really well and she even got her picture in the newspaper! : )
After a long search, we finally purchased a car, a 1993 Land Rover which has had many faithful years of service within the AIM family here in Mada.
December
Sarah welcomed her first Short Termer as the ST Coordinator, a gal from South Korea who will teach music for a year at a music school run by AIM missionaries.
Daniel introduced a new conversation class to the Talatamaty Language Center which will continue in the next term, along with another level of English for a total of 3 English classes!
Sarah started teaching/training at MCA and Daniel started an English Club for children as well as an after-school homework help program for some of the kids at MCA. And we continued our language study two days a week.
Rallies and protests against the elected president began led by the mayor of Tana followed by Black Tuesday, January 27, the looting and burning of many shops and buildings, especially those of the president’s dairy business. School was closed for a week because of this!
February
Political unrest continued with a shooting on February 7 at the palace which killed about 30 people and heightened the problems. Ice cream and other dairy products became scarce. Our AIM team met often to pray and to plan in the event that we would have to evacuate the country. We also received a visit from the AIM Crisis Consultant who in the end recommended we stay in place as we were not in any danger, really just inconvenienced. We were glad to stay and continue to work with and encourage our Malagasy friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
March
We enjoyed a conference on Transformational Development by Lois Ooms. During that same week, Karin took over as Unit Leader for AIM Madagascar and March 17 we experienced our first coup as the mayor of Tana overthrew the president of Mada and the political rest continued.
Later that same week, we went to Johannesburg, South Africa for a leadership conference and interpersonal skills training with AIM.
April
We returned from South Africa to continued political unrest but despite continued protests, life began to take on a sense of normalcy again.
We celebrated our first Easter in Madagascar.
Daniel started the Talatamaty Language Center with an English class for adults in addition to the English Club for children.
May
We enjoyed a visit from Terry & Robbie Mason (Daniel’s team leaders when he did TIMO) when they came to Mada for his work as AIM’s Personnel Director.
Sarah organized and ordered the curriculum for the next school year.
June
The school year finished with plays from Aesop’s Fables, written by Daniel. We celebrated our first Malagasy Independence Day, June 26.
We praised God for how far we’d come since leaving the USA one year before.
July
The curriculum began to arrive and Sarah made many trips to the post office in the center of town to pick it up.
We went on vacation to south central Fianarantsoa and took the train to the east coast. We were involved in a horrible train accident on the return trip in which many people were killed and injured. We praised God that we were unscathed.
And we celebrated one year of life and ministry in Madagascar!
August
We traveled with Dudley and CAPRO missionaries, Diti & Sam, to survey the port cities of Mahajanga, Diego/Antsiranana, and Toliara. Time was also spent here in Tana. In all places, we met with pastors and Christian leaders to challenge them to pray about reaching out and doing missions in other parts of Mada and beyond. It was a rich time of partnership building as well as seeing how the Lord is already working in the Malagasy church in this way.
Sarah led a week of training (August 17-21) for the MCA teachers and prepared for another school year.
We traveled to a nearby island where Daniel received training to become a language facilitator for the LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical) course and became the language coordinator for the Madagascar unit as well. Sarah took care of the kids from the new TIMO team who were receiving the training for the first time.
September
School began again. In addition to teaching classes in creative writing, Sarah met regularly with the new teachers to help them prepare their lesson plans. She also observed all of the English classes at the school and made suggestions to the teachers on improvements that could be made.
Another term of the Talatamaty Language Center started with two classes and increased enrollment. A new Malagasy teacher was hired to teach one of the classes.
Daniel also led his first course in language acquisition using the LAMP method for some other missionaries.
October
We were blessed to be able to spend a week in France reconnecting with Daniel’s parents. We enjoyed seeing the sights, eating French food, but most of all doing it all TOGETHER!
We also did a lot of planning and preparing for the AIM Annual Team Conference held October 25-30.
November
On November 4, we celebrated 3 years of marriage!
Sarah traveled to the Short Term Forum in Uganda November 9-15. She learned a lot and officially took over her role as ST Coordinator for AIM in Mada.
November 18-19 Sarah took part in an American Embassy event to promote English education in Madagascar. It went really well and she even got her picture in the newspaper! : )
After a long search, we finally purchased a car, a 1993 Land Rover which has had many faithful years of service within the AIM family here in Mada.
December
Sarah welcomed her first Short Termer as the ST Coordinator, a gal from South Korea who will teach music for a year at a music school run by AIM missionaries.
Daniel introduced a new conversation class to the Talatamaty Language Center which will continue in the next term, along with another level of English for a total of 3 English classes!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Photo Album Link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041523&id=187702068&l=6571d7a8d4
Click on this to check out my "Life in Madagascar" photo album from Facebook.
One of these days I'll get around to updating our blog. If you're not receiving our prayer letters, you're probably wondering what's going on with us! You can always email us for more info though.
Click on this to check out my "Life in Madagascar" photo album from Facebook.
One of these days I'll get around to updating our blog. If you're not receiving our prayer letters, you're probably wondering what's going on with us! You can always email us for more info though.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Our Vacation the End of July
We were gone 9 days-we spent the first day traveling south to Fianarantsoa which is one of the bigger cities in Mada, a regional hub. The trip takes 9-10 hours by bus, not including the time on this end waiting for the bus! I think we left home at 5:30 a.m. and arrived in the city at about 5 p.m. We stayed at a great hotel there which has a wide range of rooms. We stayed in the cheapest withcommunal bathrooms but since there are still few tourists, we didn't really have to share the bathroom!
The food was excellent-chicken (without bones!?) and lots of ymmy fresh veggies! The
next morning we took the train to the coastal town of Manakara. That trip took about 8-9 hours. We spent the night near the city center & the next morning we went by bus to Mananjary (another coastal town, 4 hours by road to the north). There wasn't much to see there though we did enjoy a walk on the beach & a perusal of their markets. The following day we returned to Manakara & spent an extra daythere. Then we took the train back. We had planned to get off before the end of the line because we wanted to visit the tea plantation in a town about an hour from Fianarantsoa. And just before the station our train wrecked! Daniel was standing in the doorway when it happened, to ask the train worker if this was indeed the right stop. So he was one of the first off the train! We had all our stuff together as we were ready to get off anyway and we first made a run for the hotel (which thankfully was within a few minutes' walk) before all the other tourists could get there & book rooms. It was already about 5:30 in the evening so we didn't think our chances of getting transport on to the larger city were so good. Plus, there was fuel leaking from the train so we thought there could be an explosion! Once we had secured a room & gained our bearings a bit, we ran back to see if we could help. There was nothing we could do but watch as the train workers & other passengers & local volunteers helped people out of the wreckage. It was really horrible! The nextmorning we went back to see what was happening. They were still waiting for the train officials to arrive but had already taken the dead & injured to the hospital (also in the larger city, about an hour away) the night before. Some of the passengers were still waiting for the train (the engine & the first few cars were able to complete the journey) to return to pick them up-poor people! After we toured the tea plantation, we caught a bus to the city. The next day we went to another nearby town, Ambalavao, where they make famous Malagasy paper from the leaves of a certain plant that grows only here in Mada. It's in a beautiful valley so we also just enjoyed the view & spent time relaxing. We then returned to Fianarantsoa & explored the old part of the city, visited the market & visited with some of our fellow AIM missionaries who happened to be in town. We finally took the bus back to Tana!! It wasn't a very restful trip as we did a lot of traveling but we were able to see a lot & enjoyed some nice meals. I think my favorite part was the first train ride as we stopped in villages along the way where we could buy snacks & chat with the people. I also enjoyed the market in Manakara as we were able to buy lots of spices because it's on the "spice route." We stayed at a nice hotel there one night right on the coast. There was a beautiful fir tree-lined path along the beach. It was remarkably clean & peaceful.
But it's good to be home! Not for long though...as next week (Aug 4-8) we go to the north of the country with Dudley (our leader from South Africa) and some Nigerian men who are leader in an African mission that AIM partners with. They're coming to see what the opportunities are for sending missionaries to the north of the country & we get to be their guides. we'll be helping to translate as they don't speak Malagasy & helping them find their way around. We're also interested in seeing what opportunities exist there. The one city is particularly Muslim and has a real Arabic influence. We'll only be gone 4 days this time!
Our winter was cold but seems to be warming up now. We were surprised when we were on the coast how cold it was! Not uncomfortable but not hot like you expect when you're at the ocean. We couldn't swim there anyway because of the current & risk of sharks but I had thought it would be much warmer!
The food was excellent-chicken (without bones!?) and lots of ymmy fresh veggies! The
next morning we took the train to the coastal town of Manakara. That trip took about 8-9 hours. We spent the night near the city center & the next morning we went by bus to Mananjary (another coastal town, 4 hours by road to the north). There wasn't much to see there though we did enjoy a walk on the beach & a perusal of their markets. The following day we returned to Manakara & spent an extra daythere. Then we took the train back. We had planned to get off before the end of the line because we wanted to visit the tea plantation in a town about an hour from Fianarantsoa. And just before the station our train wrecked! Daniel was standing in the doorway when it happened, to ask the train worker if this was indeed the right stop. So he was one of the first off the train! We had all our stuff together as we were ready to get off anyway and we first made a run for the hotel (which thankfully was within a few minutes' walk) before all the other tourists could get there & book rooms. It was already about 5:30 in the evening so we didn't think our chances of getting transport on to the larger city were so good. Plus, there was fuel leaking from the train so we thought there could be an explosion! Once we had secured a room & gained our bearings a bit, we ran back to see if we could help. There was nothing we could do but watch as the train workers & other passengers & local volunteers helped people out of the wreckage. It was really horrible! The nextmorning we went back to see what was happening. They were still waiting for the train officials to arrive but had already taken the dead & injured to the hospital (also in the larger city, about an hour away) the night before. Some of the passengers were still waiting for the train (the engine & the first few cars were able to complete the journey) to return to pick them up-poor people! After we toured the tea plantation, we caught a bus to the city. The next day we went to another nearby town, Ambalavao, where they make famous Malagasy paper from the leaves of a certain plant that grows only here in Mada. It's in a beautiful valley so we also just enjoyed the view & spent time relaxing. We then returned to Fianarantsoa & explored the old part of the city, visited the market & visited with some of our fellow AIM missionaries who happened to be in town. We finally took the bus back to Tana!! It wasn't a very restful trip as we did a lot of traveling but we were able to see a lot & enjoyed some nice meals. I think my favorite part was the first train ride as we stopped in villages along the way where we could buy snacks & chat with the people. I also enjoyed the market in Manakara as we were able to buy lots of spices because it's on the "spice route." We stayed at a nice hotel there one night right on the coast. There was a beautiful fir tree-lined path along the beach. It was remarkably clean & peaceful.
But it's good to be home! Not for long though...as next week (Aug 4-8) we go to the north of the country with Dudley (our leader from South Africa) and some Nigerian men who are leader in an African mission that AIM partners with. They're coming to see what the opportunities are for sending missionaries to the north of the country & we get to be their guides. we'll be helping to translate as they don't speak Malagasy & helping them find their way around. We're also interested in seeing what opportunities exist there. The one city is particularly Muslim and has a real Arabic influence. We'll only be gone 4 days this time!
Our winter was cold but seems to be warming up now. We were surprised when we were on the coast how cold it was! Not uncomfortable but not hot like you expect when you're at the ocean. We couldn't swim there anyway because of the current & risk of sharks but I had thought it would be much warmer!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A flat tire!?! Amazingly, this was our first in all of our travels by taxi-brousse. The spare tire was also bald. We thought this was especially funny since we once had a language lesson about bald tires and the police. When I asked if there were any police in the area, our driver thought I was really in tune with Malagasy culture as the French man on board was asking if they didn't have another tire while I was more concerned that we didn't get in trouble!
Another hurdle in our travels...such is traveling in the Third World
Yes, they meant to cut this tree down. Why they were cutting it so close to the road, I don't know! Instead of moving the tree, they just took the baggage off of the roof to get us through. One of our missionaries passed by later in the day though & they had cleared the road.
Some more pictures of our train trip! I realy loved the sellers that would come up to the train selling everything from pepper to vanilla to home made snacks!! The one of me with the "1st Class" sign which is what we were aiming at is funny, and check the tiny woman walking past me!! I am the giant of Mada, for sure.
Here are some photos that were taken right after the train wrecked...Before we relized the extent of things !! Our train car is the one still on the tracks, two from the one overturned. Looking at these pictures again reminds me of how amazing it is that we wern't hurt at all, God's hand of protection was certainly with us.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Pizza...to Go!
This week I ordered pizza on the phone for the first time. While I’m fairly comfortable speaking Malagasy when I’m face-to-face with someone, I’m still working on talking on the phone. When I was preparing what I had to say, I was struck but how different it is ordering pizza here compared to the U.S. The last time I ordered pizza in Chicago, they already had my name and address because of some computerized system that recognizes the phone number when you call in. Not so, here. Even though we have a “street address,” we rarely use it. No one would be able to find your house by a street address alone. Instead, you have to go into a lengthy description of the route. I’ll include my dialog here just so you get the idea (it’ll also give you a flavor of the Malagasy language).
“Te hikomandy pizza izahay fa mantitra ati an-trano ve ianareo? Mipetraka eto Ambohinambo izahay. Mandalo ny fiangonana FJKM. Dia manohy dia mivily ankavanana dia misy sampanana. Mivily ankavia miaraka amin’ ny lalana “parve.” Rehefa tapatra ny “parve” dia mbola manohy amin’ ny lalantany. Dia misy tany malalaka amin’ ny ankavanana dia mivily amin’ ny ankavanana rehefa avy mandalo ny tany malalaka dia misy trano misy tafo maitso sy vavahady maitso io amin’ ny ankavia. Dia ao.”
And all this before I even said what kind of pizza I wanted!
“Te hikomandy pizza izahay fa mantitra ati an-trano ve ianareo? Mipetraka eto Ambohinambo izahay. Mandalo ny fiangonana FJKM. Dia manohy dia mivily ankavanana dia misy sampanana. Mivily ankavia miaraka amin’ ny lalana “parve.” Rehefa tapatra ny “parve” dia mbola manohy amin’ ny lalantany. Dia misy tany malalaka amin’ ny ankavanana dia mivily amin’ ny ankavanana rehefa avy mandalo ny tany malalaka dia misy trano misy tafo maitso sy vavahady maitso io amin’ ny ankavia. Dia ao.”
And all this before I even said what kind of pizza I wanted!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Happy Birthday, Sarah!
I'm showing off the gifts Daniel gave me for my birthday, a stocking cap with the Malagasy flag & the abbreviated name--Mada--and a cool t-shirt which reads "Gasy K' Tsara " (that means more or less , if it's Malagasy, it's got to be good! ). Daniel thinks it's funny because in English it looks a bit like "Gasy Sarah." Really, isn't that a loving gift!!?? :)
Sarah in front of the American Cookie Shop in the city. It's run by a Malagasy woman who studied in Washington D.C. She lived there for 10 years so not only does she speak English well but makes a decent selection of American Cuisine---bagel sandwichs (BLT & Chicken Melt to name just two!) , American-sized mugs of hot drinks, a Chicago Hot Dog, milkshakes, smoothies, & more! So that was my birthday lunch--well not all those things.
Here I am on my birthday (July 9). We didn't bother to put candles on the cake as the power was out when we got home from celebrating in the city. We have a great video of Daniel singing happy birthday to me. At the end, he asks me to make a wish & blow out the candle. I say, " But then we'll be in the dark! " It's funny but I'm afraid our internet isn't strong enough for sending such delightful tidbits!
English Club Helicopter Outing
This day we took 19 kids to visit the hangar at the airport. One of the missionaries with Helimission (a Swiss man whose son & daughter attend the English Club) agreed to show the kids the helicopters & tell them a little about how they fly. As you can imagine, the kids were so excited!!
Afterwards, we went to their house to look at pictures, talk more about helicopters, and of course, drink pop & eat cookies!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
My Walk to School
When I was a child, I always wanted to walk to school, but living nearly three miles from school in another town, this wasn’t feasible. Here in Madagascar, we live a 20 minute walk from the school where I teach. So my dream of walking to school has become a reality but it’s nothing like I pictured when I was a child.
Just outside of our gate, I trudge through reddish brown dirt on a narrow footpath through a weedy lot until I reach the road in our neighborhood of Ambohinambo. Sometimes the zebu cattle are already grazing, tied to an invisible point, with their owners nowhere in sight. I pass children, in their blue smock uniforms, also on their way to school. They smile shyly at me or call out “Bonjour!” to which I reply with the traditional Malagasy greeting, “Manahoana!” As the road turns to cobblestone from dirt, I reach the nearest shop, a small cement building, with a table laden with vegetables next to it. Our vegetable seller and her oldest daughter will be manning the table. “Handeha hampianatra ve? Are you going to teach?” they ask. I nod the affirmative, comment on the weather, and maybe pause to place an order for corn or beans which I will pick up on my return home. “Mazoto!” they wish me as I continue on my way (literally this means, diligent, but it’s meant as well-wishing like the English, “Have a good day!”).
“Manahoana, tompoko!” I call to the bread seller. “Manahoana! Salama tsara!—I am well!” she replies. The traffic increases as I near the marketplace and the main intersection of our suburb, Talatamaty. Dodging a wooden cart drawn by two zebu cattle harnessed together, I call out “Manahoana!” to the men perched on top of the load. At the corner, I weave my way through the crowd gathered around the newspaper stand, catching up on the daily news. Turning left, I move into the main street, as the narrow sidewalk is too congested to walk on. Carefully, I make my way between the throngs of people moving on my left and the stopped traffic on my right. I pass the gendarme or police officers directing traffic and ask, “Inona no vaovao—what’s the news?” They typically reply, “Tsy misy—there isn’t any,” even though there is always something happening! As the sidewalk widens at the bus stop, I gradually make my way off the road, careful not to get in the way of any of the sellers who have arrived on the bus, heavy loads of rice or vegetables balanced on their heads. The bus driver honks his horn and his helper calls out, “Miakatra,” as the two gather passengers for their trip into Antananarivo.
Fruit and vegetable peelings cover the ground as people prepare their stands to sell for the day. I step wherever I can find a place while the city workers, men in coveralls, sweep the sidewalk. In about an hour, the way will be clear again. The congestion increases again as I began the downhill descent to the school’s entrance. Backpack slung over my left shoulder, braced by the same arm, I am aware for possible pickpockets but also just trying to make myself smaller than my 5 feet, 11 inches as I bend below market umbrellas and twist and turn, trying to stay out of the way of those carrying loads much heavier than my own. If I don’t watch it, I’ll trip over a basket of French bread or accidently smash someone’s neat piles of oranges arranged for sale on a cloth on the ground. Finally, I reach the steep cobblestone driveway of the school, anxious to begin to teaching, but also looking forward to the afternoon when I will enter the Malagasy mayhem of buying and selling once again.
Just outside of our gate, I trudge through reddish brown dirt on a narrow footpath through a weedy lot until I reach the road in our neighborhood of Ambohinambo. Sometimes the zebu cattle are already grazing, tied to an invisible point, with their owners nowhere in sight. I pass children, in their blue smock uniforms, also on their way to school. They smile shyly at me or call out “Bonjour!” to which I reply with the traditional Malagasy greeting, “Manahoana!” As the road turns to cobblestone from dirt, I reach the nearest shop, a small cement building, with a table laden with vegetables next to it. Our vegetable seller and her oldest daughter will be manning the table. “Handeha hampianatra ve? Are you going to teach?” they ask. I nod the affirmative, comment on the weather, and maybe pause to place an order for corn or beans which I will pick up on my return home. “Mazoto!” they wish me as I continue on my way (literally this means, diligent, but it’s meant as well-wishing like the English, “Have a good day!”).
“Manahoana, tompoko!” I call to the bread seller. “Manahoana! Salama tsara!—I am well!” she replies. The traffic increases as I near the marketplace and the main intersection of our suburb, Talatamaty. Dodging a wooden cart drawn by two zebu cattle harnessed together, I call out “Manahoana!” to the men perched on top of the load. At the corner, I weave my way through the crowd gathered around the newspaper stand, catching up on the daily news. Turning left, I move into the main street, as the narrow sidewalk is too congested to walk on. Carefully, I make my way between the throngs of people moving on my left and the stopped traffic on my right. I pass the gendarme or police officers directing traffic and ask, “Inona no vaovao—what’s the news?” They typically reply, “Tsy misy—there isn’t any,” even though there is always something happening! As the sidewalk widens at the bus stop, I gradually make my way off the road, careful not to get in the way of any of the sellers who have arrived on the bus, heavy loads of rice or vegetables balanced on their heads. The bus driver honks his horn and his helper calls out, “Miakatra,” as the two gather passengers for their trip into Antananarivo.
Fruit and vegetable peelings cover the ground as people prepare their stands to sell for the day. I step wherever I can find a place while the city workers, men in coveralls, sweep the sidewalk. In about an hour, the way will be clear again. The congestion increases again as I began the downhill descent to the school’s entrance. Backpack slung over my left shoulder, braced by the same arm, I am aware for possible pickpockets but also just trying to make myself smaller than my 5 feet, 11 inches as I bend below market umbrellas and twist and turn, trying to stay out of the way of those carrying loads much heavier than my own. If I don’t watch it, I’ll trip over a basket of French bread or accidently smash someone’s neat piles of oranges arranged for sale on a cloth on the ground. Finally, I reach the steep cobblestone driveway of the school, anxious to begin to teaching, but also looking forward to the afternoon when I will enter the Malagasy mayhem of buying and selling once again.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Pizza, Pizza!
"Cheesing it up" at our favorite pizza place. When we left the States almost a year ago, we weren't sure when we would have pizza again, but it turns out we have four pizza places between our place and the airport!Patisseries Galore: Thanks, France!
Another advantage to living in the capital city is eating delicious French pastries. It's one of the few positive aspects of Madagascar being a former French colony.Talatamaty
This is the main intersection in our "suburb", Talatamaty. The big market is to the left. If you look closely, you can see Daniel bargaining for a taxi (he's in black on the curb to the right).
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Waiting Game
The political situation seems to be at a stand-still. The former president would still like to return home to Madagascar and continues to try to rally support from the international community. Continued efforts have been made to try to resolve the situation with help from the African Union, the European Union, and the United Nations (perhaps there are others involved as well), but as of yet, no dialogues have truly been successful. The new elections are currently set for October 2010 though the aforementioned groups are pushing for elections much sooner rather than later. Please pray that there would be successful and productive dialogues and that elections would be held as soon as possible so that the Malagasy people can have a voice in their government once again!
For the most part, life continues as normal for us here. There was a shortage on margarine for awhile as the former president’s company, Tiko (the only supplier of butter and margarine in the country!), was forced out of business by the transitional leader. We now have margarine imported from South Africa for almost half the original price of the Tiko products (go figure!). Yet this is a minor inconvenience compared with the rising price of oil and flour (the Malagasy don’t use that much margarine anyway!) and the declining foreign aid. Please pray for the poor who just keep getting poorer that there might be more jobs available and that the cost of living would not increase too much!
If you are interested in following the political situation more closely, I recommend checking the BBC website or searching for “Madagascar News” on Yahoo. Then you can get the most recent articles in English! If you are really into political hearsay or just want to hear the former president speak English (ha!), you might also check YouTube and search for Madagascar, Rajoelina, or Ravalomanana.
Sunday is Global Prayer Day and thousands of Malagasy will gather at the stadium in the center of the city to pray for their country and the world. They are thankful for your prayers as well!
For the most part, life continues as normal for us here. There was a shortage on margarine for awhile as the former president’s company, Tiko (the only supplier of butter and margarine in the country!), was forced out of business by the transitional leader. We now have margarine imported from South Africa for almost half the original price of the Tiko products (go figure!). Yet this is a minor inconvenience compared with the rising price of oil and flour (the Malagasy don’t use that much margarine anyway!) and the declining foreign aid. Please pray for the poor who just keep getting poorer that there might be more jobs available and that the cost of living would not increase too much!
If you are interested in following the political situation more closely, I recommend checking the BBC website or searching for “Madagascar News” on Yahoo. Then you can get the most recent articles in English! If you are really into political hearsay or just want to hear the former president speak English (ha!), you might also check YouTube and search for Madagascar, Rajoelina, or Ravalomanana.
Sunday is Global Prayer Day and thousands of Malagasy will gather at the stadium in the center of the city to pray for their country and the world. They are thankful for your prayers as well!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Update on the Political Situation
I apologize for the delay in updating you all on the situation. We are currently in South Africa attending some leadership training conferences with AIM. However, exactly two weeks ago, before we left Madagascar, President Ravalomanana stepped down from his office, handing power of the government over to his military commanders. He did this out of concern for the Malagasy people. Within a day the opposition leader had taken control of the situation and was sworn in by the high courts as president. This action has been called a coup by the UN, the U.S., the African Union, and most recently, the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It's understandable considering his move was undemocratic but will have great effects on the economy and even moreso, the poorest of the poor in Madagascar. Much non-humanitarian aid has been withdrawn from the country and sanctions have been placed against Madagascar. The actual elected president (Ravalomanana) has left the country but is trying to regain his rightful authority in Madagascar by rallying with the international community. Over 30,000 supporters of the president have held protests and rallies in the capital, mostly peaceful though resulting in some minor injuries. It seems the tables have been turned with the opposition leader (the new president) calling for dialog with the former president as he is now struggling to keep control. It's a bit ironic since he was unwilling to cooperate while the president was still in power. We will know more when we return to Tana but wanted to fill you in on the latest so that you will know how to pray for the leaders as well as the common people of Madagascar.
Please pray for wisdom & discernment for those in power to make decisions and for helpful direction and assistance from the international community which could lead to a peaceful end and solution to the ongoing unrest.
Pray for the Malagasy as prices rise and their spirits fall with the difficulties that result from this unrest in the government.
Pray for us and other missionaries that we can be an encouragement and a light to our Malagasy friends and co-workers during this difficult time.
And please pray for unity among Malagasy Christians and within the church.
Thank you!
Please pray for wisdom & discernment for those in power to make decisions and for helpful direction and assistance from the international community which could lead to a peaceful end and solution to the ongoing unrest.
Pray for the Malagasy as prices rise and their spirits fall with the difficulties that result from this unrest in the government.
Pray for us and other missionaries that we can be an encouragement and a light to our Malagasy friends and co-workers during this difficult time.
And please pray for unity among Malagasy Christians and within the church.
Thank you!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Terminal
We recently watched the movie, The Terminal, which reminded us of the high security in U.S. airports. Here in Madagascar, the security is much lower. In fact, one of our favorite places to hang out on a day off is at the Ivato International Airport. It's just a 20 minute bus ride from the bus stop near our home. There is only one sit-down restaurant in the international departures and arrivals building but the view of the runway and the mountains is excellent. We like to sit there, order a big bottle of Classiko Cola (something like Coke made by the president's company), speak Malagasy with the waiters, and then watch the planes take off and land. These pictures were taken there recently. It's actually the only place in the airport where you are allowed to take pictures. Many of our co-workers find it amusing that we enjoy the airport so much, but a clear view of the runway is a thing of the past at most American airports. Even as a ticketed passenger, you often can't find a place to see clearly what is happening on the runway. But here in Madagascar, you can see it all! And, a trip to the airport is like a trip to another country. Depending on which flight is leaving that day, it might seem that you are in Europe or South Africa. The people we see in the airport are so different from the ones we see on the street and some of the foreigners are really intriguing. For example, when we went late in the evening to pick up a returning missionary, we encountered two American guys waiting for the flight to arrive. At first I was excited to hear them speaking English (we don't see many Americans) but before I had a chance to greet them, I realized they were a couple of hick southerners. One was drinking a huge bottle of Three Horses Beer (the national brew which is cheap and readily available, no laws managing the consumption of alcohol that I'm aware of) and the other had a can of Mountain Dew (which I later realized was not for drinking but for spitting because of the large wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth). They were walking around the arrivals corridor loudly joking in their southern drawl. It was one of those moments when you're not so proud to be an American! Yet it's another reason why hanging out at the airport is so fascinating! 
Andasibe National Park
We recently took a weekend off to visit nearby Andasibe National Park. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Madagascar as it is only 3 hours from Tana and provides many opportunities to spot the famous Indri lemurs (There is a picture of one below). This is the off-season for tourism right now and because of the political situation it is even quieter than usual! It's unfortunate because their are so many Malagasy park guides without work. So they were thrilled to see us and happy to hear that we'd "survived" Tana. Some of the things they'd heard were just absurd! The other photo was taken from a small hotel restaurant in the village of Andasibe (about 3 km from the park). We spent some time in the village where we discovered delicious fried bananas and other fried cakes for a cheap breakfast on the run! Yeah, not so healthy but really tasty... In the photo, you'll notice the clothes hanging out to dry on the wooden fence. This seemed to be the trend around town so I had to capture a photo since it's not like that in the city. Here, they lay their clothes on grassy hillsides or rocks along the rivers or hang them on a clothesline.
Miandry Faty - Waiting on the Dead
Over the last weekend, one of our elderly neighbors passed away (we’d never met him). The family is very poor and lives in a thatch-roofed hut just down the hill from us. People started arriving in the afternoon and stayed all night. They moved the body outside since the house is so small and began the miandry faty or “waiting on the dead." The ceremony stems from the idea that if you leave the dead body alone the witches will come and evoke bad spirits. Yet the families cannot afford to keep the corpse at a morgue.
A couple of the men came up to our house to ask a favor. I was afraid they would want to use our house to display the body, but thankfully they just asked to use our electricity (they have none) by running a long extension cord up to our house so that people would be able to see the corpse. The cord wasn’t wired correctly so after numerous tries our night guard eventually got it to work. He kept joking that they didn’t know anything about electricity though I must admit I found it pretty funny that they had purchased a light bulb and extension cord not having electricity themselves. They began singing sad, mourning songs around the corpse at about 9 p.m. and didn’t stop until almost 5 a.m. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep, but it was fascinating to hear some of their cultural funeral practice. To add to the excitement in the neighborhood, a drunken fight broke out near our house, interrupting the ceremony and keeping our guard entertained. In the morning, before we were up and about, they embalmed the body and placed it in a simple wooden coffin with red flowers decorating the top (pictures below). When we began watching again, they were waiting for the car to arrive to take the corpse to the countryside to be buried. Later we learned that we could have gone to visit, even though we’d never met the man, as it is common practice for neighbors to pay their respects. However, as foreigners, we weren’t sure what to do. They won’t take offense because we are foreigners but next time we will eagerly attend to learn more about the Malagasy practice of caring for the dead.
A couple of the men came up to our house to ask a favor. I was afraid they would want to use our house to display the body, but thankfully they just asked to use our electricity (they have none) by running a long extension cord up to our house so that people would be able to see the corpse. The cord wasn’t wired correctly so after numerous tries our night guard eventually got it to work. He kept joking that they didn’t know anything about electricity though I must admit I found it pretty funny that they had purchased a light bulb and extension cord not having electricity themselves. They began singing sad, mourning songs around the corpse at about 9 p.m. and didn’t stop until almost 5 a.m. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep, but it was fascinating to hear some of their cultural funeral practice. To add to the excitement in the neighborhood, a drunken fight broke out near our house, interrupting the ceremony and keeping our guard entertained. In the morning, before we were up and about, they embalmed the body and placed it in a simple wooden coffin with red flowers decorating the top (pictures below). When we began watching again, they were waiting for the car to arrive to take the corpse to the countryside to be buried. Later we learned that we could have gone to visit, even though we’d never met the man, as it is common practice for neighbors to pay their respects. However, as foreigners, we weren’t sure what to do. They won’t take offense because we are foreigners but next time we will eagerly attend to learn more about the Malagasy practice of caring for the dead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)