I just got back from the north of Madagascar where me and my region mate, Addison, visited David and Sarah in their small towns. Other volunteers joined us in Antananarivo on the way up. David’s town was killer. Good size, so lot’s of amenities, and joyfully, the people didn’t freak out because we were foreigners. Sarah’s town was so small. Hardly a town. And she didn’t have electricity! Much respect. Our dimly lite dinner was movie-like. We came to help them paint the map of the world on a wall of Sarah’s school and after putting in a few hours kids gathered to watch. Addison, David, and Jesus taught a band of youngsters who’d gather to watch us, dance moves to a Souljaboy dance and we also played-dodge ball with some kids. I loved that especially. I don’t play soccer or basketball, but dodge-ball, yeah.
Mission completed, we took a bus to Nosy Be, a small island off the northwest coast. It’s a touristy tropical paradise with lots of French. Our hotel was located at ground zero of Madagascar tourist central, which, everything being equal, I wouldn’t have picked but since I live in a town that tourists would never set sandal in, I’ll take this inconvenience for a couple of days. And it was fabulous! While there we swam with whale sharks. I’ll just leave it at that.
Addison and I had a 17 hour bus ride from hell from Nosy Be to Antananarivo, the capital. During the ride, whenever I’d drift off to sleep I’d hit my head against a metal bar next to me. Now imagine, if you will, that every time you floated off to slumberland a midget sitting on your bedpost popped you in the forehead with a metal tube. Now you know.
I had a bad day and got mad at everyone. Why? I got my work schedule and it had me working a lot of hours. Inconvenient hours, too. Everyday when I walk to school I pass through this tiny village and the kids, lot of them, yell “Sali vazaha!” translated, “Hello Foreigner!” over and over again and over…. The first year I was fine with it but on this day I wasn’t having it, so I snapped at the whole village. They really didn’t know what to make of the situation. Now when I walk through the village, no kids yappin and some of them look scared and the adults look leary. But lately I extended the olive branch, though. I just had bad day, you know?
Wander and Ponder 