Manohona!!!

I couldn’t think of a non-clichéd way to open my blog entry (I was looking for something about being terrible at blogging regularly, and not being able to fit everything into one entry), so instead I am just going to get right into it. Madagascar is beautiful. Not in an exotic, developing country kind of way (although no doubt that is also applicable), but in a ohmygoodness I am surrounded by endless green mountains and valleys kind of way. Although I have seen only the slightest sliver of this humongous island, I really can’t emphasize how appreciative I am to be in such an incredible place. I think it’s safe to say that the 72 plus hours I spent traveling just to get here was well worth it, and I have zero doubt that this is going to be an incredible semester. 

Although there is no way I can possibly fit tens days of experiences into a page, I can summarize a few of the things I have been lucky enough to do and see. A five day orientation was the first step of the program, and that included among other things getting to meet the other 16 participants of my trip. I am happy to say (especially since some of them are blog stalkers) that we have a great group of adventurous 20 somethings, and that we all get along quite well and have a lot in common. Our first days together were filled with not only an onslaught of workshops that introduced us to Malagasy culture, language and customs, but that also to our first experience of “drop offs” which are literally being dropped off somewhere and told to find our way back. This may sound unnecessary, but given the intensity (in every way possible way) of Tana, the capital of Madagascar and our program base, it ended up being a fun and helpful way to practice our French and Malagasy. During orientation we were also taken to the King’s palace outside of Tana, a UNESCO world heritage site, which sits on a massive fortified “mountain” outside of the city. I was especially amused to see a tourist visiting from China straddle the sacred palace trees for a spectacular Kodak moment. In addition to the palace visit, a Malagasy music and dance group performed the Hiro Gasy, a traditional dance, for us and then taught us a simple dance at the end.

After finishing our jammed packed orientation, our group finally headed to Tana to see our classroom and meet our host families for the first leg of the program. Tana has so far been completely different than I was expecting, in the best way possible. One of my biggest concerns coming into the program was that so much time is spent in the capital, and although I enjoyed Kampala when I was in Uganda, I don’t know that I would necessarily choose to spend an extensive period of time there. However, Tana is really unlike any city I have been to. It is built on a series of hills, all of which are connected by crooked and winding staircases. The architecture is heavily French influenced, and many of the buildings are brightly colored with large plantation type shutters, making it one of the more visually stunning capitals, particularly for a country with such a high poverty level, that I have been to. Many of the streets, especially in the neighborhood where I go to school, are narrow with charming cobblestones, although sometimes this adds to the peril of making it safely to your destination. Our program coordinator really wasn’t kidding when he warned us to be wary of gaping holes in the sidewalks, and that getting places is really much more akin to an obstacle course than a leisurely stroll.  Regardless, I am very impressed by this city, and feel comfortable here.

Immediately after arriving in Tana, we not only had to quickly adjust to the urban sprawl, but also to our new host families, most of whom speak no English. Although it has been difficult, our combination of Malagasy, French, charades and an occasion an English phrase or two seems to be enough to get by at home. I have a wonderful host family with the 4 sisters I always wanted (just kidding Brando), who have been very kind and welcoming to me. My host father is especially amusing and tells me about his job as the Police Commissioner of the Drug Trafficking unit in Tana, as well as helps me out with some interesting new Malagasy words. Yesterday, I woke up to him and my host sister playing Tracy Chapman on the electric guitar, and it felt like the weekend was getting off to a good start. Today, it was an Eric Clapton concert. The only real trouble I have run into is facing my three arch enemies- spiders, cockroaches and mice, all three of whom seem to live in my room and enjoy tormenting me. In a faceoff with a mouse yesterday evening, my host sister reminded me that Tom from Tom and Jerry is a very nice mouse and that I should think good things about this one too. So, here’s to positive thinking!

Thankfully, SIT is excellent for people like myself who need to constantly be doing new things, and there are many new things to come. The program is “experience based” which essentially means that despite our permanent classroom in Tana, we are constantly on the move. In a week from Tuesday we are headed on a four day excursion (I believe to the west) followed shortly after by a 5 day “village stay” in the East and eventually a 2 week homestay on the north coast. Because our program is small, our classes come with us, which means that almost everything we do is directly related to our program topic of National Identity and Social Change. All of this preparation is meant to ready us for the final month of our program where we are turned loose with a stipend to complete a field study project on literally anything that interests us that is still relevant (i.e. not researching sea turtles). I am getting excited to work on my project, whatever it may be, and am all around very enthusiastic about the way everything is going.

Although there is much more to say, I shall have to save it for the days to come. The Malagasy like to wake and sleep with the rising and setting of the sun and it is now well past bedtime for everyone in my house, despite the fact that it’s only 9:30pm. I wish everyone luck at home and abroad and send my love! Valoma!

P.S. check facebook for a few photos!!!!