Adventures of the PBD in Madagascar. Act 2, Scene 1
Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 08:58AM I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I appear to be back in Madagascar. Perhaps I never really left, but just had a particularly vivid malaria-induced dream about going back to America-land, sleeping until noon, eating chubby food, and driving around in a Ford Taurus wagon. That seems most likely.
It smells like Madagascar. Dust, diesel fuel, rotting vegetables, bananas, baking bread, charcoal briquettes, sweat, cows, and cheap perfume. It also smells of hot, like I can smell the sunshine. Maybe it's only the smell of my skin tanning.
Walking down the street is an activity worthy of strong concentration. No leisurely strolling allowed. Dodge the car, step around the muck, watch out for the approaching rickshaw, "who's that following me?," "where's the hardware store?" "what's that guy saying to me?" "tell the painted lady to go away," watch out for the car! "that's a particularly offensive smell," "that girl is cute!" "no thanks, I rather don't need half-rotten bananas or coat hangers, maybe next time," "sorry, beggar, no money here"
Note to readers:
I ask two things of you now. You must remember two places. Toliara and Ifaty. I can't explain them in every post, so don't forget them. Here they are:
Toliara: My banking town. The place where I do all business that I can't do in Ifaty, my village. Toliara is the second largest city in Madagascar. 400,000 people. It is hot and dusty and full of charm, hotels, slums, ox-carts, and great and not-so great restaurants. It is the only place where I have internet access. Hence, I am here right now.
Ifaty- My village. Located 25Km north of Toliara. There are 3 fancy hotels nearby and 7 or so fancy hotels sort-of nearby. The village is located on the Bay of Ranobe. This is the lagoon / reef system which Reef Doctor (my new employer) is aiming to protect / conserve / slow the destruction of. Ifaty is quite a bit bigger than my village from my Peace Corps days (that village was called, Antsanitia as my frequent readers may remember). Ifaty has 1000- 1200 people. It has 2.5 bars. It doesn't, of course have electricity, running water, or fabulous cell phone reception. Actually, it doesn't even have fresh water. The girls and women fetch water (in buckets on their heads) from a source some 2 kilometers away. It can also be purchased from a rich villager who trucks it in from Toliara.
So those are the future settings for the play. Remember them. For now I've got to run. I'm back to Ifaty for another week or so. I'll write again then.
Farewell,
Shawn
Reader Comments (8)
seems like things are going well -- at least in the sense that you made it back, met your employer and seem to be doing something that seems sort of like a job
are you liking it? learning the whole language again? -- i just got my 102 languages cd pack so i'll try and send an email with the 30 words in malagasy that i pick up!
anways, just wanted to see how things were going!
ceci
seems like things are going well -- at least in the sense that you made it back, met your employer and seem to be doing something that seems sort of like a job
are you liking it? learning the whole language again? -- i just got my 102 languages cd pack so i'll try and send an email with the 30 words in malagasy that i pick up!
anways, just wanted to see how things were going!
ceci
promise to be less of a dumbass...
have fun :)
ceci
The accent and new dialect aren`t so bad. I just have to change most `d`s to `l`s and add random `h`s to most words.
Pehople seehm to understahll me ok soh fahhr. I`ve male a lihst of ahll the new worls. It`s 4 pahgehs lohng.
Gool to hehar from you guys. I`m hahppy sohmeone is realing my sihte.
I wrote a few Malagasy textbooks in different languages and this is the first time I hear such negative things about the books I have published. I welcome criticisms but only if they are true. I have used this book several times to teach Malagasy to English medical students at the University of Newcastle who were going to spend a practical year in Madagascar and they headed to Madagascar with solid knowledge of Malagasy, using this book.
Soava tsara!
Janie
Rina