Things I no longer find unusual:
-drinking burnt rice water (hey, it’s sanitary)
-the fact that it takes someone all day to cook 3 meals and do the dishes
-people peeing anywhere and everywhere
-people carrying things on their heads, from buckets of water to 50 kilos of rice
-kids as young as 4 or 5 fetching water
-latrines and bucket showers
-sweeping the dirt
-no shoes, no teeth, no problem
Things that I still find unusual (and probably always will):
-people staring at me doing the simplest things, like writing this
-everyone assuming that I speak French since I’m white
-people speaking Malagasy and French in the same sentence
-animals so skinny you can see their ribs (this goes for all animals but especially dogs and cows)
-the fact that every epicerie (store in English) sells the same things (SED to the rescue!)
-8 year old boys in charge of herds of cows
-the fascination with learning to speak English
-the sound pigs make when forced to do something ( aka the most awful sound in the whole world)
Just a little insight to the typical sights, sounds, and smells in this place I now call home! Who wants to visit?!?
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1 comment:
I suppose that way of life takes you back to where life was simple in many ways, but also about survival. Everyone pitched in to help so that things got done. In this country people would skoff at the notion of having children do anything close to what they have to do in Madagascar. I guess in many ways we are spoiled and take things for granted.
On another note, I hope all is well with you Sasha. You seem to be adjusting quite well to your new life as a PCV. You will not regret the experience.
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