A Little Malagasy Culture

What’s in a name?
The names of towns and villages in Madagascar all have meanings associated with them. Some of them are obvious, like “lots of milk” (Beronono) in a region where there are many cows and “good sun” (Tsaramasoandro) in a place where it is hot and sunny all year round. My town is literally “to make replacement,” although I’m not sure what they were (or are?) aiming at replacing. One thing is for sure, I’m glad that I don’t live in Bevoalavo (“many rats”) or Arivomamo (“a thousand drunks”)!

How much?
The Malagasy people have a backwards number system/way of counting. Literally. Sure the French made counting harder than need be (90 = four 20s + 10) but at least the numbers are spoken from left to right. The Malagasy, on the other hand, say their numbers backwards. Fifty three is spoken as three fifty. Sounds difficult huh? Just imagine the larger numbers! 14,780? You must say: eighty and seven hundred and four thousand and one ten thousand. Although I have gotten better at mastering the numbers, I must admit that my first few trips to the market ended with me giving the vendor more than enough money and just waiting for the change, simply to avoid the confusion that is known as the Malagasy number system.

Carbs? Yes please!
Rice is the staple food in Madagascar. It is consumed three times a day, with various side dishes such as bean or vegetables. Rice served with spaghetti was not an uncommon meal served by my host family during training. And to truly express their love of carbs, cassava or manioc is regularly eaten as a snack between meals. While I realize that these foods are consumed to simply fill the stomach and help one feel full, I would like to try and teach about the importance of a balanced meal as a secondary project. Meat is not an option for many families because of the price but there are other options available that will also provide more nutrients.

There is plenty of meat, but unfortunately not plenty of money.

Where there is no doctor
Here is some common Malagasy medical advice, just in case any of you are sick in the near future:
-don’t eat cucumbers when you’re sick (because they’re cold)
-don’t eat peanuts if you have a cough
-eat carrots after you throw up
-drink tea with lots of sugar when you have a sore throat
-rub crushed chalk on the outside of your ear when you have an ear infection
Some of these should be taken with a grain of salt given the source (an 11-year-old child in some cases) but might provide some relief!

Sasa, the China Face

In Madagascar, I am known as Sasa, which also happens to be a form of the Malagasy verb “to wash” and, when shouted, sounds very much like vazaha (which means foreigner). This is because most Malagasy people, much like some young American children, cannot pronounce the “sh” sound. I actually somewhat prefer Sasa to the other name that I am often called: China Face (tarehy chinois). As many of you know, I am half Korean (my mom came to the U.S. from Seoul for college) and half American (my dad’s heritage is English and Irish). Despite having lived in the U.S. for the entirety of my life, and even referring to myself as a “twinkie” (yellow on the outside, white on the inside), the Malagasy people cannot seem to see past my Asian features. A typical conversation, especially in rural Madagascar, goes a little something like this:

random Malagasy: “Are you Chinese?”
me: “No, I’m American.”
random Malagasy: “So you speak Chinese?”

It is somewhat frustrating to be denied your identity from the start. Also frustrating is the fact that I’m afraid to do kickboxing to stay in shape (one of my favorite workouts back home), fearing that it will be mistaken for kung fu and then no one will ever believe that I’m American. All kidding aside, not looking like a “typical” American has provided me with great opportunities to explain what America is like to people here in Madagascar. Many people are very surprised to learn that there are many different types of people in America and eager to learn more. And I am more than willing to share.

Namanako = My Friends

Friends are somewhat hard to come by in a new country, especially if you are not yet fluent in the language. I have very few girlfriends that are my age because most of the young women are married and busy taking care of their house and children. While I do have adult friends in my town, I have taken quite a liking to the children. At first I found it a little annoying to have children peeking through my fence all day, everyday. I felt like I was on some sort of reality tv show, where people found it interesting to watch me doing trivial things, such as cooking or washing my clothes. One day I decided to invite the kids into my home, figuring that they would quickly become disinterested once they saw firsthand that I was doing something like cooking Malagasy food just like their families do. And while they have not yet lost interest in my seemingly mundane daily activities, I have grown to enjoy their company. This might be due in part to the face that I possess the same vocabulary as they do (I'm still working on my Malagasy language skills). The kids keep me up-to-date on what's happening in town, teach me the new dance moves, and are just generally entertaining. The fact that I give them candy and let them look at my magazines is an enticing factor for them as well I'm sure. Here is a picture my neighbor boy, Noti, and myself enjoying a Rolling Stones magazine:



But they really have become good friends of mine. One girl, Tahina, even brought me homemade peanut brittle for my birthday! It is interesting and fun to share things about America, and it just so happens to be one of the goals of Peace Corps. I had some of my little friends make this movie, just for you all:



In case you couldn't understand their English (they're working on it), they are saying "Hello everybody in the United States." And if anyone is inspired by the video and would like to send a package with candy and/or coloring books/utensils, I'm sure the kids would say "misaotra betsaka!" the equivalent of "thank you so much" in English. If you do plan on sending candy, something like M&Ms or Skittles would probably be best. I shared some Nerds that a friend sent and you can just imagine how many ended up on the floor of my house instead of in their mouths. Needless to say, the Nerds were kept to myself after that!