Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Week 2 Saturday- Market Day and Shopping

Market Day and Adventures on the street.

Color- everywhere bright colors. You should see the market! Full of artifacts and local work. fascinating. Beautiful items. This is the main "downtown" area for shopping of local work. We managed to get baskets, artificats and a few other items to sell at our schools when we get home. That way the money that we collect we can send back for the kids. I am pretty sure that the lombas will sell to the girls. The boys will like the game that they play with marbels.






Zafy and Johnson met us at the market and worked as translators and negotiators for the idems! They were the best! Without them I am sure we would have not done well. They are wonderful young men. Zafy is engaged to be married and the two families were meeting next weekend for the first time. He had to provide a zebu and show that he was capable of caring for the daughter of the other family. He did seem a little nervous! Such a fun time for him and his bride to be!

Woman carry an extraordinary about of weight on their heads while also carring items in their hands. She has three aluminum pots with hot lunch in htem on her head- full of food- and is carring fuel in one hand and a bucket with items in it in the other hand. Is she not extraordinary? She has also covered fher face with a yellow mud like paste. They do this to make their skin more beautiful and to protect their skin from the hot sun. She is wearning a lamba. She is amazing.  and thinks nothing of the jobs that she is doing. Walking miles probably in flipflops as well. Extraordinary. Wonderful to see.


Week 2 Friday Graduation of Week 2 Students AM and PM classes




 In total Lisa and I taught 48 students how to use the computer and some basic English skills. It was amazing to watch as their adaptability to the computer was easy for them. They loved seeing what they could do on Paint, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Movie Maker. We taught them typing skills and used games for practicing. It was a rich time together.

Week 2 Thursday Defining Boundries

Home

August 13th was the longest day EVER!

August 12, 2012  

I get up at 6am. In Toliara airport and on a flight to Tana arriving in Tana at 8am. Got a room at Cheval Blanc and met a local family who toured Lis and I around Tana. Very interesting day until 5PM. Flight leaves Tana at 1 AM- so some time to pass at Cheval Blanc.
August 13, 2012

Flight from Tana to Paris. Leave August 13th at 1 AM  arrive in Paris at 12 AM with a one hour time change and a later arrival- so it was really 11:30 AM.
August 13,2012  

Leave Paris at 1:30 AM (only 2 hours layover) on flight to Montreal. This flight was 7 hours only but lots of time changes here. Technically 7:30 AM for me but in Canada time it was 3:30 PM. Had a connecting flight at 6 PM. Just made it with customs and people and finding gates.

August 13, 2012  

I get to have this day all over again! Arrived in Toronto at 7:17 PM and Trudy picked me up.
August 13, 2012

 Finally home- 9PM. It is nice to be home.


Sunday, August 12, 2012

Leaving Toliara


Today we were toured
around Tana by a family that we met at Ifaty.
A very proud Malagasy family who wanted
to show us their home town.



Tanna is the largest city in Madagascar -large it is and poor. Yet the people are happy and have a quiet manner that is very appealing.

There is poverty everywhere and a low level of exposure to education for the general population. The infastucutre of general -food and shelter- for a healthy life- are maginal at the least. Yet, everyday life continues and people are most agreeable. The contast is incredible to see.
You see everything on the road. Here is an
example. A "bus" going by while a small Mr. Bean car/truck with four people in it, three men pushing a cart of coal in bags on the far side of the road and another man pulling a cart full of hay for the zubu. Meanwhile just off the road on the far side is a rugby competition going on. They were playing on the dry earth. No grass.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Week 2 Wednesday August 8, 2012 Landscapes


A drive through the main part of town allows you to see how some people live here in Madagascar. Often families live on 75 cents a day. Is that possible? 



Usually as we begin our lunch a herd of zebu wonder by Patsy and Todd's area. The road and land offer nibbles for the animals and a place to walk for the men in charge of these animals. We do not see this in Canada. Just a whole "bunch" of zebu with huge horns walking freely down the road. It still draws my eye. There is some freedom here that does not exist at home.



Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Week 2 Tuesday August 7, 2012 Mothers

I woke up today dreaming of my mother. I miss her. I miss talking to her. Mom is so much a part of my life. I hope she is well. It is hard not being able to communicate with her. Some Mothers here in Madagascar are making Christmas ornaments to raise money for their woman's group. They gather with Jeannette who has embroidered Malagassy people onto a piece of fabric and stuffed them to hang on a tree for Christmas. They gathered here today to work together to complete these ornaments.