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.

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.

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.



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.

Week 2 Monday August 6, 2012 Sharing Language

Zafy is our translator for week 2. We would be lost without him. He did not know any English and in the past two years has managed to learn enough language to translate everything we are saying to Malagassy or French. He went to Kenya for one year to be fully immersed into English and has returned to Toliaria fully capable of translation. He is an outstanding young man, full of hope and intelligence. He is very capable.

This is Aubin and Tairy. Aubin was our translator for 1/2 of week one. He can speak English, French and Malagassy. So very talented! He is meticulous, keen and focused. We were lucky to have him as his postive energy was contagious with all the students in the classroom. He is as special as his lovely smile!

This is Johnson and Natalie. Johnson is our translator who speaks Malagassy and English. He is a wonderful teacher and works out of the I Want To Learn English lab. He also teaches English at night time in a church. He asked Lisa and I to come along as guests to teach and to talk to his students. It was heartwarming. His students were amazing and simply interested in getting better at speaking English. They live in the slum area near the church but all of them were well groomed and very appreciative of our efforts. It was very rewarding for me.

Sharing language and trying to figure out what we are all saying and trying to do is part of the fun with being here. Everything is a stuggle but all of it is with such great pleasure and appreciation. The Malagassy people are so kind and so generous with their approach to life. I came to teach them technology but they have taught me so much.



Friday August 1st 2012 Graduation Day for Week 1

Morning Graduation

Here are all the people involved in the first week of school for Madagascar in My Heart, week one.
The students were very successful and we are proud of all of their efforts. Of course none of this would not have happened if Lisa had not had the idea, if Todd and Patsy did not embarace her idea, if I had not come with Lisa and if we did not have traslators. One top of that we have had many people financially support us. I could not be here if Appleby had not given me the money to explore this initiative. Thank you to those at Appleby who chose to give me this opportunity. All together, each one of us doing a part of the vision allowed for each one of the students to find success at school. It was rewarding and heartbreaking to see them leave.

Afternoon Graduation

August 4, 2012 Knowledge

Ifaty

August 4, 2012

A weekend of relaxation as Lisa and I head to Ifaty via the National Highway #9, is what was ahead of us today.  We met our taxi driver, Frederick,  in Toliara at Todd and Patsy’s. He was on time at 8am and we were off through town and heading north to Ifaty. The drive around town was rough in terms of road conditions (like driving in Quebec- well maybe worse!),  but we are used to it now. Once we turned the corner and headed towards the “highway” we realized that the one hour drive might take us longer than we anticipated. Below is a picture of the highway from my point of view in the backseat.

Frederick explained to us that the French left in 1960 and since then the road has become what it is today.  The government does not invest money into the road system as the people just take the tar from the pavement.  They use the tar from the road to repair their boats, repair a leak or use it for patching their houses. So at best the road was full sand. At times you could see what it used to be like when it was paved but that was only along the sections of road where no villages were close by.

We continued along the road meeting a river. But there is no water in the river.

Foundations in Life

It all begins when you begin, or at least for you it happens then! The foundations that build who you are seem to be a chance in life. I was born where I was, to the people who are my parents,  simply because...so..., being here has made me wonder. I am just thinking about the people I have met and how unlucky they are in many ways and how lucky I am. Yet, at the same time they have given me so much and I have learned so much from them.

I am lucky in so many ways.

Human Touch

I was touched today by one of my students in our class today. Lisa and I took a "pussepusse" from our school to the other side of town. One of our students is a "pussepusse" driver. It is a bike that has a place for two people to sit behind him and they drive you to where you wanted to go. Part of the "road" was pure sand so we had to get out and help him push the bike along.

Lisa and Johnson were walking beside us pushing his bike along. Johnson is our translator for week one. He is an extraordinary person. He also teaches English and asked us to come as his guests to his class.  It was a wonderful experience. I was touched by the commitment that this young man has toward others in his community. He teaches English to those who want to learn. He is a fine young person and if the world was full of Johnson's we would all be in good hands.

We saw a few of our students who live close to the church that we were at and it is a very long walk to our computer lab everyday. The girl with her back to us in this photo is Veronique and she is cooking the dinner of bread and potatoes. The other two are also in our class- barefoot and just surprised to see us! It was nice to see where they live and impressive to see how far they walk everyday to learn from us. I am humbled and I was touched by their pure excitement to see us in their area of town.

Toliara, Madagascar and the Meeting House.

Bishop Todd and Patsy McGregor are the couple that are hosting Lisa's Madagascar in my Heart initiative. They are quite the couple and I am sure that you will be interested in reading about them.
Here is an article that will open your eyes to the work that some people choose to do in their day!
http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/Hope-in-the-Desert.cfm

The Gathering Place is a lovely compound that is just outside Toliara. This is Patsy at her new desk in a building where the classroom that we used was right behind it.

August 1st, 2012.

Empowering Women and Young Men

      As in any country the stuggles that women seem to bear are sometimes overwhelming. Here in Madagascar women seem to bear many struggles but are often resilient to these challenges. They are like every ready bunnies- they just keep on going! At church there was a woman, nursing her baby, pregant, and looking after about six other children with her bling husband sitting close by. Patsy says that often women have seven children. It seems incredible to me.
     We are trying to empower both boys and young girls here. It is an interesting dynamic in the classroom as often the girls are subservient and passive. It is always in the corner of my eye- just watching to make sure that they all get equal time on the computer. They are very respectful of us as teachers and of each other. It is just so exciting and they tend to get a hold of the computer and get lost in the excitement of the expereince! We are both thrilled with the way that the students are embracing the technology.

     Thank you Appleby for giving me the opportunity to be here, to mentor young people and to share the knowledge that I have acquired with those who appreciate knowing it!

July 31st, Day 2 of teaching.

      The excitement was high this morning. We were teaching PAINT- a program on the computers to teach the students how to draw pictures. They were eager to learn and once they have just a little bit of intruction they worked as a team to figure out the details of how the program worked. The Malagassy way is to help others. The students were a prime example of this concept. Look at their faces! This group is the youngest of the gang. The five year old was one of the most adept on the computer.

The students are very creative and a sheer joy to teach. Lisa and I are so thrilled that they are soaking up the eduction that we are providing.

July 30, 2012 First Day of Teaching- Education is a privilege.

It was an incredible day. We set up the classroom and the kids arrived from across the land. One girl walked one hour to get to school- and walking here is not easy. Lisa and I were thrilled with the morning session with the children. We set up the five laptops and arranged in our minds that two students would sit at each computer. Sure enough, students arrived and took up their positions. We had eight students in the morning. Not bad. We were thrilled with the students as they loved the program that Mark (colleague at St. Andrew's of Lisa), had put together on each laptop. We do not have internet so the computers work as stand alones.

I guess the word travelled across the land because in the afternoon we had thirteen students and were getting chairs from another room! Lisa and I were a little shocked but loved every single child that came to the room. It made me ponder as I am sure I will often in the next two weeks. Education is a privilege. It is not something that just happens here. People struggle here. There is no running water, some do not have food, luxuries are not evident and sometimes there is no one to teach. Yet, once the students were in the classroom they were no different than at Appleby. Some of the studnets were totally engaged. Some went beyond the expectations of Lisa and I, some were a little goofy. All in all, they have just lacked leadership, guidance and teaching but each one of them showed talents. Let's hope that they all arrive tomorrow!

July 29, 2012 Sunday

Patsy McGregor came to the Victory Hotel today and we went to church with her. It was amazing. The singing, the children and the compassion created an atmosphere of delight. Lisa is an inspiration as her heart is here in Madagascar with the children. She is passionate about offering assistance to these children and committed to brining education to them. We all have talents and gifts. Patsy is a leader in her field and impressive to see her at work. She leads though prayer and a belief system that empowers women and those around her. It is troubling to see so many children without food and proper shelter. yet, I am stuck with the joy in their eyes and their openness.

We are starting out teaching tomorrow. It will be challenging as most people speak Malagasy, some speak some French and a very few speak English. We do have a translator and computers. Lisa has set up a wonderful set of lessons with the assistance of her technology people at St. Andrew's.

I am thrilled to be here and to get going with opening the work of technology to them tomorrow.

July 28^th, 2012 Saturday

Oakville

I left Oakville at 10:20 am on Friday July 26^th, 2012 with my daughter Nisha, as she drove me to the airport. A compulsory Tim Horton’s coffee and a few minutes together was a wonderful way to start my trip and calm my excitement about going to Madagascar.

Then a flight to Montreal, just a puddle jump! Once in Montreal, it was an easy check in with a woman from Madagascar at the Air France desk. I took that as a good omen as she was not only from Madagascar but her home town was Toliara. She suggested specific areas to visit and was delighted that Lisa and I would go and help her people.  It was a heartwarming feeling and made me even more excited to get there.

Paris

Arriving in Paris was exhilarating. I love Paris- even if it is only the Charles de Gaulle airport. Arriving early was easy as no one was there and I breezed through security. At my gate I read and waiting anxiously for Lisa to arrive two hours later. Lisa arrived and we connected easily so our worries were over. At least now we were together to support and talk to each

Antananarivo, Madagascar

After 11 hours on our flight from Paris we arrived at 1am and were held up as each person on the flight was checked and double check and hand written and stamped three times and examined three times. All in all painfully slow and a beginning culturally to our transition from North American speed. Luckily, we were in no hurry so it was just a transit to our hotel to sleep and wait until tomorrow.

July 28, 2012 Saturday

Hotel Cheval Blanc

It was a freezing cold sleep around 13 degrees and a slow start today in Antananarivo.  We met Raquel Rodriguez from Andorra (La Massana). She is working with Bel Avenir, an NGO that works out of Toliara. She is a graduate and a teacher in Andorra.  We had a lovely lunch together and time to get acquainted.

Tolear- Toliara

The last leg of the trip was late leaving but we have arrived safely. Hotel Victory was having a huge party, a band dancing and great food. We liked to think that it was in our honor, but we were informed that it was a government function. Regardless, we were able to watch some dancing and hear music from the area. We also successfully got settled into our rooms and enjoyed local beer and pizza.

 

 

Today is the day! Off to Madagascar via Montreal and Paris!

Last minute arrangements are complete and I am ready to go! I just keep wondering what I have forgotten to pack! At this point, I am feeling all set and ready. The medical kit is the purple bag you see in the photo. Appleby sends many faculty and students on adventures and they seem to have come to the conclusion that this is what is required. I have to trust the expereince of those who have traveled to remote areas so Lisa and I have decided that I should bring the bag. It is heavier and bigger than my luggage but I am feeling confident that it will be of great help once we arrive. At least it is a security blanket at the least!
Off to Montreal in an hour- then to Paris- then meet Lisa and we head to Madagascar together. In two days I will be in the capital, Antananarivo, awaiting a flight to Toliara. We plan to stay at Cheval Blanc http://www.cheval-blanc-madagascar.com/chambres-cheval-blanc.html as we wait for the flight to Toliara. Once in Toliara we are staying at Victory Hotel http://www.hoteltulear-victory.com/en/index.html. Have a look if you are interested. While you are checking out these locations have a look at http://madagascarinmyheart.org/ - this is what Lisa Gustinelli put together last year and our trip is listed on it for this year.
Off to the airport! Love you all.

Preparing For Madagascar

Thank you Andrew Lynch for helping set up Blogger for my trip to Madagascar!

2 more sleeps!

In just two more sleeps I will be boarding a plane to Montreal, then to Paris then to Madagascar. Once in Madagascar another flight finally ends the journey with landing in Toliara. Phew! It takes a number of days but that part will simply  increase the anticipation of getting there!

A number of last minute details have been done- shots at the doctor, locating my passport, getting clothing sorted out, collecting teaching material, small gifts from Canada are filling my bag, talking to Lisa on Skype, livescribe pens to pack with the books to go with them, water shoes, medicine travel bag and packing the camera. So much to look forward to!