Village Fête

On our last night in Madagascar, we were invited to a local fisherman's home. Captain Florent, as he is known in Ramena, has a successful business and a wide-spread reputation as the best sailor in town. I traveled with him on stormy seas to an island in the Emerald Sea and can attest to the fact that we did not capsize. This is saying a lot considering that massive waves were thundering into the boat from the beginning---Ma! We quite nearly sank!

Florent, his boat, and the (now calm) Emerald Sea

To celebrate still being alive and the long friendship that has existed between Florent and my hosts, Gilles and Anouk, everyone in the village came together for the meal. Anouk and I, after having outfitted ourselves several days earlier with traditional African dress, decided not to deny the fans, and came in full regalia.

The evening consisted of appetizers, which turned into the main course of crab stew, which turned into the second main course of brochettie (zebu kababs), which turned into the third main course of grilled fish. By the time the coconut rice, rum, and (more) zebu kababs were being passed around, we put our hands up in surrender and fell to the ground. It was the party of the year with children, grandparents, "vazahas" all dressed up, and fisherman dancing all around.

Tsingy Rouge

Northern Madagascar is home to some very fascinating Tsingy. What are "Tsingy," you might ask? Well, I'm not really sure. But they are something like a downside up stalagmite. Primarily a sandy geological structure, they shoot from the red earth, defying nature.

Anouk and I decided to hitch a 4x4 truck to a region about two hours inland from where we were staying in Ramena. From there, we traveled over sometimes fine, sometimes very car-sick inducing potholes to arrive at this beautiful sight. We hiked down into the canyon to get a closer look.

Air Madagascar

Driving to the airport to catch our plane from St. Denis to Diego, Madagascar, it came to our attention that the airline we were flying with, Air Madagascar, had several days prior been blacklisted. This means that the international aviation commission has deemed it an airline unfit for humans.

We weren't nervous at all.

As we boarded the aircraft, Anouk jokingly asked the first flight attendant we saw, a stern woman in a red suit, whether the plane was in good working order, whether it was fit to fly, etc. The hostess looked her in the eye and said, "Honestly, I have no idea." She then directed us to our seats.

Ultimately the flight went just fine, but this doesn't mean that we hadn't soaked through our clothes by the time we touched down at Antisiranana an hour later. We were stressed, to say the least.

The arrivals and departures board in Diego

Hop, Skip, Jump: Madagascar

Early May brought me to La Reunion's large island neighbor, Madagascar. I spent a fast but colorful week in the country's north, exploring the small fishing village of Ramena and her surroundings. I was the guest of a midwife friend from Reunion, and her father, who spends a large portion of every year visiting Ramena as its village doctor. Our arrival signified that "The Doctor was In" and between Anouk and her father, Gilles, they greeted many patients over the course of our stay. This was of course, a privileged position, as we were given the royal treatment everywhere we went. We were invited into homes, confided in, and accompanied around town.

The following are some of my favorite pictures from the week:

Into the Wild

Now that school is finished, there's a lot more free time. The crew here has responded by taking to the trails. Here are some photos from an eastern coastal trek we took from Anse des Cascades to Saint Rose at the beginning of May:
And the view from the flatbed truck that Rom and I hitched back to our car:

I've Moved!

As of May 1st, I moved up into the hills, to Plateau Caillou. This is a beautiful western city looking out over the Indian Ocean. It's incredible how quickly the climate and temperatures change depending on where you are in Reunion Island. The mountains are known for their departure from the hot, dry temperatures of the low-lying beach communities. On my first night in the new place, I felt the sensation of cold for the first time in months.

Moving from La Saline was a project and a shocking discovery in how much stuff one accumulates in a short period of time. Ms. Austria, the dear helping hand, assisted in digging me out of the rat's nest I had somehow constructed for myself over the past year. Miraculously everything fit into the car and--more or less--into my new room.

I am living with the Jean-Jacques family: friends I met over the course of this past year. Everyone describes our house ambiance as a "courant d'air." At any given time there can be as many as seven of us and as few as one. My role is "Native English Speaker" and I keep the party alive with hilarious miscommunications and international dinners. It's a nice change from my quiet studio life. Now that my high school teaching contract is over, I'm working less and finding it fun to spend time with humans.

My new house:

And my new dog (who comes included with the house):

School's Out!

The end of April saw the end of my teaching contract on Reunion Island. For the two weeks leading up to this untimely finish, my students and I celebrated the momentous goodbye with copious amounts of grease. After day three of class parties: ie, chips and soda for breakfast, I proposed whole grains and fruits. This plan was rejected by 99% of the population.

It may not have been the healthiest string of events, but we certainly had fun. Different classes organized different activities and presentations to mark my departure. One group cleared all of the tables and chairs in the classroom and taught me how to break dance. Obviously I excelled. Another group sang traditional songs and jumped on the desks. I had to be firm with my frown face. On my very last day, one class prepared an entire Réunionais Créole lesson for me. They may have laughed more than I learned: an American accent is not a common occurrence in this language. But they had fun (at my expense).

Here are some Creole riddles that I had to decipher. You have to figure out what vegetable the riddle is referring to:

Ti bonom grand shapo.
Small gentleman with a big hat. (mushroom)

In ti rouz, tap in gran blan.
Little red one that taps big white ones. (red chile)

Mon rob lé ver mon kilot lé rouz.
My shirt is green and my underwear are red. (tomato)

Mon san lé cayé sou la ter.
My blood is curdled under the earth. (beet root)

One of the sweetest gestures came from my bakery students who, on their last day, presented me with a serving tray. It is a beautiful wooden platter with a "Reunion Island" motif that is also, incidentally, made from the heaviest and densest wood known to mankind. It is large--extremely large--and takes three people to carry. I have not figured out how I will fit it into a normal-sized suitcase or box for my return to the States.