Inki in Madagascar

NEW BLOG. AGAIN.

2008-06-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

As much as I hate admitting it, I have to move on from my life in Madagascar. So with a new phase, comes a new blog. Please continue to visit and comment on the new one! :-)
This is it:
http://inkiswan.blogspot.com Welcome to my Bubble! :-)

Vita. Finished...

2008-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hald is over.
People have left!

I feel sad.

We had a great farewell party and hardly slept the last night at the school that's meant so much to us all this year. Saying goodbye was terrible.

Eline, me and Eline (Cameroon)And our dear Torstein joined us. :-)
Luckily some of the Hald students are from Madagascar, so I KNOW I'll see them again one day. Today I found out that I have to set a date for my return to Madagascar. It's much better to know when I'll be back than just the fact that I will be back. It won't be long. I miss it so much.

Rock and I, the second to last dayWe gave each other compliments the last day.

Thanks to Hald. Thanks to the teachers. Thanks to the people in Madagascar. Thanks to the students at Hald. Thanks to God. I've had a fantastic year and learnt a lot.

I like to think that I am a lot wiser now and that I have gained wisdom for the rest of my life!

:-)

Informationwork

2008-05-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

Time to tell the world about my stay in Madagascar. First in Stavanger, then in Os. This blog is being written on the ferry on the Fanafjord, quite nice to have internet everywhere. WOW!

still have Malagasy friends, even in Norway! YEAY! This is Rock :-)

BAD NEWS: I lost my pictures from Madagascar! Not much informationwork can be done without them, and I need them to help my poor memory...
GOOD NEWS: My friend is a computernerd, so he found them again! :-) Thanks, Torstein! :-)

I've already had great fun with my friends in Norway. Here are some photos!

we got loads of free stuff at Kiwi on the way to Lindesnes Lighthouse

enjoying our stuff at Lindesnes Lighthouse

BAD NEWS: Hald is over the 13th of June...
GOOD NEWS: ...well, hm...

At least my teampartner will still be in Norway! :-)

I visited Sigrid in Kristiansand, we hang out with Marte and had lunch with Sigrid's fiancé, Kristoffer

Cultureshock?

2008-04-17T05:17:00.000-07:00

It's a bit weird being back in Norway. Here are the ten strangest things about being back:

* There are white people EVERYWHERE!

* And they don't look at you on the streets. Instead they stare at the ground, trying to avoid eyecontact.

* You don't have to bend down if you walk past people who are standing or sitting.

* You get strange looks if you point with your mouth

* Things are EXPENSIVE!

* I can eat whenever and whatever I like, and I can find everything I want!

* We can drink the water from the tap!

* The water is already hot; you don't even have to boil it!

* I can understand the whole conversation and I can say what I want to say without any difficulties

* It's COLD.

Madagascar is not forgotten and never will be. At the same time it's great being back at Hald and hearing stories from the other students.

At one point I felt I had really had a boring stay with nothing exciting happening compared to the others - but then Ola enlightened me by telling great stories from Madagascar that I actually took part in! I guess it had come to the point where life in Madagascar was the normal life, and not really so special. But now I realize that I've had a blast and experienced great things! Now I have to get used to living in Norway again...

Goodbye to Madagascar

2008-04-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

It was terrible leaving Fandriana. It was terrible saying goodbye to my friends not knowing when or if I will meet them again. Before we had a goodbye party the 14th of March, we celebrated the Women’s Day. The boys cooked for the girls! Mmm! Then we left the 15th for our Easter holiday in Farafangana, the South-East Coast of Madagascar. My friend Nancy and Ihanding out rice to the students - thanks to my dearest Granny and Grandad in England! :)

Farafangana was great. We visited our friend Daniel and his family. The few days we stayed there we swam in the Indian Ocean, went on a lakana trip (a Malagasy canoe) and did other tourist things. Nice being a tourist for a change, really relaxing. my future house?
Ola's father Dag, Eline and Daniel in the lakanawe found some children to play with in Farafangana too!

Daniel and his family, Team Madagascar and Olas father, Dag and his brother, Finn Ivar

We got back to Tana but didn’t stay there for long before we went North to Mahajanga. We were going for a boattrip on the Mission boat Shalom for 10 days. It was fantastic. We really got to experience missionaries in work. We visited three villages, two of them did not have electricity and no doctor. Our task was to play with the children and teach them Christian songs. We had a great time. In one village the Shalom-workers handed out “Samaritarian’s Purse” for each child. The Samaritan’s Purse was a box containing toys, toothbrushes and other useful things. The children were really happy and it was a great experience seeing their excitement.

the children were crazy about the four white people with the camera!
My six months in Madagascar are over for now, but I am CERTAIN that I will come back! This half year has made me even more positive about becoming a missionary and doing work for the Lord. I can’t wait to be back on this fantastic island – either as a tourist or as a worker! Madagascar is fantastic and the people are extraordinary. No wonder they call it she Island of Sunshine.

Saved from the Cyclone

2008-02-19T03:31:00.000-08:00

The Missionary Meeting was over so we headed back to Fandriana yesterday. It was poring down with rain and a rough wind was blowing terribly. Along the way we saw rice fields that were flooded with water and thought how terrible it must be for the people to have lost their land and source of income. A couple of places the road had started to “mould up” and one place the road was nearly completely blocked by a fallen tree.

We had driven for 2 and a half hours when the greatest challenge faced us. The road was flooded with water and it was impossible to pass. One house was surrounded with water and the rice fields could not be seen. A couple of taxi-brousses had stopped and the people were figuring out a solution to the problem. The passengers would walk by foot across the big “ocean” and carry their luggage on their heads. They would probably walk the 20 km that were left to Fandriana. What to do?!

Fortunately we weren’t on a taxi-brousse this time, so we could make our own decision. It was getting dark and going back to Antsirabe was therefore not an option. We decided to drive to Ambositra (20 km from where we were stopped by the flood), and found shelter in a hotel for the night. There wasn’t any signal on our phones, so we couldn’t reach anyone. Which was worrying for the people expecting us in Fandriana…

I had asked the people yesterday if the water would disappear during the night, but they just laughed. It hasn’t stopped raining since. This morning the first thing we did was get hold of credit for another phone. Fandriana was glad to hear from us and they thought something terrible had happened since we hadn’t arrived and they couldn’t reach us. They tried so send SFM’s car to pick us up (it is big and powerful), but the water was even higher today and they couldn’t get through. So perhaps Fandriana will be out of supplies for a while…

Anyway, our choice was either to stay in Ambositra (for uncertain time) or we could go back to Antsirabe before those roads were wrecked too! We chose option number two and are now safe and sound at the compound of the Norwegian School. People say there is a new cyclone on its way, so we have no clue on when we can head back and continue teaching…

I forgot to mention in my last post that Eline and I have got a kitten, and his name is Volamena (Gold in Malagasy). He’s in Fandriana waiting for us too. I miss him…

Check out Eline's blog for more details: http://elinehs.blogspot.com

Demons and Whites

2008-02-13T03:01:00.000-08:00

Living in a somewhat large village in Madagascar has turned out to be a bit different than we expected. Nobody told us we would see the devil, nor did they say there would be no water (AT ALL!) a couple of days. And when we were out of gas as well, we really had to be Malagasy. They didn’t tell us we would be sexually harassed by our students (not too serious of course!), but they did tell us we would get attention. Here’s a little insight in what we’ve been faced with the last month.

A Demon In Our Dorm (sorry this is a bit long...)

She’s in my English class at SFM. Sits in the back of the classroom - a good student. The girl is quiet but sweet. Whenever I pass her, she is always smiling. There’s a twinkle in her eye. Her name is Hery – strength.

Some weeks ago I experienced another side of the Malagasy culture. I heard terrible screaming and crying from a room down the hall in my dormitory. My curiosity took over and I went to have a look. People were sitting around Hery’s bed, trying to comfort her. She was shaking terribly and literally crying like mad. I’ve never heard anything like it.

“Her heart is sick. There is a demon inside her,” they said when I asked what was the matter. Not exactly what I expected to hear. Before I could figure out a way to help, Hery was carried to another room. Apparently she’d had a vision that made her terrified. She was too weak to stand on her own. We all followed into the next room. Hery was placed on the bed and her friends were trying to calm her. They called the shepherds (Christian exorcists) and they were there in an instant.

“Why aren’t you singing?” they said and started to pray loudly. They wore white gowns and had their Bibles in their hands. I had seen this in church a couple of times, but never had I seen it with connection to a possessed person - and certainly not with any of my students! We fetched our songbooks and we sang as loud as we could, everyone worried about our friend.

“In Jesus’ name – go out of her Satan!” the shepherds shouted angrily. The poor girl was still shaking and screaming; her eyes were fixed on a spot on the wall. She didn’t react when they waved a hand in front of her face. She was totally gone. Hery wasn’t there, her eyes just stared blankly into nowhere. The twinkle and life in her eyes were gone.

After minutes of singing and praying, she finally calmed down. They asked her to say the name Jesus, but in the beginning she couldn’t. She protested and screamed. The shepherds continued their procedure, and eventually she whispered Jesus’ name, several times. Then we prayed for her and took her back to her room.

In the evening everyone gathered in the hallway to sing and pray for Hery. She had come more or less to herself and was explaining what had happened. “I saw a terrible sight – it made me horrified–“ suddenly she stopped, and started screaming all over again. The noise was terrible. We were all very worried. The shepherds were called again and started their routine once more.

Eline and I couldn’t sleep thinking there was a demon in the house. And the noise was too much to handle. Our friend was clearly in terrible pain and we felt so helpless. We spent the following night in the other Norwegians’ house. They had heard the screaming all the way to their house – that’s over 100 metres…

The following day, Hery went home, 6 hours North of Fandriana. Rumours spread quite quickly in Madagascar. Some say the demon is still in the dorm, some say it went with Hery. Some people don’t believe that there was a demon inside her at all. They say that she was depressed or had some kind of illness. I remember seeing her a few days before her “seizures”. I noticed then that she wasn’t the same old Hery. She was keeping to herself and didn’t look at all happy…

I know you readers might find it hard to believe that she was possessed. We’re not used to think this in the West. I don’t think anyone has the correct answer to that, except God. All I know is that something wasn’t right about Hery; something had definitely come over her… It is difficult for us to decide whether she was possessed or just sick. But I have a theory: what if it’s the devil who gives her the illness? What if the demon is a disease? That can be a way for him to take possession of our souls and hearts. Certainly I don’t think God would put his children into such pain…

Guess it was time for a little philosophical blog post now. I meet people with a lot different viewpoints than I am used to; it’s interesting.
I thank God that I have a faith that makes me strong and a teampartner I can share thoughts and moments with…

Now to something far different…

Some photos of one of our workplaces

the blue and white building is the primary school we teach at…
…far away in the village of Iharana
then we teach the teachers afterwards, this time we did it in the church and all we had was a small blackboard and some chalk

The power of the white human being

We are white. It is so obvious. As if it wasn’t enough getting glances and comments on the streets because our skin colour is so noticeable, the police have to stop us too. One Saturday Eline and I got to borrow the Norwegians’ car. We were so ready for a road trip to Ambositra (1 hour North), where we would buy each other birthday presents and have a nice restaurant meal. It was a long time since we’d driven a car, so we were quite nervous and very excited.

When we were driving home from Ambositra, we got pulled over by the police. This isn’t just peanuts, because in Madagascar the police have huge rifles on their back. You have to fear them for them to get respect… As it was my turn to sit behind the wheel, I was quite nervous as I rolled down the window.

this is a nice road in Madagascar!

“Salama tompoko,” I said politely and smiled. Could he see that I was nervous? Apparently he didn’t care. He had stopped us for private reasons. After having flattered us with compliments about our appearances – and found out we teach English – he explained that he’d like to learn too. Trying to impress us with the knowledge he already had, he said “I love you” and hoped for a positive answer. What to do?! He was the police, so I had to act in a proper way. Eline and I couldn’t help but laugh – and that saved us from the awkward moment. At the end he asked me for my driver license, indicating it was ok if I had left it at home. After having seen my name and the date of birth, he used the information to get to know me better. Luckily we got away soon enough. “See you, mademoiselle Swan,” he said at last. Well, we’ll see about that…

We had to be stopped twice again by different police on our way back. These smelled of alcohol and had the same purpose as the other one, but we got away safely and somehow managed to avoid giving them our number…

Pictures of our accommodation

Relaxing with a film in the evening

Our beautiful and (un)comfortable toilet

The place where we get water for our shower, wash clothes and do the dishes.

Our present location is Antsirabe, where we will spend the rest of the week at a small Missionary Meeting. We’re here to play with the children and attend some seminaries. That’ll be fun!

As I said; nobody told us everything we would meet in this country, but that’s been part of the adventure. We’re having great fun! I love Madagascar very much and I’m dreading the day I have to leave all my friends here…

Here are some delayed photos of different people and events

some of my friends on a picnic with SFM
Eline buying fruit on the way home from In-field
The first Sunday of Advent with Norwegians
boat in Mahajanga, taken by Maria

Bottom-line for now:
The police have power, but so does the white person.
Africa is good, but Madagascar is best!
There are many good organizations and schools, but Hald is number 1!
Satan is strong, but JESUS IS THE STRONGEST!

Visitors from Norway; treating the ill and smiling to the poor

2008-01-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

I will make this a long one, because who knows when I’ll have Internet again…?

2008 is turning out to be a really happy new year! After a successful Christmas celebration I was ready for the vacation with friends from Norway. We went to the North coast, to the town of Mahajanga. A really nice town really, with nice people and heat above our normal body temperature. Swimming in the Mozambique Canal was one of the highlights. New Year’s Eve was celebrated with Fabian and Tulika, the German and Dutch friends we had met in Tana a few weeks earlier.

When our holiday in Mahajanga was over, we went back to Tana. We stayed there only overnight before we would go on to Antsirabe. Unfortunately, this was the day my stomach protested. I once had a goal not to be sick my whole stay in Madagascar, but now this aim was crushed to pieces. It wasn’t really all that bad, and we got to Antsirabe safely.
Except one thing: I forgot my mobile phone on the Taxi Brousse. And that was the last I saw of it. Fortunately the unsuccessful hunt for it afterwards resulted in an encounter with a very kind pousse-pousse driver. A new friend is always worth more than a piece of communication device. Speaking of which – My new phone number is +261330415087 and I have signal in Fandriana too!

our taxi-brousse had to help another one wtih trouble

Saturday we went to the orphanage in Antsirabe and witnessed a Christmas party with the children there. They were dressed in their best outfits and looked very happy, even before they received a plastic bag each with shoes and clothes. After a small service they performed plays and songs for us. When they suddenly sang “Laudate Omnes Gentes” in Norwegian, we were all very touched.

Malagasy people are easy to please
The day after we were back in Fandriana again. Everyone noticed that I was limping on crutches and wondered why my knee still hadn’t healed (it’s been over one and a half month now). So they took me to an old man in the village, far away from the SFM. My stomach was twisting like mad; I had heard terrible stories about people being ill in foreign countries. The medical treatment they got always ended in horror. So I was terrified.
But my contact person said this person had a gift from God, so I guess I should trust both him and God. At least he had a nice smile. He found a chair for me and I sat down outside his house. It didn’t take long for all the curious people nearby to gather around, waiting to be entertained. A white vazaha was sitting on the chair and she was going to get a massage. They didn’t see this every day – this was going to be good!

So there I sat, with maybe 20 people around me, their eyes as big as meatballs as they stared at the nervous vazaha. The masseur started to oil my neck and rubbed the knots that had a connection with the knee. I was holding tight onto the chair, thinking that was the only thing that could save me. Then he started with my knee, and he pushed and squeezed so hard. How could this help me?! I was afraid it would make things worse but of course I had to be brave because I had spectators. Well, now I know how the animals in the zoo feel…
I couldn’t cry, so I laughed. It was so painful. Maybe I made strange faces, because the staring people laughed at me and even more people came to witness the sight. Even the man who gave me the massage chuckled. Well, I’m glad I can make people happy anyway…

Suddenly he was done. “Get up,” he said, holding my hand. My clothes were pulled up as far as they could go and my leg was covered in greasy oil. My face was probably red as well. Well, this will certainly make them laugh, I thought as I started to walk on my poor leg. PRAISE THE LORD! Now I don’t need my crutches anymore. And although I am still limping I can finally walk on two legs and that’s a miracle! It’s fantastic! Can’t say I am 100% well, but I can walk and that’s a start.

Teaching Norwegian food, songs and games
Before going to Tana to send Maria and Ellisiv off, we got to teach the students of SFM how to make Norwegian buns, boller. We also taught them the song “Jesus loves all the children” in Norwegian.

On our way to Tana it was our taxi brousse that had trouble. Suddenly we stopped, in the middle of nowhere, out of gas. We waited for three and a half hours before we could go on. In the meantime we met some sweet Malagasy children. After a long photosession we started to play with them. We taught them “bro bro brille” and “slå på ringen”. Great fun! They loved it!

we got bored in the sun... So we wrecked a house...

just kidding!

Sunday afternoon we are invited to eat Malagasy food at “Banandama” – The banana lady’s house. She sells bananas on the road and we interviewed her for an article. This is her way of keeping in touch, and we are very excited about the food!

Sunday evening our friends will be off to Norway. Monday morning Eline and I will go back to Fandriana, to the village far away from civilization. Fortunately there is a signal on my phone, but apart from that the best way to keep in touch is by the old, traditional way. My address is: Karin Swan, BP 23, 308 Fandriana, MG MADAGASCAR.

Christmas is Coming Up!

2007-12-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

Short update before Christmas, visit from Norway and maybe the last post this year! yikes!
I have finally got crutches, so now I can walk more easily! ;)
I have been to town today to buy Christmas presents. It's fun! :) I am getting the Christmas spirit; great listening to Christmas carols and songs and beeing with good friends. We are still looking for a Christmas tree, though. Maybe we will end up just taking a branch from the Letchi tree! ;) Of course there is no snow here - that makes Ola and Eline wish for rain and thunder on Monday (which is when we will celebrate).

We have baked some Christmas cookies (Norwegian tradition) and we have done the big shopping. Or more correct; the others have done the shopping. I didn't have crutches at that time; so I was in the house. But I got to clean the kitchen very nicely; so now we can really have a nice celebration! We have bought Christmas crackers for the table, witch is my contribution of the English celebration I'm used to. I'm also responsible for collaborating with Father Christmas so the Christmas stockings will be lying on our beds on the 25th. It's all very exciting!

I miss people at home a bit; but not as much as I thought I would do (sorry folks). I know I am with very special people here; so I don't mind. It's great to celebrate Christmas in a new way with new people!

NowI would like to wish you all a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Have a great celebration wherever you are. Make the last days of 2007 special. If you can't be with the one(s) you love - love the one(s) you're with! ;-)

Time for In-field

2007-12-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

Wow. I haven’t had internet for a month. So much has happened since then. I have really experienced life in Africa!
We have taught in the children schools only a few times – sick teampartner/no car/bad communication possibilities etc. There was always something in the way…

Some weeks we’ve had to put up with the frustration of not having ANY ways to communicate with the rest of the world. Not only once have we experienced that what we planned never happened. We have had to realize that what you don’t plan – that’s what you’re suddenly thrown into! In short – Malagasy culture is very different to the Norwegian one, in many ways… It’s interesting and fun to experience, but sometimes it gets a bit tiring.

So when the time for In-field came, I was ready for a break.

This is our messy kitchen and us getting ready to leave Fandriana

To be able to have a conversation in my mother tongue without having to concentrate to understand every sentence was like a dream. We rented a car with a great driver. He took us all the way to Toamasina on the East Coast. We had some relaxing days there by the beach. Slept in a bungalow. Swam in the pool. Snorkled on the coral reef. Had Bible study. Counselling. Evaluation on our personal growth so far. Enjoying the company of Agnar, our teacher from Hald.

buying fruit on the wayWe stopped in Andasibe for lunch and a walk in the rainforest on the way to Tamatave
Bible study in the shade

Decmber relaxation

But working with the Malagasy culture hasn’t been the only challenge. The past two weeks, I have been a crippled vazaha limping or jumping around on my right foot. The reason: a bad left knee caused by more exercise than my poor knees are used to. Not making matters any better, there is no milk in Fandriana, so perhaps my calcium level is a bit low. Our trustworthy driver managed to make me a crutch out of metal, so I’ve been walking around like an old lady, becoming the laughing stock for all Malagasy people. Great. But apart from this, I’ve still not been ill, so I’m happy! Mbola faly aho!

My walking stick

Now comes the time for Christmas holiday and celebrations, which will be interesting as it is my first Christmas away from my family. Two Norwegian friends, Maria and Ellisiv, will visit me for two weeks and a half, coming on the 26th of December. I am looking so much forward to that! Can hardly wait!

Life In Fandriana

2007-11-15T23:17:00.000-08:00

Well, this past week Ingrid Karin Swan has been settling down in the countryside, in the marvellous town of Fandriana. The experiences have been many and not at all boring! What makes this town so special for a European girl? I will try to explain, although the only way to fully understand is when you experience it yourself!

The bed that keeps me company in the night is situated in a small room in a dormitory of SFM, the only school that educates teachers in the country. But my bed is not the only thing in my room. Apart from a closet, a table and two chairs I have living company as well! The termites gladly welcomed me in my new room by showing me who’s the boss of the wooden furniture. Which is every furniture I have. After having slept in the wooden bed a couple of nights, I realized that maybe the termites weren’t the only ones enjoying my habitat. Red spots covered parts of my legs, and they were itching like mad. Eline suggested it might be flees. Some kind of bedbugs anyway - or maybe just mosquitoes who took a bite at me outside…? It stays a mystery…

Making food - Malagasy style
To avoid dying a person has got to eat. Eline and I make our own food everyday, and I’ve got to say we’re getting quite good at it! Now we even know how to do it in the Malagasy way, having no electric oven and all. We cook rice on a fatapera. It’s social, it’s fun and it’s good! And no, it doesn’t go faster with an oven. Then you just stand in your own boring kitchen and don’t get the chance to make fire and cook with the girls.

Working as a teacher
Eating is not everything we do, although it may seem like it from time to time. We have started our work as teachers here at the teacher-training school. It’s great fun, I really enjoy it! The students are aged from 18 to 45, so there is a huge gap. I feel quite young and inexperienced when I teach them, but since they don’t know much English I feel that I am needed, which is a good feeling. They don’t seem to mind that their teacher could be their daughter… Among the things I have taught them so far, are The Body and how to make questions.
Next week we will start teaching English from scratch in two children schools too, far away in the countryside. If you know me, you know that I can’t wait to start! The children here are so adorable!
Working like a Malagasy woman
I am starting to realize how spoiled we are living in the West. Here there is no such thing as a washing machine, a dishwasher, electric oven etc. Sometimes there is no water in the tap, and everyday you have to do your business in a hole in the ground. Washing clothes by hand is painful for the back, and washing dishes everyday is a bit tiring at times. I think I know one of the reasons why people in the West live much longer. They don’t do hard physical work like this everyday! And - especially in Europe – they’re not exhausted at 10 o’clock in the morning because of the hot Sun! But I’m also realizing that people here seem a lot happier than in the West. Can you imagine why?
A Malagasy woman also has to do her duties in the rice field. Her job is to plant rice, which is exactly what I did last Wednesday! The whole school went out to plant rice, and of course the vazahas had to give it a try. Trotting through the mud was fun, but at the same time disgusting and alarming. We were shown some frogs which had been picked up from the mud. Not the least was there a warning in my head saying: you shouldn’t walk in still-standing water in Madagascar, you can get Bilharzia. (A disease which in the worst case can cause death.) But I couldn’t just watch the Malagasy people doing it. And besides, if they could - so could I. So my rubber boots were put on the bank side, and weren’t far from melting in the heat.
Well, if I get Bilharzia in the near future, we all know why…

Enjoying the country; the climate and the nature
Every morning I wake up at 5 o’clock (at the latest). I go for a run among green rice fields and enjoy the break of day. I take a shower in the cold water before I eat breakfast and go to work at 7. Lunch (Norwegian “middag”) is devoured at around 12 or 1 o’clock. The eye of the day, as the Malagasy people call the Sun, smiles down at us everyday and makes us hope it will rain, which it normally will around 4 o’clock. After that there’s not much more to do outside, as the Sun goes to bed at around 7 o’clock. Not long after that, miss Swan is so exhausted that she too goes to bed, wondering what tomorrow will bring…

Andro Mahafinaritra = Beautiful day

2007-11-04T04:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one amazing day!
It started with Malagasy classes. The last day with Edouard, our teacher. The nice guy he is, he would take us to Lake Tritriva, approx 9 km outside Antsirabe. His car isn’t actually a brand new Rolls Royce, if you know what I mean. And Malagasy roads aren’t really known for being class A, so we had to avoid major holes and deep ditches. This of course meant trouble when we had to drive up a VERY steep hill. My heart was pounding like mad as we struggled upwards. I was only one second from jumping out of the car at one point, terrified as I was. Suddenly we weren’t going forwards anymore, and Edouard couldn’t get the car in gear. The car was racing backwards at a terrible speed and Eline, sitting in the middle in the back, reached out to grab the hand break.
“I’ll go out and push!” I exclaimed as I had made the decision that sitting in the car was too dangerous. So we all got out, and a moment after, Edouard followed. We already had an audience, curious young men and women selling hats etc. The men saw their chance to help, and started pushing the four-wheeled vehicle up the steep hill. The minutes went by; we panted, laughed nervously, said no thank you to the sellers and perspired under the hot sun.
FINALLY we got the car to the top. We could finally enjoy the beautiful sight of the green lake. And the fantastic view over typical Malagasy rice fields.

I'm just glad we didn't go in this vehicle!

After having got safely back to Antsirabe, we got an invitation to a waffle party at the Norwegian “ettåring’s”. You Norwegians who love waffles; you can imagine our joy! But before going to our friends, we took them swimming at Hotel des Thermes. Our Malagasy friend Daniel, who has spent the week-end with us, also joined us. Enjoying the sunrays and the cool water was just what we needed to relax after our breathtaking drive to Lake Tritriva.

The waffle-lover

On top of it all, we met another new friend. Her name is Fefe, she sold us a wallet the other day. We asked her name and spoke Malagasy to her. Now, every time we see her, we smile and talk to her. It is great getting to know the Malagasy people, and then you also have something else to say than “No thank you”…

My situation will change from tomorrow. Our time in Antsirabe is over for now, and Fandriana is waiting. We will take a taxi brousse (YIKES!) all the way, and when we get there, we will meet our students. On Tuesday I will have my first day as a teacher! Excited? You bet!
Since Fandriana is in the country side, this may be the last you hear from me for a while. Now I have to say goodbye to a normal WC, water in the tap, electricity, an oven, Internet and Norwegians all around. I’m looking forward to it! And still I thank God for not yet being ill! :)

New friends in Antsirabe

2007-10-27T03:18:00.000-07:00

The pousse-pousse man

I asked the pousse-pousse driver if I could drag him this time - and surprisingly enough, he said yes! :) Every person on the street turned and stared, laughed and pointed at the white GIRL who dragged the black man in what had to be his pousse-pousse! Great fun and good exercise!:)

The sunset

Every evening Marita says: "Wow, look at the beautiful sky!" And every evening we enjoy a new, beautiful piece of art there in the horizon.

Our housekeeper Tinn

The maker of delicious Malagasy food who even washes and irons our clothes, sweeps the floor and helps us with our Malagasy homework. Today was the last day we could enjoy her presence though, sadly enough...

Mr. Tortoise

This creature walks around in his little compound all day long. If he's not walking or sleeping he's spending time with his wife, making sure the family name will be passed on...

The couple enjoying themselves on the bench

Mr. Tortoise isn't the only one. Black beetles caught in the act.

Spiderman

As you can see, I encounter new creatures everyday. Some more interesting than others, but all of them making the hot days exciting and different, giving breath-taking moments to a young vazaha-girl from Europe...

Monday's Challenges: Learning Malagasy. Feeling a bit sad...

2007-10-24T01:35:00.000-07:00

Learning Malagasy is one interesting event. As my 5th language to learn, I must say that this seems like the one with the least variety of words. I mean, when almost every word starts with m, you’ve got to get confused. Mamy, mamo, mipetraka, manao, manasa, mianatra, mihinana, mahay, malala… Get one letter wrong, and you’ve got a totally different word. Today I really laid an egg. That’s at least what I told the housekeeper. “I’m pregnant, that’s why I didn’t eat all the potatoes.” Great. What I really meant was that I was full. Be voky and voky be are the same words just in the different order. Structure and place of the stress means everything in this idiom. The creativity of the people who formed this language can’t really be the best.
Take the word because as an example. In Malagasy you can say it in 4 different ways, and have a look at the possibilities: fa, nefa, anefa, kanefa… I don’t think I have to tell you that we sometimes get confused and roar with laughter from time to time.

And laughing is really something we need to do when we’re here. It can be the best medicine! Monday afternoon I didn’t laugh much, sadly enough. I was tired, hungry, stressed with all the Malagasy classes, homesick and on top of it all I felt really qouizy. (I blame some of it on the Malaria tablets I’m taking; I really hope they’ll do their job, when they have all these horrific side-effects…)
I sent a text message to my good friend Maria, and she answered back with a verse from the Bible. Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Was this letter written to me? It was certainly what I needed to hear. Reading more around this verse made me even more certain. I am in Madagascar because it’s God’s plan. He placed me here with these people for a reason, and these 6 months are going to make me ready for the rest of my life and form me as a person. Yeay! :-)
Hehe, I can’t help but laugh when I think about it now, as everything seems just right again. Just wanted to share with you readers in this world my great experience; that it really helps to read the Bible - whatever situation we’re in. I felt bad and might have felt even worse if I hadn’t read those comforting words. Jesus really is the best psychologist and the BEST medicine. And He is one I don’t have to miss while I’m down here. I am so glad I’m a Christian, it makes life magnificent! :-)

The Adventure of the Mid-Week-Day

2007-10-17T21:51:00.003-07:00

This is one example of an early ”out-of-bed”
My eyelids had slid open, many thoughts were in my head
I have to tell the story of the yesterday event
When Eline and her partner (me) to Tombontsoa went
We were so sick of white bread, so we wanted whole-grain flour
We took a bus and then a pousse-pousse, it took about an hour.
The pousse-pousse driver got so tired by pulling us up the hill
So we got out and walked beside him, time was standing still.
We gave him more than he deserved, we felt sorry for him
He thanked us very nicely, but I felt I’d done a sin.

“Where is the whole-grain flour?” we asked all the folks we met
We didn’t know how to rephrase it, that was fun – you bet!
They gave us the direction, we were ready to go far
We had to pass through cribs with cows, but we didn’t see a star (!)
Then suddenly we saw the house, it was so big and white
We asked a man if they had flour, though grammar wasn’t right
But finally he understood, he showed us what we meant
We were so happy and we laughed – this was a great event!
We paid him and we tried to say that we’d come back for more
He nodded, then we went away, so happy with our score.

Then we went back to Antsirabe, and guess who we did meet
Yes, all the people who are there, whose home is on the street
We gave them smiles, we gave them chips, ‘cause that was what we had
And then we walked away, although still feeling really bad.
When we got home we had to do our homework in the sun
When that was done we made our lunch and even that was fun!
The Malagasy teaching for today was good, you see
Now I can say a lot of things, my language barrier’s free (well, not yet really, but it rhymed…!)

Team Madagascar learning Malagasy

2007-10-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Madagascar

2007-10-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

We have soon been here for two weeks. It's great! Antsirabe is the lucky town that has the pleasure of hosting us for the next two weeks, while we learn the language of this beautiful country.
The past days have been quite useful. We have learned some Malagasy phrases, seen exorcism in the church (wow-that was interesting!), been to the Rova (the old queen palace), drunk lots of water, taken a taxi brousse, baked buns and killed a chicken for dinner, waited for the sloooow internet connection... And we have visited the schools where we are going to teach English. I have had a speach in front of 800 pupils, got tons of comments on the streets (because I'm white), heard the children in the village shout "Karin" after me (following me for the next 200 metres), enjoyed the lovely green nature, listened to Eline's laughter (she laughs all the time!) and seen thousands of poor people begging... The last has been the worst. I get my heart broken every time I go out on the streets... But let's not focus on the negative things! Here are some photos - Enjoy!

Picture above: The monkeys are licking my honey-covered fingers! :)

Here's the whole "gang" in the National Park in Antananarivo. Take a good look at our Malagasy hats - they are highly appreciated in this heat!
Well, think you'll just have to wait patiently for more pictures... Patience is something you really have to learn when you're in Madagascar... So although you're not here - take it mora mora and enjoy life as it comes along! :)

Back in Madagascar

2007-10-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

Salama! Finally I am here! In the capital of the 4th biggest island in the world. After 6 days in Madagascar these are some of the things I’ve learned:

1) We are very white. When walking in the streets, people stare at us. They smile at us, wave at us and shout “bonjour vazaha”, thinking that every white person is French. We are VIP’s in this country.
2) We are very rich. We can get a bus ride for 1 Norwegian Kr, and everything else is also cheap. No wonder people think we are wealthy. If the poor people see us, they come running. It is terrible to say that we don’t have money (when actually we do). I could write a whole post just about poverty in this country, but I think this will do for now…
3) It is hot. We wear t-shirts, shorts and sandals every day. Lovely!
4) God (Andriamanitra) means the King who smells good. The people who don’t believe in the loving God we Christians believe in, pray and give offerings to their ancestors.
5) The service in church lasts at least 3 hours. What takes most of the time, are the announcements. Why not just write it all down on a piece of paper for everyone? Well, they can’t afford the paper.
6) It is a sin to clap in church. Instead you have to raise your hand and wave!
7) Everything is mora mora (take it easy). In Madagascar we own the time, not the opposite.
8) Internet is very slow. Which is why you haven’t heard much from me yet. I don’t want to spend a lot of time in a small Cyber cafe when the sun is shining outside.
9) How to make a good Sunday dinner from scratch. In short: we killed a chicken, cooked potatoes (bought them in church (!) to support the church building) and we oHowHomade buns for dessert.
10) The traffic is terrible (no mora mora here!). People are selfish when driving. What matters is that they can get from A to B. If there are people in the road the drivers honk at them, after having “pretended” to drive over them. They want to get to their destination ASAP, even if it means driving in 100 km/h in a small, narrow street. On top of it all, people don’t use seatbelts…

A short update of my situation: I live in the Youth Centre in Antananarivo, together with the three other Norwegians. I am loving it! We are going to Antsirabe on Saturday to learn Malagasy for 2 weeks. Then Eline and I will go to Fandriana for 1 month, before we’ll go back to Antananarivo and live and work in the youth centre for the rest of our stay. We will also work with children here. Our main task will be to teach English.
Since I am becoming Malagasy Fotsy (a white Malagasy person), I have bought a Malagasy simcard. My phonenumber is: 032 5062 687. You can send me messages, but I am not sure if I’ll receive them. If you want to say something important, write it in an e-mail. I will check my Norwegian simcard once in a while too, in case you write messages to that number… But you can also call me! That would make me very happy. If you would like to send me letters, the address is:
Centre FKTLM Sabotsy Namehana, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar.
But you probably should expect that it might take a while. Mora mora, you know! ;)

Well, I think I will go out in the sunshine now. Can’t really say I miss the Norwegian autumn! :)Enjoy the rain for me!

Leaving on Tuesday!

2007-09-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

"Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." John 4:36-38

"You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 15:14-16

These are the Bibleverses we were reminded of when we left Hald on Friday. It's good to know that we are going to do important work for Jesus. I am glad the Lord has chosen me to to go to Madagascar, and I know that He will give me all I need.

Today I am feeling very tired and have mixed feelings. The past week has been quite emotional and tiring. We have had to say goodbye to our good friends at Hald, and I have not slept very much as an effort to be as social as possible when I have the chance... Now I'm at home and I have lots of preparations to do before the big journey in only 3 days. Not only preactical things, but also saying goodbye to friends and family here at home. I hardly have time to sleep, and when I try I'm so excited that I can't manage. And then I wake up too early!

I would really appreciate it if you could pray especially
-that I get to sleep so I feel fit when I leave Norway
-that all the prepararations will go well and that I don't forget anything important
-that the journey on Tuesday will be safe and smooth
Thank you so much! :)

Next post on this blog will be written in Madagascar! I will start posting as soon as I get settled and get a chance to go on the Internet. In the meantime I want to say thank you to everyone who's praying for me and reading my blog. I will try to keep you updated as much as I can. For the timebeing I can say that most likely we will be in Tana before Christmas and in Fandriana after. So we'll get to be both places!
Finally, I would like to share another Bibleverse that is helping me in these busy times: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil. 4,13

Madagascar - here I come!

Change in plans...

2007-09-19T04:21:00.000-07:00

In 13 days I will stand on the airport and wave goodbye to the people I love. Norway will be left behind for a while. And today, less than two weeks before I reach African soil, I don't know what to expect... What I am going to pack for. Am I going to live in the industrial capital or in the small village without the resources I'm used to? The thing is that at this point, I don't know.

An email from Madagascar saying there is more need for us in the capital (Tana), is the reason for this uncertainty. There are several schools in Tana that need English teachers, and there are already many "foreigners" in Fandriana, who can take care of things there. So where do they want us? My teacher and the contact person in Madagascar are trying to come up with the best solution. Personally I think it is good to be needed, so I will go wherever is best for the program. And of course where the Boss wants me. Still, it's a bit stressing not knowing whether or not I will have electricity, water and other necessities. Time will show. For the moment I will just have to wait patiently, as the days pass by faster than ever before...

3 weeks left...

2007-09-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

67 people from 13 different nations are gathered Sunday evening in a little town in Norway, Mandal. They are all dressed in red, white and blue. Some Norwegians are dressed in the Norwegian "Russe-costume", to show the internationals how Norwegians celebrate High School Graduation.

The first event on the program for this "Norwegian Evening", is a parade in the garden of Hald. All the students gather behind each other and start marching along, before seeing the flag raised on its pole.

The evening continues with plays, stories, songs and pictures; all presented by the Norwegians to teach the internationals what to expect in this cold country. The internationals don't understand the words when the hosts for the evening sing "Hun er forelska i lærer'n" ("She is in love with the teacher") - a very Norwegian song. But they laugh and enjoy the tune. The evening reaches its peak with Norwegian waffels and "sjokoladekake" (chocolatekake). When the food is all gobbled up, the students are ready to begin playing games. So they play "Musical Chairs". Just minutes after, the dancefloor is open and they all gather around to dance the next couple of hours. Who would have thought that the "Macarena"dance is the same in the poor countries of Africa, in South America and even in Norway? Well, we had lots of fun and felt it in our muscles the following day...

But the pain I felt may have been my muscles aching from the running I did Monday morning. I woke up at 6:30 and was going to be back 7:30. Unfortunately I got lost in the woods, and the route I ran became much longer. But I carried on, trying different paths, finding out I had run in circles... Typical. Anyway, I focused on the positive parts: 1) I got a really good workout, 2) I saw three beautiful deers looking me straight in the eyes.

I am still enjoying myself here at Hald, and today it is only 2 weeks and 6 days until I leave. 20 days!!! Am going home tomorrow, then I will have to do some practical things for the journey. Wow-Africa is waiting!

Here is a picture of my Ugandan friend Faith and me. Isn't she lovely? Isn't she beautiful?

Becoming Malagasy

2007-08-31T06:31:00.001-07:00

Salama! Inona vaovao? Androany dia zoma! (Hello! Any news? It is Friday today!)

As you can see, I am in the process of learning Malagasy. If you had a look in my room, you would see many post-it notes all over the place. The yellow ones are nouns and the red are adjectives. For instance, on my bed there is a yellow note that says: "fandriana", "seng" and "kitanda". Let me explain: we are two girls learning Malagasy in my room ("fandriana"), one girl learning Norwegian ("seng") and one girl learning Swahili ("kitanda"). The funny thing about this word is that the village I am going to in Madagascar is called Fandriana! So in October I am finally going to bed! :) As you might understand, I also learn a few Swahili-words in this process. It's quite a good idea actually, because this way we see the words all the time and we can easily memorize them!

Every wednesday ("alarobia") and thursday ("alakamisy") we learn Malagasy from the two Malagasy exchange students. It's great! I'm really getting in the mood for Africa! :) This evening we are also going to meet the students from last year and we'll be able to ask questions etc... I'm looking forward to knowing more about what I'm going to do in "Bed". Hehe! ;)

Let me tell you more about my fantastic, white ("fotsy") room. The post-it notes are not the only things that are new. Eline (the girl I'm going to "Bed" with-wow that sounds strange!) went on a treasure hunt the other day and found a nice closet in the basement. "Why not drag this into our room and get it more cosy?" So now we have another place to store all our stuff. Delightful...! This morning she also surprised me with a black pussycat and a broken mirror! (No, she isn't superstitious...) You can imagine my surprise. She just said in a normal voice: "I found this cat in the hall. It's been inside the whole night. And this mirror isn't being used by anyone, it is just lying around in the basement..." Well, we patted the cat for a while before we set the poor thing free, but the mirror is still in our room. Eline is planning to buy something to hang it on. She is very sensible. That makes one of us, I guess... ;)

I tell you, nothing is boring when you live with Eline. She is full of fun ideas and has always a good comment ready. Here is a picture of the two of us on a "get-to-know-your-teammate-weekend"). I had to be blindfolded while she led me through the forest and vise-versa. I am really looking forward to going to Madagascar with Eline! :)

New blog - new experiences!

2007-08-28T03:02:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my new blog! :) As you probably know, I am going to Madagascar in October. The 6 months I am going to be there, will be filled with lots of experiences. I won't be able to keep them all to myself, and therefore I have created this webpage so that you can take part in what's going on in my Malagasy life! :)

I will put out photos, links to other blogs etc. Comments on what I write will be very appreciated, so why not get started right away!? ;)