Category Archives: people

Top 10 Miss List

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As we close up shop on this end of the world for a few months to head back to the states there are many things we will miss about home in Madagascar:

1. Opportunity

Daily we are faced with opportunities to give in tangible ways to people greatly in need; a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, a prayer, medicine, a listening ear.

2. our teammates

Jamie and Alissa Shattenberg and their little brood of 3. They are much more than our teammates. They are like a brother and sister to us as we have ventured through the highs and weathered the lows of our first year in Madagascar together.

3. Fish

oh, the fresh fish in Madagascar….its is good….and big….and cheap.

4. the land

Madagascar is beautiful. During the rainy season the land turns vibrantly green overnight.

5. Friends

The last six months in Mahajanga has been a time of budding and deepening relationships. We look forward to growing in these relationship upon our return.

6. French school

Oliver has taken off in his school in every direction. He will miss his teacher, classmates and new found language (although we still do get occasional reports of his determination to teach others English).

7. Mangarano

This tiny mango packs a lot of punch and is the new family favorite. Its so good you literally drink it. Just cut a little hole and voila, instant goodness.

8. Freshness

Having very little access to traditional store bought foods means we live from scratch. Although its a labor intensive lifestyle in the kitchen, the payoff is worth it. Fresh tortillas, fresh bread, and homemade spaghetti sauce are a few of our weekly staples.

9. Beach

We live in a coastal town and our house is a 5 min. walk from the beach. That comes with some serious perks.

10. Sunsets

Nothing like the sunset over the Mozambique channel. We love our special family tradition of trying to catch as many sunsets as we can.

Chains and Trees

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Last weekend we took a trip to visit our friends at Toby. As per our previous experiences, we were met on the spot by the illest person on site at the moment. This is always a bit confusing because due to our own language and cultural barriers we are by far the last ones to know that the person we are conversing with is ill. The last two times this has occurred it is after our lengthy and tangental conversation that I realized the man before us had chains either on his hands or feet. This means he’s ill. Why chains? Chains are a way that the Toby staff or fellow family members use to restrain a patient that they see as a danger to himself or others. They are used temporarily when needed. In this man’s case he was in a full blown manic episode. He has Bipolar Disorder however his caretakers have very little to no clinical knowledge about this disorder. What they do know are the signs of it: he hasn’t slept in days, he won’t stop talking and pacing, he thoughts far exceed reality, etc. Since the opportunity presented itself we were able to assist his family and Toby staff with education and understanding about the cycles of Bipolar Disorder and to help sort out various medications they had on hand but did not know how to effectively administer.

Our purpose of this visit was to teach about health and hand out trees. Not just any tree, the miracle tree that we have been raving about. The church filled with men, women and children and Jonathan gave a presentation. Then we opened up the trunk of the car as people gathered eagerly to receive their tree. I heard people walking away shouting, “vitamins, vitamins” as they proudly walked home with their new Moringa tree.  It was a joyous occasional for all.

The least of these

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A class highlight last week was visiting the largest school for blind children in Madagascar. These children come from all over the country and are often even sought out. This is necessary since in many villages a child that is blind may be seen as result of a curse. Poor treatment may further the child’s sense of vulnerability and darkness. This school brings children into the light by providing a solid education and teaching daily life skills.
We were warmly welcomed by the children while they patiently listened to our attempts to speak their language. A common question asked by each class was what our favorite fruit is, a staple in the Malagasy diet. They were also happy to teach us a few things, like the names for digestive body parts in Malagasy and French.

Waste not

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NoThing is wasted in Madagascar. Recycling is not an environmental conviction, it is an absolute way of life. Used sardine cans become toy cars, old water bottles sell new petrol, oil, honey, hot sauce, or anything else that will fit in it and the list goes on and on. Creativity is through the roof here. People are resourceful with what they have; it is a matter of livelihood.  For this American girl, I have always been a fan of the idea of living responsibly regarding our material consumption and waste. I would call myself middle of the road in how successfully I put good ideas into practice. However…living in a third world country is really where the rubber meets the road. Theory is forced into practice when our family faces new daily realities of limited clean water, trash that doesn’t “disappear” under the earth, rather is displayed on the streets to become another persons treasure and where the effects of our daily “carbon footprint” is as real as the red dirt on our feet.

A taste of Malagasy

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Introducing……Madame Lalao, our Malagasy teacher for 5 months. She is why we are living in Antsirabe, the high plateau area of Madagascar. It is a 13+ hour drive from the town we will eventually live in, Mahajanga. Learning with her is worth every mile traveled to get here. She is excellent, inside and out; a true treasure. She is not only teaching us grammar, phonetics and vocabulary, but also heart and soul of Malagasy culture; beliefs, customs, values. We are privileged to learn with Madame Laoloa. Here is a soundbite of her teaching us a song:


Her son teaches our class for an hour each day. Here he is giving us a hands on lesson about the variety of vegetables we can find at the market. Our teachers have been great about teaching us very practical words and expressions. This has made a huge difference for us in day to day living.