October 28, 2023 to November 3, 2023
Before coming to Mahajanga, people told me two things about the city, that it was beautiful and that it was hot. Well, it turns out they were right on both accounts. The city is similar in size to Buffalo, there’s no traffic, and it is one of the safest cities in Madagascar. All of this really puts me at peace because big cities tend to stress me out, even in the U.S. Here, I can walk down the street and not worry about getting loss or being pickpocketed. While safety is not something that I need to worry about here, the heat and avoiding dehydration is definitely something on my mind.
I flew into Mahajanga on Saturday and Andry was able to have an apartment already set up for me that I could move into. The apartment is nice and clean and I feel safe living here. The only issues with the apartment are that there is no air conditioning, and it has a bit of an ant problem. While not having AC is fine most of the time because I have fans, there was a power cut for 3 hours (something that is common all throughout Madagascar) earlier this week and sitting in 95˙F heat with no breeze is a little tough. It was also unfortunate that the power went out then because I did not have running water to clean up my dinner. When the lights turned back on, I found a colony of ants munching on some pasta that had gotten out of the pot. While these aren’t huge life threatening issues, I again ended up thinking about some of the comforts I have back home, such as reliable electricity. This experience also caused me to make a mental note that I should probably clean up my dishes right away even when I’m back in the States.
This week I met Grace, a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) that has been in Mahajanga for the last year. It has been interesting to hear her perspective on the country and she given me advice that has made the transition to moving here easier. She has shared some tips about cleaning vegetables, the culture, and let me use her washing machine. She also showed me how to take the public bus to the beach, which was an adventure in itself. Imagine getting on a worn down, 15 person van that is blasting pop music in a foreign language with about 25 other people and 8 babies. Not gonna lie, I got pretty sweaty sitting there, but if you take a moment to forget about how uncomfortable you are, the public bus is pretty funny to be on, so I think I’m going to take it again when I get a chance.
The beach was as described, beautiful and breathtaking. It was low tide when we got there which meant that we were able to walk all along the beach to some rocks that jutted out. The ocean was a perfect temperature to swim in. In the U.S., I always feel like the ocean is cold when I go swimming and I don’t want to stay in long, but here I felt like I could stay in for as long as I wanted. On the walk back we passed some Malagasy market stands that were selling coconuts and I bought one. They cut the coconut right in front of you with a machete and then you can drink the juice, which is nice and refreshing.
This week I also had the chance to stop by the American Corner and talk to a few people. It is impressive to see how motivated they all are to learn English. Many of them are also trying to learn other languages such as Spanish, Italian, and Korean. I think for me, it sometimes feels overwhelming to learn a new language or a new skill, but it seems that as long as you put effort into it, you can make steady progress. While I am here, I’m going to get a tutor to try to learn some Malagasy and then when I’m back I’ll commit myself to learning German so I can talk with Sophie’s family. In Trevor Noah’s book, Born a Crime, he talks about how speaking in the native language of the people you are with can allow you to truly connect with them. Even being here for a short time has shown me how true this is and makes me motivated to try to learn Malagasy. Plus, my guard, William, only speaks Malagasy which has led to some interesting conversations between the two of us with lots of hand gestures.
Overall, it has been a good week even with some challenges. It has allowed me to start to get used to the heat, the city, staying safe while cooking, and more of the Malagasy culture. Throughout this week, I have had moments where I doubt if I am up for this challenge but those fade away and in general, I am excited by what my life will be here. Next week, I’ll start helping out in the classroom, so come back next week to see how that goes.