December 2nd to December 9th 2023
This week we had a party for Grace because it was her last week in Madagascar. She has been in Madagascar for over a year, and she has made such a great impact on the entire community here. I have only known her for a few weeks, but she has been a great mentor for me and helped me to get settled in Majunga. Grace has taught me how to enjoy Madagascar to the fullest while keeping myself safe. It will be different not having her here because, so far, I could differ to her on food that is safe to eat, places to go, and how to get around Majunga. But, I’m grateful that I was able to arrive when I did because it gave me the opportunity to learn from her for a few weeks.
On her last day we had a party with all her Malagasy friends from the American Corner and the University that she had been teaching at. The party was filled with laughter and karaoke singing, but also some gloom faces because we all knew we would have to say goodbye to Grace. It was truly amazing to see how many people she impacted during her time here and how she was so connected to the community. During her time in Madagascar, she was able to start clubs at the American Corner while still teaching at the university. She will definitely be missed, but parts of her will always be here. Some of her Malagasy friends already said that they would take more responsibility to help continue the clubs that she has started. I also felt motivated and empowered to continue to be more involved in the American Corner. Grace can’t be replaced here, but I hope to carry on the work that she has started.
Without Grace here, I started to try to venture out and do some things on my own. On Monday, I went to the market to buy vegetables. I wanted to do that because the vegetables that I have passed on the street look a lot fresher than the ones that I see in the grocery store. Most of the people selling it on the street brought it from their farm and picked them the same morning. My trip was very successful, and I ended up with 6 kg of vegetables which will last me a while… 20 onions, 15 carrots, and 10 tomatoes. It’s a lot, but it’s all fresh and I was able to cut some of it up and freeze it. Next time, I know that I should probably get less though.
This week I was also hit with a bit of a culture shock while I was teaching. They had a unit on communication and one of the topics they had to cover was email. I thought I started off by explaining emails clearly and talking about the similarities and differences with texting someone instead. However, part way through teaching the lesson, I realized I should ask who had an email and if they have used it before. Only 2 out of the 60 students said that they had ever used email before. This was a shock to me and made me realize that I needed to change the way I was teaching the topic and explain what emails are and why we use it in the rest of the world. I often forget that there is a lot of poverty in Madagascar, and this impacts many aspects of their lives. Many people here don’t have electricity in their homes, so why would they ever think to get an email. Email is something I use every day, and I think is a necessity. But it is not, and the people here are still living happy lives.
Overall, I am still learning a lot about the way of life here and different cultural aspects. With Grace leaving, it is going to make living here more challenging and push me even more outside of my comfort zone. But I am excited to face this challenge, and I am excited to see what next week brings me.