What I am missing the most right now is the relationships I have forged throughout my time there. Most of all, through my homestays with the families that opened their doors up to me and made me a part of their "Fianakaviana" the Malagasy word for family.
Here is a look through three and a half months of family fun...
I am going to finish this post off with an excerpt from a journal entry I wrote on the plane to Mauritius-
Probably one of the most meaningful experiences in Madagascar were my experience with my homestay in Tana. I miss everyone so much right now. They took it upon themselves to make sure that I had everything I needed. They would buy me my favorite fruits, cook my favorite foods and even would buy me a celebratory seltzer each time I returned for an excursion. I spent a total of five weeks with this family. It was broken up throughout the course of the semester with excursions and ISP in between but, each time I left I would think about how lucky I was to have such love from these individuals. They treated me as I was one of their own- and that was so meaningful to me considering the first few weeks were rough in terms of homesickness and illness. When I got sick they made sure I had everything I needed and were there every step of the way as I was running to the toilet.
My family made a point of showing me all around the city so I could get a look at Tana first through a tourists eyes, by going to the zoo and the park Gasikara and later, through a Malagasy's eyes, taking the taxi be's until I was comfortable navigating the overwhelming city that is Tana.
What is most important is the connection I shared with them. As you can see by these above pictures, we really were just goofballs together and each moment with them involved joking and laughter. They are constantly looking out for each other and are nothing but supportive and helpful. This is part of the Malagasy culture which puts a large emphasis on family but it is also the nature of this family to be selfless. For example, at the end of my stay I asked my mother a question that had been plaguing me for ages "What do you do with the extra rice that we don't eat at meals?" She answered that they either eat it at the next meal and the rest of the leftovers she gives to a lady that lives close by- and by "live" I mean she lives on the street. My host mother gave our extra food away to a starving woman knocking on our door every day.
I wish more people i this world were like this.
SIT gives the families a stipend for having students live with them. The last week of my ISP I lived with them so I was responsible for paying them.
They gave me the money back at the end of my stay.
These people, Bakoly, Olivia, Ainé and Joé have done so much for me throughout these past three and a half months. I cannot thank them enough for making my experience in Madagascar something I will never forget as long as I live. I am so thankful to have forged the relationships I have with these individuals. They truly are so special.
I hope to return the favor to them one day. I know I will see them again.
I love you all and I apologize for being horrible at updating and for having this be such a sappy post. For those of you that do not know, I am in the paradise island of Mauritus right now doing some SCUBA diving for a few days. More to come on that soon!
