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

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! :-)