Visitors from Norway; treating the ill and smiling to the poor

I will make this a long one, because who knows when I’ll have Internet again…?

2008 is turning out to be a really happy new year! After a successful Christmas celebration I was ready for the vacation with friends from Norway. We went to the North coast, to the town of Mahajanga. A really nice town really, with nice people and heat above our normal body temperature. Swimming in the Mozambique Canal was one of the highlights. New Year’s Eve was celebrated with Fabian and Tulika, the German and Dutch friends we had met in Tana a few weeks earlier.

When our holiday in Mahajanga was over, we went back to Tana. We stayed there only overnight before we would go on to Antsirabe. Unfortunately, this was the day my stomach protested. I once had a goal not to be sick my whole stay in Madagascar, but now this aim was crushed to pieces. It wasn’t really all that bad, and we got to Antsirabe safely.
Except one thing: I forgot my mobile phone on the Taxi Brousse. And that was the last I saw of it. Fortunately the unsuccessful hunt for it afterwards resulted in an encounter with a very kind pousse-pousse driver. A new friend is always worth more than a piece of communication device. Speaking of which – My new phone number is +261330415087 and I have signal in Fandriana too!

our taxi-brousse had to help another one wtih trouble

Saturday we went to the orphanage in Antsirabe and witnessed a Christmas party with the children there. They were dressed in their best outfits and looked very happy, even before they received a plastic bag each with shoes and clothes. After a small service they performed plays and songs for us. When they suddenly sang “Laudate Omnes Gentes” in Norwegian, we were all very touched.

Malagasy people are easy to please
The day after we were back in Fandriana again. Everyone noticed that I was limping on crutches and wondered why my knee still hadn’t healed (it’s been over one and a half month now). So they took me to an old man in the village, far away from the SFM. My stomach was twisting like mad; I had heard terrible stories about people being ill in foreign countries. The medical treatment they got always ended in horror. So I was terrified.
But my contact person said this person had a gift from God, so I guess I should trust both him and God. At least he had a nice smile. He found a chair for me and I sat down outside his house. It didn’t take long for all the curious people nearby to gather around, waiting to be entertained. A white vazaha was sitting on the chair and she was going to get a massage. They didn’t see this every day – this was going to be good!

So there I sat, with maybe 20 people around me, their eyes as big as meatballs as they stared at the nervous vazaha. The masseur started to oil my neck and rubbed the knots that had a connection with the knee. I was holding tight onto the chair, thinking that was the only thing that could save me. Then he started with my knee, and he pushed and squeezed so hard. How could this help me?! I was afraid it would make things worse but of course I had to be brave because I had spectators. Well, now I know how the animals in the zoo feel…
I couldn’t cry, so I laughed. It was so painful. Maybe I made strange faces, because the staring people laughed at me and even more people came to witness the sight. Even the man who gave me the massage chuckled. Well, I’m glad I can make people happy anyway…

Suddenly he was done. “Get up,” he said, holding my hand. My clothes were pulled up as far as they could go and my leg was covered in greasy oil. My face was probably red as well. Well, this will certainly make them laugh, I thought as I started to walk on my poor leg. PRAISE THE LORD! Now I don’t need my crutches anymore. And although I am still limping I can finally walk on two legs and that’s a miracle! It’s fantastic! Can’t say I am 100% well, but I can walk and that’s a start.

Teaching Norwegian food, songs and games
Before going to Tana to send Maria and Ellisiv off, we got to teach the students of SFM how to make Norwegian buns, boller. We also taught them the song “Jesus loves all the children” in Norwegian.

On our way to Tana it was our taxi brousse that had trouble. Suddenly we stopped, in the middle of nowhere, out of gas. We waited for three and a half hours before we could go on. In the meantime we met some sweet Malagasy children. After a long photosession we started to play with them. We taught them “bro bro brille” and “slå på ringen”. Great fun! They loved it!

we got bored in the sun... So we wrecked a house...

just kidding!

Sunday afternoon we are invited to eat Malagasy food at “Banandama” – The banana lady’s house. She sells bananas on the road and we interviewed her for an article. This is her way of keeping in touch, and we are very excited about the food!

Sunday evening our friends will be off to Norway. Monday morning Eline and I will go back to Fandriana, to the village far away from civilization. Fortunately there is a signal on my phone, but apart from that the best way to keep in touch is by the old, traditional way. My address is: Karin Swan, BP 23, 308 Fandriana, MG MADAGASCAR.