boo and poo’s land

Lake Itasy, originally uploaded by gamma888.

stones vs. puffs

December 8, 2007

It seems like weekends are the best time for us to type journals here because we have more free time during the evenings where we usually stay home as many deaf locals tend to stay home.  They can’t afford to go out to eat nor have a good nightlife like we occasionally do back in the USA.

Anyway, today we finally got to check out FM3, a wood workshop where 12 men   (9 of them are deaf) work as carpenters.  They showed us a few samples that they have created out of the timbers.  Its shop is located in an area where many wood shops are found.  Madagascar’s forestry is shrinking so the price of wood has increased lately.  The carpenters said that back in the old days, they had many clients coming in.  But right now, they don’t get as many clients as before.  Also, while walking around the area, I saw many raw trunks and they are very small, perhaps about the same size as the telephone poles that you see often along the America’s streets.  When I told them that we have a few trees that are as wide as SUV’s size.  They were in disbelief about it.  Also before we came to the shop, we actually went through one of the Tana’s poorest slums.  We could see the sewers were actually open along the narrow walking path.  Also, we walked across the filthy river which had many floating worn flip flops as well as infested with many garbages, too.  Also, the river had this weird color that you wouldn’t even see anywhere in the USA.  I really had the tempt to take my Canon out of my backpack and shoot in this environment, but I had only Susie and a deaf guy who works at the FM3.  I would rather have a couple of people around me so they can keep on a lookout for me.

After hanging around at FM3 for an hour or so, a deaf carpenter and his wife who actually works at Akama invited us to come to their place.  So we followed them to their house.  We found out that their house only had one room that is about 8 feet long and 5 feet wide.  When I asked the carpenter how much does he earn for working at FM3, he said that he only gets 2000 AR a month which is only about $1.25 a month! His wife works as a janitor (or would that be janitoress?) at Akama and she doesn’t make much money either but it’s around 5000 AR a month.  But his wife actually gets some financial support from her family while the carpenter gets none as his siblings do not even support him at all.  After that, we actually took them out to lunch at a hotely (which is like a fast-food restaurant but much better than those global chain frozen-ready food compannies) nearby.  They were awkward about ordering.  My best guess was that they haven’t gone to a hotely that much as they can’t afford the dishes at all.  We actually had to help them ordering even though they are locals! Anyway, out of $4 that we actually paid for the lunch - 2 bottles of soda pop (coca cola and orange fanta), 2 grilled chicken wings, 1 grilled chicken leg, 3 beef kebobs (3 small pieces each), 1 chinese noodle soup with a chicken wing, and 3 plates of cold appetizers (4 different assorted pastas).  Dayum cheap for a party of 4!

After lunch, we went to Akama as Susie had to teach English class while i was her assistant.  Since Dimby took the projector with him to Ansirabe for his business trip a couple of hours away for the weekend, we had to rely on chalk and blackboard for writing English.  Of course, our handwritings were pretty much sloppy compared to our pupils’ handwriting who were accustomed to writing instead of typing! After a 3-hour class, we came back home, and Susie still got a few new more bites.  Lately, we have been getting some bug bites all over our bodies!  I guess it is because we actually stopped using the anti-bug scenter plug because I have been getting a minor headache for almost 2 months.  I stopped using the anti-bug scent plug a couple of weeks ago, and my headache was starting to disappear until we couldn’t bear more of bug bites.  So we started plugging the scenter in the other side of the room a couple of days ago and hopefully we’d get good results out of it.

Tomorrow, we have to get up early to hit a brief small road trip to Lake Itasy, which is about 100 km away from here.  It has a couple of waterfalls nearby and a nice retreat for many Tana locals.  Mirake who is a hearing volunteer at Akama for Japanese JICA (equivalent to USA’s Peace Corps), a hard of hearing guy who works at Akama as a hearing aid specialist, and a driver will be joining us for this trip.  It will be a nice mini getaway trip for us!

December 10, 2007

Yesterday was a nice mini getaway trip.  After about an hour and half drive, we went to a local spring spot where there was a few of tiny cool spring water sprouting from rock sources.  A five of us were in a tiny car called Peugot 205 which is equivalent to the 1980s Honda Civic riding on a rocky dirt path for about 7 km.  I actually never thought that the driver would be that adept in guiding his trusty baby all the way with his 4-gear engine.  Anyway, as we got there, we could tell that this spot is starting to be a tourist attraction as they have built a new bridge recently as well as tidy the place up.  As result of the water sprouting, the rocks have been colored by its mineral water as well as textured by the drops of the water, too.  The textures were slowly molded into tiny ‘rice paddies’ that you would see often among developing countries that grow many rice fields on the hills.  There were about 5 water sources of them there and one is actually just by the river.  So many zebus actually loves to come to this spot to take a drink from it.  They would actually shove each other for the water and usually the biggest zebu would actually take the most water.  Also, there is a small man-made pool there where people can actually take a dip and relax in a mineral water.

Afterwards, we took off to Lake Itasy where we took  a pirogue ride on the lake.  The pirogues were made of tree trunk being covered with some old metal tins that probably were reused from metal cans to cover some old holes.  We decided to ride two pirogues instead of one as we were afraid that 4 of us would sink a single pirogue.  While we were on the lake, we got to see a nice landscape and quiet environment.  Next, we went to eat a lunch at a hotely.  Finally we came to a final destination, Chute de Lily, a waterwall spot.

After riding on the choppy dirt road for about 10 km, we arrived at a small village and walked to the waterfall spot.  The spot had about 4 falls and are about 40-50 feet high.  The guide said that there is another fall that is about 30 minutes hike away which included a brief narrow sloping rock trail on a small cliff as well as wade through the river that is about knee high.  I was the only one who would happily go with the guide to the waterfall as I was curious to see the second waterfall as the guide said that it is narrower and taller than the first one.  Along the way, I saw some nice boulders scattered along the river which I wish I could go on a mini bouldering trip for a day or so.

As we reached the waterfall, it was about 60 feet high and had two falls.  The guide said that the river would rise about 40 feet high during the rainy season which starts next month until March.  I guess I was lucky to see the waterfalls before the river went up.   On the way back to the first waterfall where Susie and Mirake just hung out at the base of the first waterfall enjoying the refreshing mist from the falls in a hot humid weather, I stopped at one huge standing cube boulder to inspect its texture to see if it can be climbed.  As a result of that, I wished I could bring a homemade pad and rubber shoes to climb on this 30 feet high boulder.  It has the potential to have about 3 or 4 problems.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Madagascar gets to be the next hottest bouldering spot because while driving through many roads, there are usually many boulder fields high in the hills.  I hope to check them out soon next week.

Finally, we went back to Tana at night which was little scary because the car had a weak headlights and Tana was swarmed with many lively people having dinner outside and walking along the lightless streets.  I was afraid that the driver would hit some people as he actually hit a dog when we were on the way to Lake Itasy. Luckily, he was being adept in avoiding the people.  This mini trip actually made me look forward to the long trip in Southern Madagascar!

_MG_5198, originally uploaded by gamma888.

This guy who is hearing yet not able to talk due to his severed short tongue works at Akama as a janitor. He signs pretty well for that he can’t speak well at all. He helps us in preparing for the mural project for the students.

Ever wonder why Madagascar is such a poor country? Take a look at Mada’s history to understand.  We got this timeline from Lonely Planet’s book.

c2nd Century:
Mada is settled by Malay-Polynesians

1500:
First Europeans arrive in Mada

Late 1800s & Early 1900s:
The Merina became the dominant tribe, Mada ruled by the kings and queens

1895:
The French capture Antananarivo (now capital) in Mada, beating forces led by British mercenaries

1896:
Mada is officially declared a French colony

1943:
Mada joins free France

1947:
Famous insurrection of the freedom fighters

1960:
Mada gains independence in a peaceful transition and Philbert Tsiranana elected as its first President

1971:
Eviction of President Tsiranana

1975:
Ratsiraka elected President

1991:
Riots and strikes counters the Ratsiraka government

1993:
Election of President Zafy, ending Ratsiraka’s first 17 years in power

1996:
Impeachment of Zafy and the return of Ratsiraka

December 2001:
Presidential election crisis–both Ratsiraka and Marc Ravalomanana insisted they were the rightfully elected leader for the country. Protests by supporters of both sides became violent

April 2002:
Marc Ravalomanana declared the outright winner of disputed elections by Malagasy High Constitutional Court. Ratsiraka, still refusing to accept the game was over, ordered his partisans to blow up electricity pylons, plunging Antananarivo into darkness. (A friend told us that he also poisoned Tana’s main lake which was usually reserved for the locals’ drinking water.  The economy pretty much went downhill since the 1970s.  Madagascar was considered the top 10’s poorest countries in the world at this time. )

August 2002:
Ravalomanana’s administration received endorsement from the UN then winning a convincing majority in elections for the National Assembly. Ratsiraka left for exile in France, and was sentenced in absentia to 10 years’ hard labour for embezzlement of public funds

(Gabe’s note here) Present time:  So far what we have seen here, the economy is slowly picking up yet it still hasn’t come out of poverty yet.  President Ravalomanana has given a 10-year plan for this country which he hopes will push Madagascar out of poverty.  One of the plan’s goals is to have all the national roads paved and repaired so the locals, tourists, and trades will move around much quickly giving the country a big boost on economy.  Since President Ravalomanana is very rich due to his famous yogurt company called Tiko, he really doesn’t have the need to be greedy like Ratsiraka.  He actually tries to reach many of his supporters through television where he communicates with different people every week to show that he is in touch with them often.  Also, many of the locals that we have chatted with have expressed optimistic attitude about him.  So at the same time, Madagascar Federation of the Deaf is trying to get Malagasy Sign Language recognized, too.  But I am sure that the President is having his hands full as he has to clean up the mess left by Ratsiraka.

We had a rare treat today for the whole day - absolutely perfect weather outside where the sun isn’t burning on our skins and the breeze was often a nice relief for us, too. This late morning, we took a nice long stroll to a local supermarket which we would usually take a bus to get there since it only costs us 10 cent each for a ride. As we took a walk on the top of a mound next to the roadside, Susie got to see a nice view of the river with brick ovens and rural landscape in the background. As we arrived at the supermarket, we splurged pretty much everything that we didn’t even bring enough of cash so we had to cut down a few of products out. We took a bus back home.

Later in the afternoon, we were invited to a deaf couple’s home. Dimby was invited, too, so he tagged us along to their home. They do have a big house compared to the other deaf people’s home. This guy has been working as a carpenter for a public hospital for many years. His wife works as a cook for Norwegian missionary as well as a president for Tana’s deaf club. They have 2 children - their son will be graduating from an university this January and their daughter is in her first year at a college. They do sign well and can interact with deaf people well, too which is a rare sight here in Tana. Even their cousins who are 9 and 11, especially the 9 year old girl, are very receptive to the visual conversations between us and the other deaf friends. Their dad is younger brother of the deaf carpenter. He signs pretty good as I was able to understand most of his funny stories about the carpenter. I can’t seem to remember the carpenter and his wife’s names yet I do remember their signs pretty well. Many Malagasies’ names are at least 10 characters long! Even the carpenter’s mom can sign, but not as well as his younger brother. But her face is really expressive enough for me to understand what she is trying to say to me. I could tell that this family is pretty loving close family. The carpenter have a few siblings living in France and the French embassy even won’t grant the carpenter a leisure visa to France just because he is deaf. He has to go with someone to France. He even got an air ticket to prove that he is returning back. The sad part is that the ticket is non-refundable and his siblings have helped him pay the ticket. I just hope that he’ll get to see a bit of the world out of Madagascar before his time is done here. He is pretty hilarious guy and he actually loves to tease my innocent Susie very much that sometimes she’d blush once in a while by his charming jokes.

Anyway, what else can I write here… oh yes, last week, I’ve finally started painting the walls with some ‘baby’ color backgrounds. I’ve only bought 3 primary colors (blue, red, and yellow if you didn’t know) and black paints. I mixed some colors with white paint that Akama’s wood workshop has and applied to the walls. The head carpenter had actually asked me on how did I create green paint. I was little surprised that he didn’t know how to make green paint out of blue and yellow paints. So he asked me to teach him on creating secondary colors - green, orange, and purple as well as light and dark tones (adding black and white, vice versa) He said that it was difficult to find a green paint that is a reasonable cost to him here in Tana. After finishing painting the background, many staff and students actually came to me asking me what are they for and gave me some compliments. Some staff thought that I was actually done with the painting. I think they are in for a big surprise once the students and I are done with the murals. I could sense that many students are excited about it because some students actually wanted to help me trace the outlines during their free time. I just let them have their own way while I relaxed… Also, last Friday, I had my 5e class sketch some their ideas for their own pieces on the mural walls. Many of their ideas were so common that a 7-8 year old kid could draw. So I just had to push them to the next level by asking them what they have seen on TV at home, or what they have talked with parents/friends before. They could use those ideas on the murals. Some got to draw better than their previous sketches. So I am really looking forward to painting the murals with the students soon!

Well, I have to end right now as it is past my bed time - 9:30 pm as I usually get out of bed by 6 am or earlier. I think that’s because many Malagasies here can’t afford electricity so they usually go to bed like an hour or two after the sunset and try to get up by sunrise so they can be productive during the sunlight. Ok, I’ll stop here right now then… Zzz…..

deaf kids in Tana, originally uploaded by gamma888.

They are from either 11e or 10e class which I cant remember. They are in my P.E. class and sometimes they do drive me crazy yet they are very obedient whenever they see my camera. Perhaps I should bring my camera to the PE class…

Adorable girls!!!, originally uploaded by gamma888.

They are from 12e class (first grade) and they would always smile whenever they see our presence!!! They are always a delight to see…

Brick Farm near La Digue, originally uploaded by gamma888.

I assume that this is a brick farm as those men were collecting some kind of heavy soil/cement from the river. There are many brick ovens along the river. You can see the red brick oven in the background. I am not sure what is the name of the village that is way in the background. After 3 months here in Antananarivo, I just never knew that there was actually a river there because it is always obstructed by a huge mound by the roadside. But I was able to climb up to the top of the mound and catch its striking landscaping beauty there.