Azafady! Please excuse my late entry.

Hi Everyone - Sorry to take so long to write. I intended to write an entry on my week back from the bush in October, but didn’t get around to it. Anyways, the experience was phenomenal, and I have no idea how to describe everything as accurately and articulately as possible… but I will try.

My first week in Mandromodromotra was quite busy. I had meetings each day, the first introducing me and my research to the villagers, the second and third were discussions with just the women of two different cartiers in the village to identify the issues that I could explore during my stage here. Second phase was individual interviews, third stage was focus groups. I have one last focus group to do and will return December 1st for that one. Last, is a traditional ceremony where the visiting researcher (that’s me) says goodbye and thank you by buying tokagashi (homemade alcohol) and a zebu for the village. The Chef Cartier will do a benediction, the elders gather and say some words, and all the people from my interviews and focus groups attend – that will be December 3rd.

The people of Mandromodromotra were so welcoming and kind. They were more than happy to share their stories with me. The village is very poor and has an extremely pathetic supporting infrastructure from what I saw. The mayor, for example, lives in Fort Dauphin and is rarely available for public meetings. She failed to show up to a party for the children in the Mandromodromotra elementary school last Saturday because she is going through a separation and couldn’t make her professional commitments. So all the children and all the villagers who waited for hours to get a glimpse of the mayor were disappointed. The village doctor was there all of four days in the one month I was living in Mandromodromotra. She skipped out on two vaccination days as well. The Chef Cartier on the otherhand is doing all he can without support. The villagers come to him with problems and issues, he does what he can, but his hands are tied because often the final decision must go to the mayor – who is never there.

I spent a lot of time with the Chef Cartier’s family. His wife, H’ronini, and daughter, Pela, taught my translator and I mandrary, the traditional art of weaving mahampy (reeds) into mats, baskets, hats and other things. Their artwork is beautiful. It is meant to just supplement the family income, but in recent years with weak economy and poor crop production, manndrary has become the main source of income for these families. Most women make 3 baskets a day, and each basket sells for 1,500 fmg or about $2 CDN. They either sell it to a buyer who then takes it to Fort Dauphin for sale in the market, or they take it into Fort Dauphin themselves.
They go by foot, leaving at midnight and arrive in Fort Dauphin at 6am.
H’ronini and Pela, like many in Mandromodromotra, also walk 2.5 hours to the ocean village Evatraha to sell jackfruit. Each carry’s one jackfruit and they hope to get enough money to buy food for that day for their families. They leave at 3am and return by 9 or 10 am.
Most of the families in Mandromodromotra are starving because all the fields’ crop productions of rice and cassava were devastated by the cyclones early this year and all the rain. So now, families are really relying on mandrary for food since they don’t have enough from their own fields to sustain their families for a long enough time.

The little girls start learning mandrary as early as 6 years old. The women are torn between
being excited to teach them a strong traditional art, and also knowing that they must learn this in order to survive. Families typically are only able pay for their children’s food. The girls buy their own clothes and school supplies by selling their mandrary art, and the boys by working in the fields.

They say that time in the bush goes by slowly, but I found it went by so fast. I could easily return for another rmonth or two of research because I feel like during this last month I just scratched the surface. Each day, I went out with my translator to visit or interview, and then the same in the afternoon. Sometimes 3 interviews in a day, each interview lasting no less than an hour and a half. Some went so long that I had to ask to continue at another time.

The children in Mandromodromotra are soooooooooo cute. They would come to my house in the evenings to sing and dance. The little ones who couldn’t say my name would should ‘’Bina!’ It was pretty cute. I did do Halloween with them. I explained to them that ‘in my country, on this day we hand out candies to the little children-‘ and I didn’t have to finish, they immediately stuck out their hands waiting. Halloween caught on very quick in Mandromodromotra. I’m not sure that they once a year concept stuck, though.
There was a little gang of four boys ages 4 or 5 who came to the house to belt out Malagasy pop songs, dance around and then wait for candies. A soon as I handed out their candies, they would run away singing ‘We have candies! We have candies!’. They are cutest little rascals! - but I can just imagine the terror these four will become in a few years. I think I’ll return in a few years and show them the pictures of themselves dancing around and singing for the vazaha.

Some other interesting things happened as well, unrelated to my research. My translator was chased by a zebu, which was kind of scary. The zebu in the bush seem to be almost as big as moose - though I’ve never seen a live moose, but I’m sure that if a car hit a zebu, the zebu would walk away just like a moose would.

A few village drunks were harassing my translator and I at night – just walking around the house and throwing things. So the Chef Cartier gave me two options, though he strongly suggested I take both. One was to have guardiens stay with us during the night, and second was that he would implement a policy that all villagers have the right to beat up anyone they see who is intoxicated. I opted for the first. Our guardiens, Edmund and Marie Elienne began by sleeping on our verandah., soon this very sweet Malagasy couple moved into the house for the nights with their youngest daughter, Leonnette, and we all became like family. Edmund and Marie Elienne are by no means intimidating like you would think guardians or bodyguards would be. But they are considered almost elders and they know everyone in Mandromodromotra so would be able to spot who the drunk culprits were.

I met two phenomenal woman called Rasoa and Esthe Raline. Rasoa is who I would consider a real ‘grassroots activist’ in the absolute truest sense of the term. She started a women’s community group a few years ago, works for a programme that gives maize flour to underweight babies, and also is the village voice in front of QMM – a very difficult and challenging task to take on. She attends all their public consultation meetings, stands up to speak about the villagers concerns, and even when she isn’t working at QMM, she attends and represents her community. She is so inspiring. We’re going to keep in touch and hopefully we’ll meet again some day.

Well, there’s lots lots lots more I could write about on Mandromodromotra, but will have to do so at a later time. I’m off to Ranamafana on Monday and will return on Thursday or Friday. Depends on the weather – during rainy season the roads sometimes get washed out and to get to Ranamafana we have to drive over a mountain. So we’ll see.

I’ve really got to try to get my pictures on this site somehow. Maybe when I get back to Toronto.

Okay, hope you are all well. Everyone must be getting ready handing in their final papers soon.
Best wishes for the term.

Take care!
Sabrina

Oh, I just heard that Bush ‘won’ the election. I’m so sad to hear that. My Peace Corps friends here have decided to apply for a volunteer extension to stay in Madagascar until he finishes his term – completely understandable.

Going into the bush (stage 1)

September 20, 2004

Hi here, hope everyone is doing well. What’s new at home? I haven’t read a newspaper in ages, except something called The Guardian from the UK that my roommate gets from her work, but it’s mostly commentary. I’m at a place in this adventure where I can sit back a bit and breathe – and realize I have no idea what’s going on in the world, outside of what Jeffrey’s tells me in our Friday phone calls, but even then I’d rather talk about our own lives and catch up on what’s happening with each other. I’ll have to hop on the Canadian news sources on the internet. I’ve tried tuning into the BBC which comes in fairly clear, but find I’d rather listen to the upbeat Malagasy music – it’s very lively and wiggly.

The past week has been really good. I did absolutely no work this weekend (woo hoo!) and hung out on Libanona Beach all of Saturday afternoon. The Indian Ocean… wow! I felt like I was on vacation, a nice recharge from the past week’s events. I’ve met a great group of friends here, all ex-pats from England, Italy, France and America, who are working in some form or another in development. I was actually quite surprised at the large number of NGOs in this little island town, but makes sense considering the population is going to multiply within the next 5 years because of the QMM mine. The stresses on the water and electricity and land alone are going to be extremely difficult to manage. I think it would be very to come back in 5 years to see how all is developing, but that’s thinking far too far ahead.

Anyhow, Friday was really good too, I got three phone calls from home!!! Jeffrey, Lorraine and Grandma!! That was a ha-uuuuge morale booster. I’ve only been able to talk with Jeffrey 3 times since I arrived, and first time to talk with Lorraine (my bestest friend in the world) and Grandma since before I left! Now I just need to hear my sister’s voice and all will be good.

Natalie (a master’s student in nutrition from McGill U, originally from England, here to fulfill her research objectives also) and I cooked lunch yesterday on a traditional stove that the locals use with charcoal (its actually charcoal made from wood) and ‘charbon’ (dried wood clippings). Almost every household/family has one (if you’re a little better off you have 2 or 3) so its easy to see how the entire population relies on the littoral forest which is currently depleting at a rapid rate. It took us about 30 minutes to get it going, and then cooked hashbrowns and eggs – okay, not a very traditional meal. Last night we made French crepes. Next time, will be beans and rice... maybe.

I found a translator… I think. I met with her Monday morning and have asked her to return on Thursday to sign a contract of employment. She’s young, enthusiastic and speaks very good English. Thank God - my Malagasy vocabulary expands by 2 words per week. At least I can ask a person what her name is, but then I’m stumped. My French has been improving, though I think that since I moved to Libanona, a.k.a. ‘Ex-pat Hill’, I only speak (pretty bad) French when at CARE or QMM offices or when meeting Malagasies at the market.

Oh yeah, questions regarding my last blog. Yes, even though you realize that hand washing isn’t a big priority here, everyone still greets everyone else when entering a room with a handshake and ‘Salama!’. So you become really conscious of not putting your hands to your face and washing your hands as often as you can. And yes, I think I’m now able to carrying on a conversation with someone who is actively picking his nose, not entirely comfortabl with it, but its tolerable and funny. It’s still really really weird - but doable.

And, I haven’t seen the dog that bit me in a while. I do have a rock in my pocket with his name on it, though. I’m all for nature conservation and animal protection crap, but what goes around comes around and he’s got it coming. Though I’d rather not run into him at all, but just in case I hope I’m ready. I’ve since learned that just about everyone carries rocks in their pockets too keep dogs at a distance, and no one seems to feel guilty for grabbing a rock and hurling it at a nasty dog. This really is something that Lonely Planet should include in its travel guide for Madagascar.

Regarding the food, the zebu here is phenomenal (it’s the malagasy version of the cow); so tastey and yummy. It would be very difficult to be a vegetarian here, the vegetable variety is fairly limited as are the fruits, but what fruits they have here are phenomenal. I’ve been enjoying papaya season immensely, and waiting anxiously for mango season and lychee season to start already! Bananas are almost a staple here. The one grocery store where you can get canned goods and other things is also limiting. I did find semolina (which takes me back to childhood when my Mom used to make it). It’s known as the ‘ex-pat store’ because they sell mostly stuff that locals wouldn’t buy, like toilet paper or Raid or coffee filters.

I finally met the resident cockroaches this weekend. The bathroom cockroach is becoming a real annoying, I keep having to chase it down the down the bathtub drain (I’m sure he’ll be back, he’s a big sucker), and the kitchen cockroach - I just leave alone because he seems to enjoy hanging out at the back of the counter and that’s fine with me. They’re huge and would be really messy and crunchy to smoosh, so I figure we should just make peace and co-exist. These ones don’t hiss or fly, so that’s good but I still don’t like them. At least there’s only a couple. We also have a couple of resident geckos that have claimed a spot above the front door and in the kitchen cupboard – they’re pretty cute. The rooster that wakes everyone up every morning seems to have improved its performance since the last few weeks. It sounds odd, like its gargling Listerine, but now I think it’s doing better - poor thing. Oh! Huge whale show yesterday afternoon!! I swear there was at least 3 of them, repeatedly flapping the water with their fins and tails. It lasted for at least a half hour and very close to the shore - so exciting! I was able to watch the whole thing from my dining room table.

I’m off to the bush Monday September 27th for 3 weeks, so I won’t be able to post until the third week of October. The village is called Mandromondromtra and has been very involved in QMMs public consultations. They have a few residents who are now employed by the mine since the last few years. Oh yeah, speaking of food earlier, diet will dramatically change in the bush. It will be beans three times a day and maybe bananas for desert. Typically each meal in the bush is rice, but Madagascar is going through some major economic upheavals lately and the price of rice has jumped four or five times recently. Local residents are having a hard time and the villages outside of larger towns and cities are being hit the hardest. Last week the Village Chief told me that they are seeing the changes in the children’s health due to the dramatic change in their diet, some sort of skin conditions seems to be emerging. Oh! I visited Mandromondromtra last week to make formal introductions. I met with the village doctor who is just so nice and generous and has welcomed me and my translator into her home. She’s going to even ask the nearest hospital for a couple of beds to set up in her sitting area. I also met with the Village Chief, an experience I think I’ll remember for a very long time. His hut has no furniture, just sisal mats on the floor. Interestingly, the walls are covered in magazine pictures and articles (I noticed Katie Holmes and Brad Pitt). He was sitting on the floor with his head peeking out the door. We entered and sat on the floor in a circle with him. My colleague introduced me after some respective small talk, and explained my work and my background. The Village Chief was very kind and he has a very friendly and warm smile. He said that he will get his village ready for my arrival and will make sure that I get all I need to do my work. He then told me about many of the problems his village his having, the biggest one being famine. It was really a profound experience to speak with him, and I’m looking forward to our next meeting on the day I arrive in Mandromondromtra on Monday. After meeting both the Doctor and the Chief I feel very comfortable about living there for a while (i.e. so nobody worry). Although, I am still really worried that I’ll get there, begin my research, and be unable to uncover any issues or gather information. I’m hoping that the villagers will trust me enough to open up. The Malagasy culture is really difficult to understand and maneuver within. Each village has its own set of fadys (and sometimes even each household). So I’m sure to break some taboos or another and just hope that they are understanding of this vazaha’s ignorance, and that really am trying.

Well Friends, until mid-October, take care and looking forward to coming back to you emails and blog posts. (And Nicole, don’t worry! I promise I’m being careful. Thanks for caring and sending your good vibes. How is the new semester going, by the way?)

Lots of love,

Sabrina

BYOTP - bring your own toilet paper

First rule in Fort Dauphin is never leave home without toilet paper. Yes. Just one of the quirky things in this small town.

Anyways, I'm finally starting to get ahead on my research. Met with the village chief today and all is good. They're expecting me September 27th. I'll be staying with the village doctor - who has a flush toilet!! Luxury... I thought I made headway on finding a translator. She seemed knowledgeable, competent, experienced, and as it turns out, unreliable. She cancelled on me yesterday for reasons that seem kind of sketchy, in my opinoin. So I'm on the lookout for another female, malagasy-english translator. Keep your fingers crossed guys!

The biggest delay in getting to my research was because I had to be evacuated to Antananarivo (capital of Madagascar) for rabies vaccinations. I got bit by a dog and no one knows if its been vaccinated for rabies- even the owner and the veterinarian. What a headache, and stressful. So I flew up for three days. I was not advised to get it here in Fort Dauphin, even though the local hospital had it because the medical treatment here is um... sketchy to say the least. But while I was in Tana I was able to meet with people at the CARE headquarters and do some research in their library. My first impression of Tana is that its a very oppressive, depressing city. Very dirty, not much greenery at all, the building are dirty wtih the pollution, which stinks so bad. Not my favourite place. Though, I've heard that msot everyone's first impressions of Tana are bad, so might give it a try again at the end of my trip.

Interesting things about malagasy culture in Fort Dauphin:
- can't get your dog or cat fixed because they don't have the veterinary facilities to do so.
- shitting i public is an acceptable form of protest (in other words, don't get on anyone's bad side)
- it is taboo ('fady' in malagasy) to shit in the same spot (in other words, watch where you step)
- picking noses in public is acceptable, even in the middle of conversation.
- keyboards and mice are always dirty because of the sand that blows around
- when visiting a restaurant, order your meal before you get hungry (at least 2 hours before) because that' showlong it takes to get to your table
- there are lots of rastasfarians here, in fact, reggae music is pretty big
- it is forbidden to point with your finger (its a fady, though accepted for vazahas who don't know better), rather, point with your lips - like you're blowing a kiss
- 2 hour lunch breaks
- best seafood I've ever had
- rice with every meal (3x a day)
- pretty good Malagsy beer (Three Horses Beer)
- can't get oats or porridge here (amongst many other things), must wait till someone returns from Tana to bring you some.

Take care everyone! Thank you for your emails and blog posts.

Love,
Sabrina

'dans la brousse' - lesson 101

Well, it’s two weeks since I arrived in Fort Dauphin, and it feels like forever. Seriously! Jean Philippe, the director of the CARE office says it’s a good sign; means I’m really fitting in to Fort Dauphin. Not sure about that yet - still don’t feel 100% confident to wander around unknown areas by myself. Will do it and I know its safe, but keep looking over my shoulder and very very aware of the stares. The Malagasy people here are so friendly, and all say “Salama!” when you pass by. The children shout “Vazaha! Vazaha!” sometimes. And often, ‘Vazaha, donnez moi l’argent!’ or ‘Vazaha, donnez moi le bonbon!’ Vazaha is the Malagasy term for ‘foreigner’. Usually the white people get that kind of attention very quickly. I notice I get lots of quizzical looks, as if people can’t figure out if I’m a Métis from Madagascar (a Metis is a mix of tribal blood with Chinese, or Indonesian blood). Many ask if I am Métis, I say ‘No, I’m from Canada.’ and upon further questioning explain that I am actually Indian but from Canada. It seems to be an odd concept here: to look like you’re from one place, but actually be from another.

Anyhow, I moved to the little house on Libanona hill. It overlooks the Indian Ocean and I can watch the whales play. Each morning at about 6am I see the fisherman depart to set the lobster traps. They use long skinny boats, much like canoes, but made out of one piece of wood. The length of the tree, I think. It is carved out carefully. Apparently, they’ve been doing this for centuries. The ocean waves are quite loud, especially at night, but relaxing to sleep to.

This past weekend, I went to the market with my roommate (Esme) called Tananbao (that’s how it sounds, not sure how its spelt) were you can buy almost anything you need. Reminds me of Kensington Market when I was little before the big cleanup – lots of dead animals such as zebu, pig, and seafood. The chickens are sold live. And all the vegetables and fruits etcetra are sold there also. I’m not sure how I feel yet about Tananbao – the smell is so strong; its all very very loud, lots of people trying to sell you things. Its quite overwhelming. And the walk is about 40 minutes. It’s a long walk back with full bags.

I went for the first time into ‘the bush’ from Monday to Wednesday with the workers of CARE. Tatiana and John are responsible for economic development, and Claude is the driver. The destination was a commune called Ranomafana (pronounced ‘Ran-ma-fan’), particularly two villages within this commune that are involved in economic development projects with CARE – one, coffee and sweet potatoe production, the other project focuses on the building of a barrage for water for the villages. The drive was about 5 hours long, approximately 80 km from Fort Dauphin. The roads in Madagascar are so terrible, bumpy, holes, rocks, trees. Villagers also use these roads to walk, as do the farmers and their zebus. Ranomafana is in a basin in the middle of the mountains. The mountains we drove through were so beautiful and you can see where the rainforest is still intact. Slash and burn is a traditional practice here so much is depleting. Also because of the forest as a source of fuel for cooking and heating water. Apparently this has been such a difficult tradition to effect. You can see clearly the balding spots of the mountains, where erosion is taking toll and the red earth is slowly running down the side.
The next day, after a good nights sleep, we began our trek to the tiny village called Tananareve (or spelled something similar). Claude took us as far as possible (much fun in off-road driving, through rivers and everything!) and then we walked the rest of the way (about 10 km) as it is only accessible by foot. The walk was hot and tiring especially as it was getting closer to 10:30, but was absolutely spectacular and I feel so stupid for not bringing my camera! Always completely surrounded by mountains, the fields are yellow and dry. Zebu grazing. A few small mud huts here and there. The Malagasy bury their dead in family plots on tops of hills, so often you will see tall tombs (of varying length) on hilltops.

The village was very welcoming, Tatiana and Jhon met with the second chief and we followed him another 3 km to where he collects coffee beans – which we proceeded to do for the next hour. We filled two baskets, which he carried with his stick over his shoulders back to the village. . His wife made us cassava for lunch, we shared the bread and cheese we brought and had a meal together with the children staring and giggling at the ‘Vazaha’. It was sooooo hilarious! They were so fun! They got a kick out of my accent when I said ‘Salama!’ to them. The women were all in the rice fields working. The men, actually, I don’t know where they were! I only met the second chief. Hmmm… something to ask later. The younger girls were minding the children and babies and there were so many of them. In this tribe, girls get married at 12 years and start having children as early as possible. At the moment, the second chief has 5 children.

I was able to identify a potential village for my research during this 3 day trip with which I will live for 1 week. It is accessible by car and by foot and the village elder seemed to welcome my research project and me. He gave me a phrase book of Malagasy-English to study. The village will provide me a baseline of data for gender relations – without influence of QMM or other large industrial influence. Also, I’ve since chosen a ‘QMM influenced’ village with aid from QMM employees in the Sustainable Development group to live with for 6 weeks, and will begin visits there (name is Mondromondromotra; pronounced ‘Mon-jom-joompt-choo’) and to the huge project site tomorrow and next week – that should be entirely exciting! Even though construction has not yet begun they have extensive environmental centers setup and a small demonstration pit too. My biggest challenge that I see between now and my research period in the bush is finding a translator that fits my necessaries; i.e. English-Malagasy, female (as my research focus is on the women’s experiences of the QMM impacts), compatible with my work schedule, and helpful in dealing with other issues, like negotiating everything including places to stay, food, etcetera. Will keep you posted!

On the ‘other details’ side: I’ve not been terribly sick yet (except for some homesickness), haven’t seen any of the giant or flying cockroaches – though Esme says they do live in the little house on Libanona beach, saw lemurs at a national park last week (very cute and quite forward with humans; they jump right on people), haven’t had time yet to swim in the ocean, but hopefully on Saturday!

Tonnes of love –Sabrina

Culture Shock

I'm here! And things here in Fort Dauphin are good - a lot to get used to but am really enjoying the experience. It has been pretty interesting since I arrived last week. An adventure to say the least. The town of FD is quite small and people are very friendly. Its safe to walk around by yourself. I wouldn't at night though mostly because I'd trip over the holes in the road or the chickens and goats that wander everywhere. I'm staying with a Malagasy family, spending half my day at QMM and other half at CARE International. Though this week it seems all my time is at QMM becuase all of the project documents and the people I need to know are here. Next week I'm moving to a house on the hill of Libanona beach and will share with another expat - an English girl who works for another NGO. Its got running water and an indoor toilet. No hot water though, but its okay, because the view of the sea and whales makes up for it!

I visited a village outside of Fort Dauphin on Sunday with CARE workers, called Ilfaranza. Very very poor, the malnutrition rate is high, the children have swollen bellies and are infected by parasites, and many of the adults have no teeth due to insufficient diet and health. The children play and seem happy, but the adults seem otherwise. I'm not sure what it is though can guess many things.

I will begin my research in the field in October - villages similar to Ilfaranza. In September I will spend 7-10 days with a village to understand gender relations - without influence of large industrialization such as QMM for a sort of baseline, and in October and November will live in another village, Mandromondromotra, for an perhaps 2-3 weeks at a time. QMM has been working with this community on their social programmes. I thought I'd have to tent for the duration, but this village has a doctor with whom i can live... but I'm not sure yet if it is such a good idea. Would prefer another place as the people place the doctor on a higher level and if I live with the docteur, I think it may influence how I am seen by the villagers. I will see. And yes, I will see what is most secure and safe. I'm having issues with my visa.

The government has decided that I cannot stay longer than my 3 month visa (even though I applied for and thought I received an extended 6 mo visa in Ottawa) and must leave for one week and apply for a visitors to re-enter. Not sure what to do yet, I could shrink my methodology schedule by 3 weeks, but at the rate things move here, its not likely to happen. Or I could to go Mauritius (hey!) for the week, or to Jo'burg and hang with the SD people and do some Hatch work there (hey!). I have some time to see. And what timing, the government wants me out on November 18th, no later, and my friend/colleague/mentor arrives on exactly the 18th. Perhaps we can wave to each other at the airport.

Well, hope you all are doing well and have exciting news for me from home. Okay, gotta run. Email is kind of scarce when I'm not at QMM and only when a computer is available. But will try to keep in touch. And the internet store here in Fort Dauphin is soooo slow and doesn't have the software to support hatchmail.com.

Veloma!! (Malagash for 'good bye')
Sabrina

Countdown

I'm just prepping for my four months in Madagascar... six days to go... woo hoo!