- I am now a professional frisbee player. I brought a frisbee as a gift to my Malagasy family when I arrived, and although at first we couldn’t communicate in Malagasy or English, we could play frisbee. I learned a lot from that frisbee! Including how to count in Malagasy!
- I am especially challenged at fetching water. I fell so many times that my family eventually wouldn’t let me fetch water by myself anymore. One time 2 of my cousins, saw me fall while they were looking out of their window. They then spoke to me in English and said “Hi, Erin! How are you?!” I was embarrassed and surprised because this was the only time they ever spoke English to me. Thankfully I didn’t spill any water, but I still had a long walk to fetch the water and carry it back up the hill as blood dripped down my leg. That story made it all the way around town by the time lunch was over and everyone except for me thought it was hilarious.
- I am probably the worst mpanasa lamba (clothes washer) in all of Madagascar. Fortunately my Neny helped me the first time and sh tried to teach me. My sister volunteered to help me the second time so I shared my precious chocolate with almonds as a small thank you.
- I learned how to cook over fire… but I’m definitely not mahay (very good/skilled). I’m so glad I get a propane stove!
- I’m horrible at explaining things in the US using Malagasy. This is much harder than it seems… I’d like you to try and explain how a dishwasher works to someone who washes dishes in a bucket without running water in a foreign language you are trying to learn. I’m pretty sure the only two thoughts Neny had after my explanation was 1) she is absolutely crazy and 2) is there a tiny person inside of the box that washes the dishes?
- How to eat chicken with bones. Neny made it her personal mission to teach me how to eat other parts of the chicken besides the white meat. She would put pieces of dark meat on my plate (usually with small feathers still in the skin) and reward me with the white meat after I finished my portion of dark meat. I can now say I’ve successfully eaten my fair share of dark meat and tiny feathers!
- But the most important thing I learned was about love. I learned that family is more than just who you happen to share your genetic code with. I will never forget the time Neny told me she loved me the same as her other 4 children, and that she would do anything to take care of me. And the best part is, she meant it. When she made my favorite Malagasy foods and she asked me if I liked it to which I would respond “tena tsara” (very good) or “tena tiako” (I like it a lot) she would say “I know!” with a big smile on her face. And the one day I was very ill in bed and couldn’t eat, she made ramen just for me and brought it to me in bed. The rest of my family showed their love in other ways. My brother took it upon himself to educate me in Malagasy music, while my sisters all took on the responsibility of teaching me as much Malagasy as my brain could absorb. Dada is incredible at fixing things and helped me in every way he could. When my SIM card didn’t fit in my phone, he made it happen. And when I wanted a clock that had moving hands so I could teach 6th grade, he made an incredible contraption that worked!
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| I fetched water from the bottom of this hill! |
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| Neny and Dada |