As we approach easter and I reflect on the many holidays that have passed while in Madagascar, I am in general surprised that being away from home hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be. First it was my birthday and then Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years followed not long after. And in general, although I missed being with family - I wasn’t sad to not be home.
Usually the hardest times were the festivities surrounding a holiday as opposed to the day itself. The things I missed most were decorating for Halloween and Christmas or shopping on Black Friday after Thanksgiving. Many find this surprising, but what I’ve come to realize is that I almost always have something planned on the day of the holiday so it keeps me busy and I enjoy spending time with those I’m surrounded by here in Madagascar.
So here are the recaps of all of my holidays so far:
My Birthday - My friends made a tiara, I got a cake, and the Sup Bra Stage was all at the PCTC. We celebrated with a giant bonfire and smores on the volleyball court. It was pretty special!
Halloween - We had our Mahajanga region meeting out at a beautiful beach resort an hour and a half from home. It didn’t feel like Halloween because it was much too hot, but it was a wonderful getaway!
Thanksgiving - The expats in Mahajanga had a wonderful dinner at what is now my home (it wasn’t at the time) and I spent the day cooking with friends. It was very special to have such a wonderful meal with our expat community here! The best part is that it all tasted like a Thanksgiving meal you would eat in the states. I made my dad's stuffing which was very popular! It’s amazing what you can do with a little creativity, determination, and a special market vendor who is willing to import celery from the highlands!
Christmas Eve/Christmas - I was on vacation for Christmas where I visited the southern highlands and the southeast. We went to the beach in Manakara and Ranomafana to visit the National Park where we saw lots of lemurs and chameleons. The photo on the left is a mouse lemur eating a banana. For Christmas Eve we went to the hot springs in Ranomafana (which translates to hot water) and did a night hike and saw mouse lemurs, chameleons, and frogs. Christmas Day was spent traveling, but we had a nice relaxing day in Fianarantsoa. I baked peanut butter blossoms, skyped with family, and ended the day with a really nice dinner.
New Year's - I spent New Year’s in Tana and went to a nice lunch with a few friends before spending my first day of 2016 unexpectedly at a resort and then flying back to Mahajanga!
Tomorrow is Easter, which happens to be the biggest holiday of the year here in Madagascar. I’m going to spend it with my best friend here in Mahajanga and her family. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to go to church and have Easter lunch with them. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!