Angidina

Angidina in Malagasy translates to the small beautiful flying insect we call a dragonfly. Dragonflies tend to bring on their wings a sense of calm and peace. Usually depicted by a body of water, they never seem rushed, but instead always sure of their flight path ahead of them. For me, dragonflies bring a sense of nostalgia and peace. I still have a memories of playing on the swing set in the backyard of my childhood home with 2 dragonflies circling around every summer. 

I’m not exactly sure why, but these creatures became intertwined with my dad. Maybe it was because he loved to garden in the backyard during the summers, but regardless the reason, I feel his presence when I find dragonflies in random places. I personally think he sends them as a reminder that he’s always with me. 

On a particularly hard day I walked out of my front door to find hundreds if not thousands of dragonflies. I stood in awe and sat down on the pathway outside my house to watch them circle overhead. The dragonflies brought me to tears as I sat there and felt reassured of my reason for being here in Madagascar, something I had been struggling with at the time. There have been other moments that I have found a few or a swarm of dragonflies and it brings me peace. When I was in South Africa a few months ago I also came upon a giant dragonfly in the Botanical Gardens. Finding this sculpture brightened my day and if it was small enough to fit in my purse, I probably would have taken it with me. 

I will admit that as his death recedes as a more distant memory, I don’t think of my dad as often or in the same way. 6 years to the day later and the grief has changed. The things that matter most are the little things that remind me of him and the memories I have. The loss is still there, but it isn’t as immediate. Thinking of him isn’t as heavy until I realize the time that has continued to pass and I realize he’s missed more and more of my life. He was, however, the person who had inspired me to join the Peace Corps. So when I feel alone, its comforting to think that he’s sharing this journey with me and that he guides me to stay committed to the Peace Corps year that still lies ahead of me. 

Tratry ny Paka, Happy Easter!

There’s definitely a reason everyone says it’s the biggest holiday in Madagascar! Easter festivities began the week before at Saturday Kids Club where we shared the American tradition of dying eggs with the Malagasy neighborhood kids. They were all very excited to draw on hard-boiled eggs with crayons and dye them different colors. Many of the older kids colored their eggs half green and half red. I found this strange at first because it looked like a Christmas egg! But It soon became clear that they were coloring their eggs the colors of the Malagasy flag, which makes a lot more sense than Christmas! The kids really loved dying the eggs and they found the best part to be that they could eat the eggs when they were done. The eggs didn’t even last long enough to hide them or have an Easter Egg Hunt. I’m not sure they even let the dye dry before they were consumed! We did get to share the story of the egg and how it relates to Jesus so not only was it a fun day, it was a Christ filled day as well. 

The older girls at kids club dying their eggs

Easter Sunday began with joining my friends at church. I was even treated with a great performance that the young adult group put on for Easter. Although I couldn’t understand what the song meant, their voices were beautiful! We prepared lunch with Ruth’s family and all ate together outside. I felt so blessed to be a part of their family on such a special holiday. The afternoon was filled with various games and I killed my first chicken! Before I had helped tie up a chicken before someone else killed it, but this time I did the honors. It was quite eventful. I have to admit I felt a little sorry for the poor bird and wasn’t quite sure of myself, which led to lots of laughing and a great video. The day ended with making tacos for Easter dinner and a campfire where we roasted smores. I had been saving Ruth and Andry’s voandalana (a gift you’re supposed to bring home after a trip) for Easter so we could share it with their family. As we sat around the campfire (which we really didn’t need since it was 90 degrees out…) and shared this American tradition I was filled with gratitude because I realized that this was exactly what I came to Madagascar for. I came to be in solidarity and live with Malagasy people. It was a day of cultural exchange and a day filled with love. It was a day where the ever present cultural barriers I see became nonexistent. They made me feel like part of their family, for which I will be forever grateful.

Some of my friends in the young adult group at church singing

I clearly had no clue what I was doing...