I got this message from a fellow PCV after I posted pictures about the grand opening of Mahajanga’s newest grocery store - Shoprite! It’s South African owned and about as close to an American grocery store as you can get. It also happens to be the third “grocery store” to open in Mahajanga. Behind the capital, Tana, we are now the only city with all three options. And, yes, grocery shopping here is just like the US. I know I now get my peanut butter at Shoprite, my honey at Leader Price, and beef at Score, and I still go to my local market for fruits and veggies, which means I do go to all 4 on a regular basis because some things are cheaper at one store than another. If grocery shopping every week was supposed to get simpler here, I would have to say - it most definitely hasn’t.
So I think you can see why me friend’s question was justified. And to tell the truth as I stood in the middle of Shoprite today I wasn’t exactly sure what country I was in. What I did know was this wasn’t how I expected my Peace Corps service to be, nor is life this way for almost every other Peace Corps volunteer here in Madagascar. I expected, like everyone else, the once or twice a week tiny market in town with limited seasonal vegetables or a 5 mile bike ride to get to a once a week market.
As I began to think about those previous expectations I felt guilty… Who was I to go buy my chicken breast from the meat counter at a grocery store!? But as I sat with my Malagasy friends at their house today, I realized I was living a perfectly normal life here in Mahajanga. Certainly there are those who are very poor and never go into a grocery store, but amongst my Malagasy friends and others who are living at the same income level it’s perfectly normal. Today after we had all visited Shoprite at separate times of the day we were even comparing prices and talking about what we will buy where now that the new store is open.
A feeling of gratefulness came over me as the guilt left. I am so thankful to have access to so many of these wonderful luxuries that most volunteers don’t have the opportunity to get. I can make well balanced meals semi-comparable to what I would make at home (although don’t get me wrong there are somethings I still miss like crazy!). I am also thankful to have access to all of these foods as I struggle with a new gastrointestinal diagnosis that makes my current diet difficult.
So my answer to her question is, yes, I’m still in Madagascar. And, yes, Mahajanga is amazing - you should all come visit.
