Madagascar Day 7
Well, I've left the Relais de Rova, a beautiful hotel where I spent what has essentially been the past week. I'm now in my home-stay, and wow. It's not at all what I was expecting. I have 4 siblings, two brothers and two sisters. They're all between the ages of (guessing here) 14 & 28. It's cool having them--people my age to talk to, share music with, and learn from. I like them a lot. Also, my home stay parents are nice as well. I'll be sure to share more about them later.
About an hour or two after arriving at the house, I finally asked where the bathroom was. The told me, "Là-bas." "Downstairs." Well, I went downstairs and couldn't find it. So they told me to go outside the door and to the left. Sure enough, there it was: Two thin doors with who knows what on the other side. They then yelled down "It's to the right." But instead of the "thrown" that I've been used to all my life, there was the infamous Turkish style (I think that's what it's called) hole in the ground. They showed me the bucket I'm supposed to use to get the water to "flush" after I take care of things. Forget about a sink as well. Now, this is in the capital city of Madagascar, so I definitely wasn't expecting the lack of common day appliances. Then, I asked where I should brush my teeth. With no sink, they showed me to the shower (in the stall next to the toilet). Looks like I'll be taking bucket showers for the next month as there was no faucet there either. More on that after I try it.
First reaction for all of this: I don't know if I can do this. Second reaction: What on Earth was I thinking going to Madagascar? After those initial thoughts, I quickly regrouped and recovered. This is going to be an experience, for sure (although I think I might try to limit certain toilet trips to the more familiar kind of devcie in the SIT Classroom).
Just quickly, my room has a new computer in it? And they cook with a primitive charcoal stove outside...no oven that I've seen. Those two just don't quite balance in my book.
Tana is quite the city, too. So many streets, and they aren't arranged (or labeled--at all) in any kind of logical order. Hills and cement buildings are what define the urban landscape. Amazingly though, these batîments have so much character and individuality, one hardly feels like it's the same thing step after step. This city is living and breathing and, admittedly, in pain. I can't wait to discover her intricacies over my weeks here.
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