•People of Madagascar are called the Malagasy.
•The currency in Madagascar is called Ariary.
•The city is extremely crowded and over populated.
•The air quality is extremely poor. (Smog)
•The streets are very narrow and lined with hole-in-the-wall type stores. It seems like a pattern— rotting meat market, random car parts, plumbing supplies, shoes and clothing, bakery,
fruit stand, repeat.
fruit stand, repeat.
•$1 American dollar is a little over 3,000 Ari Ari.
•Minimum monthly salary is $20 American dollars 62,000 ari ari.
•They speak a mix of French and Malagasy.
•A very small percentage of people speak English.
•None of the toilets here have toilet seats.
•You have to pay for public restrooms and they charged based on what you "do". Haha
•The toilet paper is pink.
•Public schooling is very bad here. If you want an education you have to pay more and go to private school.
•Just like in Mozambique and Swazi you have to pay for schooling, even if it is public school, after elementary schooling.
•Many kids don’t go to school. Instead they work for their families on the street begging for money.
•Most Malagasy people eat rice for every meal. Rice is a major crop here. They even make fried rice cakes and sell them on the street. (Actually really delicious)
•They don’t use plastic bags here. Everyone carries cute woven bags to hold all the things they purchase.
•People buy cigarettes here on at a time instead of a whole pack. Smoking is very common here. I rarely saw people smoking in my previous African countries.
•Practicing witchcraft is very popular. Many people mix witchcraft and Christianity.
•The water that comes out of the tap is a strange yellow orange color. It’s not safe to drink. We buy water everyday.
•The Malagasy people are very generous with what they have. They also are very joyful people.
•Gas is about $5 a gallon.
•Lots of people own mopeds. It’s actually the better way to get around here. Not very safe but they can easily weave in and out of traffic.
•Pedestrians do not have any sort of right away here. You will get ran over.
•The buildings are all painted different bright colors.
•Men pee where ever and whenever they want.
•Vintage land rovers are popular.
•The buses are all Mercedes.
•The croissants are the highlight of my days.
•All the clothing is second hand from America.
•The people like to tell us we are fat. Men are actually attracted to bigger women.
•If you are found attractive by a man they will pinch your arm.
•The Malagasy people are TINY. Skinny and short.
•People order things from the little vendors and eat and drink it on the spot. They use real mugs and plates. Nothing is ordered to go. It’s very cute.
•Pick pocketing is a common problem.
•They had many kings before having a president.
•When the king would die everyone would be force to fornicate that night.
•Not many people have shoes.
•Many children have chicken pox and they put a red dye medication on it. It makes them look even more sickly.
•On the public bus you enter from the very back door.
•The bus gets packed as full as it possibly can before they will go anywhere. Sometimes this can take up to an hour depending on where you are going and at what time of the day.
•The mattresses are foam sheets.
•Avocados that are the size of a adult hand are only $0.16 each.
•Pork fat is a delicacy. (Ew)
•Nutella is easier to find than peanut butter.
•Bounty bars are very popular and can be found just about anywhere.
•We sweeten our coffee with sweetened condensed milk. It’s amazing and I’m going to start doing that at home too.
•The people look more Asian mixed with a little African.
•People love basket ball here. Maybe even more than soccer.
•They carry 30+ chickens in baskets on top of the busses to sell.
•The streets are like mazes and have tiny pathways to mysterious places.
•Men will pull trailers or wooden wagons with wooden wheels with their bodies. The trailers will be carrying anything from lumber to trash.
•The Malagasy people are very resourceful and don’t let anything go to waste.
•A lot of people where clothing with American states on them. Texas is a big state represented in Madagascar.
•Dental health is not a priority.
•If you invite anyone anywhere it means you are paying for them in Malagasy/French culture.
Thanks for reading!
Xoxo,
Emily
