Another week in Tana

May 17, 2014

Another week in Tana!

My what a week and a half this has been! We are beginning to get a sense of how to get places. We couldn’t do it without the GPS, since there are no street names, signage, or rhyme or reason to how it’s laid out! But we can get to a couple of places without the GPS. I cannot describe how crazy this very large city is. There are hills everywhere (San Francisco”esque”), with many of the roads being old and uneven brick roads. They are winding and narrow and it makes driving with a stick shift an act of courage and fortitude—always with a prayer on your lips! Steve is doing AWESOME. I would still be at the first intersection from two weeks ago trying to nose my way in! We are reminded daily that we are “not in Kansas  anymore”…or even Salt Lake City for that matter! It truly is a daily adventure!

Because many people in this city do not have running water or electricity, it gets pretty dark around here at about 5:00 pm. By eight, things are pretty quiet (except for the annoying barking dogs!—but that’s another story!) and the Malagasys are usually in bed by 9:00—so, “When in Madagascar”….we join them in hitting the hay at around 9:00 pm. We go to bed with the chickens and raise with the roosters! (Although it’s only 7:20 tonight and Steve is fast asleep!—long day!) Many people do not have water, so they go to the village water place and fill large 5 gallon water containers and lug them home. Women and children do this as well as the men. I don’t think I could even lift one! I don’t know what it costs, but I’m anxious to find out.

We are usually up by 5:00 and it’s light by 6:00. We get ready for the day; which usually includes a little language and scripture study. I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast, but Steve has tried all kinds of cereal including different types of “Muesli”-They look pretty enticing from the picture on the box, but never cease to disappoint! Ha! He was thrilled to find grapefruit here, so he’s a happy camper! Now all we need is for the kids to send his grapefruit spoon…can’t find one here! We either drive or walk up to the mission home by 8:00 am. It’s about a 10 minute walk—straight up a hill. Then we get on with our day.


We did hit the street vegetable markets this week, and love them! The produce is fresh from the fields and the tomatoes are to die for! We must soak everything in a bleach solutions before eating, but so far, so good! They have wonderful carrots, very small red onions, zucchini squash, green beans, small potatoes, cucumbers and small green peppers as the standard fare. Right now the fruits are not plentiful…there are small greenish oranges, persimmons, teeny apples and horrible pineapples (I had to throw mine away!) and lots and lots of bananas (year round). I can’t wait for a season with sweet, good fruit. The carrots and potatoes are about 55 cents per kilo (which is 2.2 lbs for those of you who have forgotten their metric conversion!) Tomatoes are a little more, but still pretty cheap. This week I made homemade vegetable zebu soup! (AKA veg. beef soup!). They don’t have celery here….I miss that! We have to make everything homemade, but we eat well. We have been healthy and hope to remain so!



This past week and a half, Steve has been trying to figure out the locations of the (better) clinics in relation to the missionary homes, in case we need to refer a sick missionary for care. I have gotten several diarrhea calls, a jammed finger (requiring an x-ray and doctor visit; complete with a home-made splint from a tongue depressor)! The doctor visit cost $3.50…such a deal!; a back strain; ringworm; and today, I found myself researching some sort of traveling parasite worm—I’m convinced the poor guy has something called zoonotic hookworm…it started in his pinky toe and has traveled up to his ankle! I’m waiting for confirmation of my diagnosis from the area medical advisor, but I think I’m right….we’ll see! I guess I will teach a class on tropical medicine when I return! We’ve also taken an elder from Tahiti who had an abscess and had to have a root canal! So happy we found a half way decent dentist. The first dentist wanted to pull the tooth and it was his FRONT tooth! (I guess it would make him fit in more with the Malagasies—they are missing teeth all over the place!—but I’m not sure his mother would have been too happy!) On a serious note, we do pray fervently for these missionaries. My heart goes out to them and I want them to be healthy, happy and safe! I remember when Steve was made Bishop. He said he had an overwhelming feeling of love for each member of the Ward over whom he had stewardship. I have to say I have felt the same thing…just an overwhelming feeling of love for each of these sweet missionaries who are out here serving in some pretty tough circumstances. While I often feel worried about whether I will know the right answers for their health challenges, I am willing to try. I do believe the Lord will bless me to know the answers, or know where to get the help they need.

President Adams is excited to have Steve here. He feels that Steve’s expertise on running a business can be helpful for the returned missionaries here. He wants him to mentor those who may be interested in starting some sort of small business. Unemployment is so high here, that it is difficult for them to get jobs, get married and start a family. We attended a young adult conference today and we had 15 people who want to come to classes on how to do this. Steve will be busy learning how business is done here, and how he might be able to  mentor them.

As for language, we have not gotten out of the mission home much last week to practice. But we are still trying. We learn a few new words each time we go to an event, but we need to get out more!

Last night we (the senior couples and President and Sister Adams) had dinner with Elder van Reenan, our area authority from South Africa. He is very nice, and we had such a lovely evening, sharing testimony and friendship. He read a scripture in Matthew 19:29 which touched our hearts: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” I never thought our our mission in this way before, but it was a comforting thought.

We love the other senior couples with whom we are serving. They are so wonderful, capable and faithful; as are the Adams’. We feel blessed to serve with them.

Well tomorrow is the Sabbath. Our Ward meets at 8:00 am. We are getting to know a few people and have been well received. There is a wonderful sister (the Stake President’s wife) who interprets for me in RS. She also helps me with Malagasy. We love Sundays because we get to be with such wonderful Malagasy saints. They are diligent, sweet and humble. They love the Savior and are willing to do what He asks of each of us. It is a pleasure to meet with them and to share our mutual love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are uplifted and blessed by our association with them.

We wish for you a blessed Sabbath as well—Until next time….Michele

Our caretaker lives here, behind our house. The red bush is a poinsettia bush. Being winter here, they are in full bloom! There are also large Poinsettia trees with the traditional blooms that we see at Christmastime.

On our daily walk up the hill to the mission home. We have to maneuver our way through some rough side walks...if there are any sidewalks! No high heels for Elder Rossiter's wife!!

This is the first gate we enter to get to our house. Then I walk up and unlock/bolt the gate at the top(in three places) and E. Rossiter drives up and out. Then I walk back down and out this gate and lock it in two spots...then off we go...just to repeat the ritual when we return!

A daily site...gotta dodge the chicken with her baby chicks!!

A downtown street market--selling everything from nylons, to toys, to shoes, to peanuts..you name it!!

A more rural market. This lady is selling all kids of dried fish. Love the scale up front!

Another little fruit and vegetable stand...

One of millions of uphill little alleyways leading to peoples' homes, nestled inside walls like these all over Tana.

First Week in Mada

May 6, 2014—First Letter from Mada

I finally got access to the internet (at the mission home), just today. We don't have it at our house and was only able to use the air card for short our short call the other night. The couple we are replacing have just left for the airport, and I'm taking a minute to e-mail. The "keys" (I mean keys to the pharmacy cabinet--as well as the mission nurse duties)  have been officially turned over to me and I have the responsibility for the missionaries on my own now...I'm still a bit overwhelmed, but I'll just "dig" in and let the Lord guide me...probably something I need to learn better!!

There's so much to tell, and so little time!! I will send some pics as soon as I get time to take some!! ha!! We have been so busy getting trained, that I haven't had time to do anything!! We live in a pretty nice place down an alley. The dirt in Mada is red (like St. George), so the paths are either packed red dirt, or uneven brick roads; interspersed with packed red dirt!. Steve waits in the car while I unlock and open one gate/door, re-lock it,  then walk up the  drive way and open the 2-sided car gate for the car. This requires me to unbolt two bolts, top and bottom, and a big padlock in the center.  Once Steve is in, I close the two gates and lock them the same way. Then on to the front door. I unlock the outside door, then the inside door (each lock requires a "two" turn unlock), then when Steve finishes parking the car, he comes in and bolts the outside door in three places and then the inside door (we hope there is never an emergency requiring us to get out quick!!). This is our daily ritual (as many times as we go in and out--it's such a pain--I hope to only do it going and coming, as no matter how short we stay, we have to perform the  "lock and unlock" ritual  the same--it can never be left open or unlocked!) Obviously I hate this part, so just out of curiosity, I've decided to keep track of how many times I do this while we are in Mada--it will be over 1500 times in the two years!! I'm sure we will be so happy to see our remote garage door opener when we get home!!

Our house, in general, is pretty nice (for Malagasy standards). It's the first story in a two story home. There are poinsettia bushes outside in full bloom (beautiful!) and purple bougainvillea bushes (also beautiful). We have a small bathroom (but adequate--although no tub, so if dad get's sick I don't know what he will do without one!) The kitchen is small, with no drawers, so the silverware is sitting on top of the counters in a silverware divider. We have a pretty nice fridge, small stove, and a stackable washer and dryer.  We have filtered drinking water, but must soak all fruits and vegetables in bleach water before using them. We must also rinse all dishes in bleach water after washing since we don't use filtered water for washing. There is a rather large living room and dining area with a nice wood floor. Off of the main living area, there are two bedrooms. One is used as a storage room as there is no bed, and our room which is pretty roomy and has a lovely parquet wood floor in there. The bed is hard and the pillows flat--so glad we brought our down pillows!!

The weather has been amazing!! It's a little cloudy in the morning, but quickly clears up to beautiful blue skies and a balmy breeze--getting just a tad chilly, but otherwise PERFECT! Mada is a very "hilly" city so it can give you a work out; you’re either walking up or down something all the time.  But we have a little truck with a shell on the back that we get to drive. Steve  has been driving for two days now and is really getting good at it quickly...it's a real "nail biting" experience each time we go out--dodging people; people with baskets on their heads, people driving zebu carts loaded with "whatever", people on little winding streets selling their wares by the side of the roads, and people dodging cars while trying to cross the street everywhere...no rhyme or reason!--then we dodge cars who are dodging other cars, who are dodging people on two lane roads that they make at least 3 lane roads, or maybe four lanes--get the picture? There are no street lights, signs or anything. There are 2- way streets that turn into one- way streets half way through, with NO signage--It's definitely a wild ride! It is crazy!! Keep praying for us!!

We have visited a few clinics and a hospital, the large pharmacy downtown, and the Madagascar Ministry of Health. This is where we will be teaching English every Wednesday morning @ 7:00 am!! We will teach doctors and others who work there who want to learn English. It is a good relationship and it's always good to have friends in high places!! So dad and I have to come up with some English lessons--thought I would turn to you for your expertise and ideas!! There are several hospitals, but there is one that is very nice!

We have been to the grocery stores and the larger ones are so nice! They are expensive, but clean. A half a loaf of whole wheat bread is about $6.00--just to give an idea. (Guess I'll try my hand at bread making when I get a minute--but I'll miss my Bosch mixer!) There are also many street vendors who sell local produce in either make-shift stalls or on blankets on the side of the roads;  I will buy from them this week. Of course there are the meat stalls where all types of meat hang out all day with flies on them...appetizing! (needless to say, we buy our meat in the nice grocery stores!) We took a walk through our neighborhood last night and it's really hard to describe it in words. The winding, red bricked walled alleyways, are a maze with every manner of "houses" tucked in behind the alley walls. Many are skiwampus and are covered with corrugated tin roofs with tires on top (keeping the roof from blowing off!) --I'll try and get pics soon! We wake up at dawn to the roosters crowing and then we hear the children's voices and the clanging of pots and pans as the day begins and breakfast is being prepared. We say hello, well actually, "manahoana" to everyone we see. The kids are beautiful and fun to talk to as they laugh so readily and are so cute--of course they think we are hilarious when we attempt to speak Malagasy! They run and play on the dirt roads barefoot and are always filthy--but happy!  We gingerly cross over the  open sewers on broken pieces of wood planks or concrete slabs (and try not to think consider the sludgy water just a foot below us!). It's fascinating and we love that part of the exploration and adventure! The people are friendly and love it if you try and speak! Because they are so nice, it makes it easier to try and talk, even though we are not good at all! We see skinny chickens running around from time to time, roosters, too, just to keep life interesting! At night, the air fills with the smell of fires--these are cooking fires, as most Malagasy people cook outside in a lean-to kitchen off their homes. They cook their rice over a wood fire and the distinctive smell fills the air. Steve finds this charming in an unusual sort of way. At the corner where we turn to our house, there is a dumpster. Behind the dumpster lives a family--a young woman and her two children. She is often beat up, which is heart breaking...even more so is watching the baby girl (teeny--about 16 months old) play in the garbage and the 3 year old little boy also playing and starting to sort the garbage looking for food and anything that can be recycled. I'm starting to separate our kitchen stuff and saving some better food in a separate bag for them....keeping it cleaner. Our heart breaks for them, and I will do what I can, but unfortunately their plight is bigger and more prevalent than we can begin to fix.

We enjoyed our church meetings and Steve and I both bore our testimonies in simple Malagasy. I was nervous, but I think it went OK. The ward here at the mission home (which is just about a half mile up the hill from where we live), is a very mature ward with well established members. Our bishop is the one who was featured in the Ensign Magazine several months ago. The people were warm and welcoming, and yes, Melanie, I was singing hymns in Malagasy and in French!! ha!! don't know a lick of French!! We are going to have the bishop and his wife and daughter over for dessert soon. Their daughter is 20 and is learning English very well. President Adams has also told us we can attend church wherever we want to go and we may try a few outlying wards, too, to see if we can be of help. We attended a discussion with the missionaries after church and felt the spirit there, and bore our testimony in Malagasy. It was all good!

As far as the missionaries go, we have met a few. They are a good lot, friendly and sweet. I haven't had my first sick call yet (alone), but they do deal with lots of diarrhea (which I knew), colds and some things I know little about. But, as I said, I'll learn!! Steve has been given some responsibilities that the other couple has had, but he will get more assignments when the Mission President returns from South Africa.

The senior couples are GREAT, and we enjoy getting together with them. We have had several opportunities to get together since the Shupes were going home, and they had a welcome to Mada dinner for us, too. All are wonderful, warm and welcoming and we will enjoy working with them.

Please write to us, as we don't have much contact other than here at the mission home as we don't have internet at home yet. Remember, we are 9 hours ahead of you. We are hoping to get the internet into our home soon.