You know you're in Madagascar when...

You have to wait for the neighbor to herd his 3 Zebu’s (horned cows with a hump on their back)  down the alley before you can drive in.

You find out that the reason the traffic is EXTRA bad (and believe me it’s bad enough in the first place) is because the Taxi-be (the 12 passenger vans (crammed with at least twice that many )used as local buses, has a flat tire and they stop to fix it in the middle of the road!

You have to remember to not run the hot water tap through the filtered water system.

You can buy the freshest fruit and vegetables on your way home from any one of a ‘kazillion’ little stalls or local blanket—whatever suits your fancy!

When it takes less than 15 seconds to be surrounded by a dozen mischievous, filthy (but happy!) barefooted, runny nosed little boys the minute you take a picture of one…they must have some sort of radar…then they all converge and clammer for their picture to be taken as well!

You have to keep an extra 300 Ariary (Madagascar money—equalling about 15 cents) to pay the guy to back you out of the parking space at the grocery store. If you don’t pony up, you could be in that spot until next Christmas!!

There is a holiday about every other week!

You have to pay cash for most things, and the biggest bill is only worth about $5.00! Translation; our rent and internet costs 1,500,000 Ariary and that means 150 bills—That’s some wad of cash!

Brown sugar is just that…brown colored granulated sugar, of course! (We miss the ‘real’ stuff!)
A good percentage of the people are missing teeth—a quick way to deal with dental issues!

The same 3 miles can take 15 minutes at certain times of the day, and over an hour at other times of the day—one must choose wisely!

When a stick with a flattened plastic liter bottle attached to the end becomes the handiest little hockey stick!

The minute the temperature goes below 65, the babies are bundled in snow suits! The rest of the population sport knit hats and winter coats!

The freshly hand laundered clothes (recently washed in the rivers), are all stretched out on the rocks and bushes to dry.

The local meat stand is stacked with zebu livers, a zebu head or two, all manner of meat, and “sausages” which are intestines stuffed with who knows what? The meat vendor tries to keep the flies off with a little ‘switch’. We choose to buy our meat in the grocery store, thank you very much!

You haven’t a clue what the equivalent of Tylenol is here!

You see woven baskets filled with everything from fruit to chickens to cow heads carefully balanced on top of Malagasy heads, while being transported to their destination.

You have absolutely NO clue how to get anywhere—addresses and street signs don’t exist!

The people are absolutely gorgeous with smiles that light up their eyes and faces.

You are brought to an awareness off all your blessings (that you have taken for granted!).

You are humbled by people who have so little, yet who are so happy!

You have a knowledge that these beautiful people are God’s children and there’s so much you can learn from them!

You get up every day knowing you are up for an adventure and excited to see what the day will bring in this most fascinating of countries.