I’ve been quite fortunate so far in avoiding 3rd world illness, like malaria, rabies, food poisoning, and the like.  I almost feel cheated because all has gone so smoothly healthwise.  While in the village of Ranomafana for the Koloharena farmer field training (like farmer summer camp, which will be detailed soon), Sidonie had a ‘puce’ in her foot.  Anicet used a safety pin and tweezers to get it out, and there was no big deal.  Now, when she told me it was a “puce”, I wasn’t quite sure what that meant.  ”Puce” is French for flea, but fleas don’t burrow into feet.  Then she said the Malagasy word for it, which is “parasit”  (not sure of the spelling.  ”Oh, I get it!  Some sort of parasite was in your foot…word.”, I thought.  That was on Thursday.  On Friday, I looked at my own foot, and saw a suspicious black spot surround by a small white area.  I showed it to Sidonie and Anicet, who confirmed that I also had a “puce”.  Anicet then explained to me that the black spot was the thing itself, and that the white area around it was eggs.  *barfs*  To remove it, you have to use a pin or something, carefully remove the skin around it, and sort of flick everything out.  A small hole will remain that might itch.  Apparantly it’s key to not tear the eggsack.  I don’t really know what happens if you do.  I messed with it a little with tweezers, but sort of chickened out.  When I joked with the field agents that maybe I should name my new Malagasy critter after my ex boyfriend, they all got quite a kick out of that.  I sort of feel like I’ve now completed the initiation into the club of “roughing it in the developing world” or something.

My new Malagasy friend

I was a bit chicken to deal with it last night, plus I didn’t have any good light.  Gabe has agreed to help me perform surgery sometime this afternoon.  If we don’t figure it out, Anicet will help me on Monday as the Success Story workshop gets going.  After looking in the Madagascar Bradt guide, I think it’s called a ‘jigger’, which I’m guessing is the same as a ‘chigger’ like is found in the States in the South?  Photodocumentation of little Josh’s removal to follow…

Reminds me of Mad city:

Reminds me of MadCity. So close, yet so far...

Ok Malagasys, come on… if you’re going to use foreign swear words, use them the right way at least!  What’s with the apostrophe anyway? I feel that Malagasy delinquents could benefit from this linguistically educational video. (young cousins, if you’re reading this, it’s not an excuse to use swear words…)

faulty swearing grammar

So, I accidently had tongue for lunch today.

I went to Chez Niani, a café down the street that I often go to for lunch. Malagasy food consists of a) vary (rice), and b) laoka (stuff that goes with rice – i.e. veggies or meat, usually not sauce). Chez Niani has Malagsy food as well as a vazaha menu (chicken, meat, eggs, fries etc). I wanted Malagasy food, so I asked what the laokas of the day were. My waitress spoke super quietly, so I heard mostly unintelligible mumbling, possibly mostly in Malagasy, and then petit pois (peas) jumped out. I said I’d have the petit pois thing with rice. I’ve had rice dishes there before, and often just ask for whatever doesn’t have meat (usually lima beans and tomatoes – quite good actually). Today I figured that I wouldn’t mind some meat, so even though I didn’t hear her say ‘langue’ as she was describing the specials, I figured that I would wind up with peas and some sort of meat with my rice.

Indeed, a big bowl of rice and a plate full of peas with some slices of meat on top arrived. I cut up the meat a little and started putting the meat and peas over my rice. The meat was a little like the beef that goes in beef stew only quite a bit softer. I didn’t mind it. I’m still getting used to meat (chicken is easier, but there’s not much good chicken here – most of the chickens are running around eating garbage, so they’re pretty thin), so I didn’t exactly love it, but it was ok. When I went back to the plate to cut up a little more meat to put into the mix, I noticed one of the pieces. It had what really really looked like tastebuds on the skin on one side. After closer examination, I decided that it was indeed tongue. I ate a little more of it (just not the tastebuds part), and most of the peas. When I went up to pay, the woman repeated what was on my bill to make sure it was mine, and she said, “un café, du riz, et de la langue et des petits pois”. Yup, it was tongue. Good news: the tongue meal plus a packet of vanilla wafer like cookies cost about 2 dollars and 10 cents.

Well folks, I am officially legal until October 28th. Everything went so easily in Fianar. I went to the bureau du district when the right woman was there. Her name was Françoise, and she verified that my papers were in order – I just needed Sophie to come to the office with me so that we could do signatures together. In the meantime though, I could extend my visa another 2 months at the police station in the immigration office. So, I went there, and talked to another Françoise. She verified that I only needed a signed letter from Sophie, and to pay the 80,000 Ar fee, and I’d be all set until October 28th. I paid the fee, got the letter from Sophie last night, and got the correct stamps in my passport this morning. I can now relax a little, and Sophie and I can go to the bureau de districte next week to make the final request. After that, even if the visa doesn’t come, I’ll have proof/a receipt that I started the process. Alleluia!!!!

Also, even before all of this was done, I reread my visa frustration post, and I have to say it made me laugh. Is it ever really another way when dealing with foreign bureaucracy???

Really, how have I not talked about this yet?!? Below are pictures of my bathroom/shower facilities. The door on the far right opens to the area where a bucket of hot and cold water are brought each morning for me to bathe.

Below is the actual latrine. The plug is covering the hole, and it slants down so that urine runs out. There’s also a little reservoir for hand washing.

This is the sign that’s up on the wall. The small print on the bottom says: “If your intelligence is insulted by these instructions, we apologize. You should have seen some of the antics previous users have tried while attempting to pee in the hole. We wish to spare you that indignity.”

Somewhat surprisingly, it is very easy to use, and I don’t have a problem with it. The only annoying part is that it seems to be impossible to avoid small splattering on the feet – good thing the water spigit is there to rinse them off!