Tsara Queen House Antananarivo

... l'on se passe Des choses superflues Alors tu ne t'en fais plus. Il en faut vraiment peu, très peu, pour être heureux. (Départ Baghera) [Baloo & Mowgli] Il en faut peu pour être heureux Vraiment très peu pour être heureux Chassez de votre esprit Tous vos soucis ... Youpi Prenez la vie du bon côté Riez, sautez, dansez, chantez Et vous serez un ours très bien léché ! - Waouh ! Et vous serez un ours très bien léché. [Mowgli] Youpi !

... the Rova itself all but burnt down in 1995 but there are still plenty of interesting things to see and the views are outstanding. I spent a little while trying to dissuade a couple of wannabe guides from following me around ( i have found my French is seriously rusty/ inadequate here - i am doing more charades than talking it seems!!) and went to check it out. The Rova itself is being rebuilt but the magnificant gates ...

... Oh! Anna! Anna! Anna: (gazing her[Jenny] up) ****, you make me bother! What's wrong?! Ah! Jenny: Don't get upset! My friend, would you mind looking at the right side, your boyfriend. Anna: (bringing him closer) Hi, how are you? How long have you been waiting? John: I was left kicking my heels here for two hours and when I was shouted at you, you don't mind. Now I put back ...

... Next to that, a boy (man?) is lying, blind and paralyzed. You can think: 'that is easy to play', but he has no eyes and his legs are barely bigger than those of a baby. He waves with one hand, making 'euh,euh,euh' noises. He touches a local woman walking by, who hits him. The children's playground is the sand: reddish brown. You can imagine how dirty they are after a day. Let alone months. One lady sells empty bottles and jars. We have no idea who buy ...

... I would appreciate a quick email with your birthday and anything else I can commemorate with a post card or letter. I will do my best but once again, correspondence is a personal flaw. I'm hoping the birthday and address will encourage me to write, and I can also include a travel itenarary if you are interested in coming here. No pressure. I hope Spring is arriving, I heard Easter was cold! Can't wait to hear from ya'll.

Took a scenic train, delayed over 6 hours in departing, to the east coast town of Marakana where it rains 50 percent of the time. The ride was scenic while the sun was up eg rolling hills, rugged mountains; terraced rice paddies and waterfalls. In Marakana found out it was on the edge ...

... is possible to see lemurs of various sizes and varieties moving through trees in the gloom. Outside were many diurnal types. The most interesting place to view them was on a several islands in the middle of a pond where they lemurs were divided up by kind. They don't swim, so they stay on their islands, where they can be viewed in a semblance of liberty. The ring-tailed lemurs were the most recognizable. It was quite interesting to seem them gambol about, running up narrow ...

... it! It is great after an incredibly long day of teaching to see familiar handwriting :) I am still looking for any spices, teas, soups, and/or food stuff where all you have to do is add hot water if anyone is willing to donate to a worthy cause! Teaching 23 hours is almost double what Malagasy teachers have....but I could not help to volunteer to do more. Thats what I am hear to do, right?!? I am a sucker for the kids! Ok, I gotta jet, but I will be in Tana this weekend ...

... but can be explained in one to two hours, not every day for two months. My apathy towards it, though, explains why I tend to make social faux pas. But I learn quickly, after looking like a jerk. I prefer hands-on learning. I'm happy to be at the school I am, though. The teachers are inviting and the school is organized by Malagasy standards. My roommate didn't even teach last week at her school since they were still enrolling students and collecting ...

... them, which is the custom. It was quite a cultural experience and sad- his sister was only in her 50s. On the way back (all of this is in the highlands) we drove on a rough, bumpy dirt road and passed tons of people walking, biking, selling their produce in the markets and on the sides of the roads. It is rice harvest time so all the families were in the fields- they work so hard it is amazing. Tons of oxen carts are all over the place hauling rice and other produce. I am ...