May You Have a Happy Birthday, Now and Your Whole Life Through (boom boom boom)

(written 6/25/08—posted by MOM)

Only a very select few will know the title to this entry, but it probably the greatest birthday song ever. The closest competitor I can think of comes from an episode of the Simpsons, in which animatronics robots at a Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant (or Pip’s!) sing, “you’re the birthday, you’re the birthday, you’re the birthday boy OR girl!!”

Getting back to my point, I have been lucky enough to spend my birthdays in some pretty amazing places. In grade school, there were 2 times that school ended on my birthday or the day before, due to snow days (multiple snow days in Southern Connecticut?! This was before global warming...). A pretty great present, even for a nerdy kid like me. I turned 17 in Spain, in an awesome little town that put on a fireworks display and concert—not directly in my honor, but I pretended it was (the name escapes me; Alex, do you recall? It had an aqueduct I think). My 23rd birthday was in Los Angeles at CDBSD I: The Awakening (for the uninitiated, a college reunion...of sorts). Now for my 25th birthday I am in Madagascar! Really amazing. Let me recount the day and some recent tales for you.

I started the day by cooking some delicious banana pancakes (thus doing Jack Johnson proud), then proceeded on a lengthy trek over the hills and far away (paying homage to Led Zeppelin). Monday, June 23rd was the day of a teaching session in a nearby fokontany (village). Unfortunately, due to the constant rains, the road was more of a river, so a local friend and I hiked 5 hours through rice paddies and over giant hills. When walking through the open fields, it felt like a scene from pretty much any war movie (minus any sense of danger, of course). Then hiking along the hilltops, it felt like Lord of the Rings. Crossing the wet rice fields and surrounding areas, many times I had to make a Leap of Faith, much like the final challenge faced by Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade: I would step on to what I hoped, or believed, was solid ground, or where I thought there was a rock or plank of wood just beneath the murky water. Of course, this method is far from fool proof, and I managed to fall in to one river, covered up to my waist in muck. I was quite the hilarious sight. Quick side note: How was the new Indy movie: I am hoping by the time I return they have released a Special Edition that edits Sean Connery in to the film. Quitting acting to free Scotland from the British; doesn’t Sean know Bravehart Gibson already did that?!

So I spent my birthday in the fokontany, eating lots of rice, conversing with my new Malagasy friends, and being laughed at by children. I taught the farmers about natural fertilizers and compost, and we joked about my struggles with the Malagasy language (and they attempted to learn some English). I also had the special treat of honey, straight
from the comb! One of the farmers raises bees, so we sat around and enjoyed some very sweet honey. Maybe too sweet; after a spoonful I was left puckering and making a face like the rookie in the H. Tom-approved classes, Super Troopers, after his syrup chugging. So, a birthday unlike any other, fun and exhausting.

I returned home to prepare for my first real kibary (formal speech) tomorrow at the Madagascar Independence Day ceremony. I plan to write one more entry about the holiday before sending these entries home to be posted. A couple of last tidbits before I go to burn some trash (Bob Brooks—Paper everywhere!)

One more movie reference in this already reference-heavy entry: I thought of a good analogy for walking around the slippery roads here. It is like in the Return of the Jedi when the Imperial walkers, the ones that look like chickens and get beat by the cute fuzzy bears, stumble on the logs and their legs turn jellyish as they sway every which way. It can actually be fun, although I don’t think it is ever a pretty sight for those watching me.

A quick book recommendation: I recently read How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer. A very interesting read about globalization and soccer, although it should be subtitled “why you should cheer for Barca.” People here like soccer, but the national team is not very good, and I don’t know of many Malagasy players playing in the top
European leagues, so this book has no real Madagascar connection. Just an insightful read.

I’ve had lots of good questions from friends’ letters, asking about what exotic animals I see, foods I eat, clothes people wear, and other such daily things. I will try to write about such cultural and environmental aspects here as well. Aside from honeycomb, I recently had a sweet root called fary. I am not too familiar with roots, like cassava, so I’m not sure how best to describe it, but you suck on the fibers and get a sweet sugary juice from it. Most fruits here are seasonal, and I hear the lychee season is particularly good, so I will keep you posted.