The last few weeks have flown by so fast, so although the
events below happened a couple of weeks ago, they were such fun I don’t want to
skip over them happening.
I was able to join the Malagasy Culture Tour for a full day
of learning and fun. First stop was at a house in Toamasina where the man of
the house has been making paper from the bark of a tree for the last 40 years.
He has made enough money over the years to support his family and send his kids
to college. He showed us how he makes it and then let us decorate our own piece
to take home.
Next we went to a lady’s house who cooks snacks to sell on
the street. Together we made the snacks she sells and we got to taste them for
ourselves. They were so good! We were even given the recipes.
After a drive outside of the city to a village nearby we met Mama Lili, mother to four children, whose husband works away from home. Mama Lili
works in her family rice field, growing food for her family and when they have
plenty to eat she sells to others. She taught us how to plant and grow rice. We
also saw how amazingly resourceful she is at using the plants in her fields to
supply food for her family and to dry for weaving of placements and baskets to
sell.
To finish off the day we had a Malagasy dance group sing and
dance some of their cultural songs and participation was definitely required!
We returned to the ship with muddy feet and tired bodies but
with such an appreciation for the work that each person puts into their day to
day life to live and support their families.
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