….local markets, a ship holiday & a private concert….
Outside Bazary Be - a local market
So….today marks the 2 month mark! I can’t believe I have been on the ship for 8 weeks already. In some ways it has gone very quickly and in other ways I feel like I have been here for a long time. Even my boss keeps forgetting I’ve only been with Mercy Ships for 2 months [I guess that’s a good thing!].
[FYI in the interest of clarity the “weeks” in my blog start on a Saturday and finish Friday]
Week 7 started with a trip to the local market in the company of one of the families I babysit for. I had the pleasure of travelling with their 8-year-old in a tuk tuk on the way there. We made a stop at the local chocolatier “Roberts”. It’s amazing how different chocolate tastes in different countries!
Bazary Be is one of the local markets here in Toamasina [Tamatav]. The market consists of 2 parts. There is an outside section [under an open sided shed structure] that has handmade furniture. The inside section is in a large tin shed with very narrow corridors. One side is dedicated to arts & crafts [everything from baskets, handmade clothes and jewelry to items made of wood, bone, straw, and tin]. The middle section contains spices and a butcher, and the last section is clothing [t-shirts, dresses etc.] with a very western feel.
It's quite an experience walking down the narrow paths. There are individual stalls on both sides, kids sleeping or playing on the floor under tables while their parents try very hard to interest you in their wares. It’s noisy, chaotic, overwhelming, and hot! But it’s a visual feast of colours and textures. I’m going to have to find a way to take more photos!
I’m trying to be very intentional about the things I buy while here, so I was very proud of myself for only coming away with a necklace 😊 I’m sure I’ll be back over the coming months. Although I’m limited in what I’ll be able to get back into Australia, given the restrictions, I have found some items that will make great Christmas presents and won’t take up much room.
After the market, my 8-year-old companion and I shared a pousse-pousse [a small two wheeled carriage pulled by bike] to the Calypso Hotel. It’s become a favourite! It’s cool [air con], clean and has great food! I stayed on to use the pool and indulged in 3 hours at the day spa [a 60min massage, body scrub, facial and pedicure cost me US$43!].
The week was spent on deck 3 [hospital] cleaning out stationary cupboards and putting things in order [including labels]. What’s an office without labels! Sorting out more than 200 keys! I am responsible for looking after and issuing every key on the hospital deck. A person’s role determines which sections of the hospital they are allowed to access. After the refit, there have been some changes, so it’s been a process!
We are starting to get more crew in the hospital, which is exciting! and the hospital itself is starting to look more and more like a functioning hospital as the weeks progress. I’ll have to do a hospital tour for you all!
Wednesday night I had the opportunity to take a tuk tuk 30mins away to a popular [with the crew] restaurant on the beach “Ocean 501”. The trip there took us through local suburbs, the tuk tuks, pousse-pousses and motorbikes all jostling for position on the road. It was twilight when we left so we passed by many a food stall with smells of roasting meat in the air. On the last section of road, before the restaurant, it felt like we had been entered into an off-road rally without any warning. Our tuk tuk driver started swerving wildly to miss puddles whilst giving up on others and driving straight through.
I am constantly grateful for the unique experiences I have already had in my life and for the new ones I am currently making!
Friday was a ship holiday [every 6-8 weeks the ship has a day off which allows the majority of the crew to have 3 days off in a row]. This meant that the number of people onboard dropped dramatically as more than half of the crew took the opportunity to see more of Madagascar. I was offered a family cabin to stay in for 2 nights, this might not seem like much but when your living space is the size of a small bathroom any opportunity to stay in a bigger space, you grab it! [Family cabins have a living/kitchenette, a double bed in the main room and either 1 or 2 rooms with bunk beds, they also have multiple portholes – so plenty of natural light!].
My ship holiday consisted of 3 trips off the ship, one to the markets and a local “supermarket”, my second trip was to the Calypso hotel for a swim in the pool and a cocktail, and the final trip off to a local restaurant. 7.8kms of walking!!
A heart wrenching experience occurred on the way to the market, when we were approached by two young women with babies in their arms. They followed us for more than 5 minutes! It hurts my heart to not be able to help in these situations. This was followed by a rather entertaining moment where one of my crewmates was attempting to barter in the markets. Another crewmate had an English/Malagasy survival guide with her and was attempting to help! Both local women had quite a laugh at our expense. Africa really is an expert at bringing out all the emotions, it can have you crying one moment and laughing the next.
Dinner was quite an experience! It’s a very large venue, and for more than 2 hours we were the only patrons. While the food did take a very long time to come out, it was worth the wait! We had a zebu platter [a type of cow that is kept in hot countries with a hump] with chips [French fries] & a salsa, a taco platter, and some breaded prawns. Whilst waiting for our food a singer and her entourage arrived. Next thing we were treated to our own private concert! It was definitely one of those pinch me moments! They were amazing!
A funny thing happened when we first arrived at the restaurant, which I debated putting in here, however my parents thought I should…so….there are plants along the “wall” of the restaurant, to be fair this wall is more a suggestion of a wall. I spotted something moving behind the plants [it’s also worth noting I didn’t have my glasses with me] so I mentioned that I thought there was a cat. Another of my crew mates started looking and responded with “that’s not a cat, that’s a rat!” now we have no proof either way so I’m sticking with my version of the story!
Week 8 included attending a leadership foundations course, more emails, spreadsheets and trying to locate missing items.
Exciting news for the week I got my addition to my bed! I am now sleeping around 7 hours a night!!!
I also had the opportunity to watch Jennifer Lopez’s new film “This is me…now” and her documentary “The greatest love story never told”. She certainly is an impressive and hard-working woman! In the doco they interview American actress Jennifer Lewis, and she said something that has stuck with me “When you take your last breath, you won't think about who did something wrong to you, you will think about who loved you”.
Observations from week 7&8:
It’s funny that I now track where we are in a week based on the treat provided….popcorn Tuesday, ice-cream Thursday, waffle Friday….
I’ve started skipping breakfasts most morning during the week…breakfast finishes at 07:45…have you worked out I’m not a morning person yet!
It’s an exciting week when the mandatory weekly fire drill doesn’t turn into a full evacuation but only the drilling of the fire teams!
Three grown women barely fit in the back of a tuk tuk, no matter your size!
There’s nothing quite like the anxiety of waiting to see if the toilet will flush…this happens far more often that I would like!
It’s hard to know if you should be attempting Malagasy, French or English when you go out. It ends up becoming quite a mish mash of all 3, the locals must get quite a laugh at the “vazahas” [foreigners/white people].