Nina was my first language teacher, shopping for food was my second.
Read MoreAntsirabe Street Shots
I lived in Antsirabe for 8 months It was never boring.
The influence of France still observed in architecture and manners.
I compiled a few of my photos which may illustrate just what I mean.
evolving, modern, connections.
Weekend Morning
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Student's Action in Language Learning
Scene along the RN7 Roadway
She’s there! My favorite vendor was standing at her roadside-stand, a bicycle ride away from my apartment in Antsirabe. I recognize her as a sister. She always greets me with a smile just I used to do when I was a retailer welcoming customers into my store. She wears sturdy shoes, to support her through the day with a knitted wool stocking hat pulled firmly down. The type of hat with little crocheted flowers attached on the crown, the hat style that young American women gave to each other 10 Christmases ago. This well-worn hat is Camille’s defense against the damp cold breeze of the Central Highlands.
There, in front of her stand, we eagerly bantered back and forth, she always gave me the best price on freshly harvested watercress and ginger root. My sister encouraged me to continue with my Malagasy* lessons.
My Malagasy Kitchen
Language acquisition is a fickle thing. 17 out of 20 of my American cohorts seemed to learn Malagasy quickly, conversing in relative ease within two months. My style of learning involves introspection, observation, and motivation. Motivation seemed to be my last barrier.
It is common for language teachers to emphasize the importance of learning technical linguistic rules in conjunction with learning associated societal customs. But customs are not stagnate. They vary according to region, generation, social-economic status; the variations are infinite. It was the culture of local food that was my inspiration to learn. I needed to actively barter for my daily sustenance. And as an avid home cook I wanted to ask about cooking techniques, the growing conditions of the local produce, and I was curious about the business experiences roadside vendors have in Madagascar. I needed to acquire language tools to hold these conversations.
Author Deoksoon Kim (2020) wrote an insightful paper about the importance of intercultural learning to new language acquisition, stating that “Educating the ‘whole person,’ when teaching language, requires engaging with the cultural ways of life within which that language lives.” Every student has a different motivator to learn. The trick to my language learning was to find aspects of Malagasy culture that resonated with me.
Activity Points for Language Learning
As a retailer in Colorado I enjoyed engaging with my customers,, I saw that my Malagasy sister has this trait too. My interactions with Camille along the R34 roadway were more than trying to find the right Malagasy words. I approached her with an open heart and a warm demeanor. My attempts to speak in her language delighted Camille, but our mutual trust and respect for one another were paramount in our intercultural relationship. I just needed to take the first step by pausing to listen to her story.
*Malagasy is the language spoken throughout Madagascar.
RN34
Reference
Kim, Deoksoon (2020). Learning language, learning culture: Teaching language to the whole student. ECNU Review of Education. Vol 3(3) 519-541. DOI: 10.1177/2096531120936693
Mantadia, My Visit to an Old Growth Forest
Forests can be replanted but the biodiversity of the old growth forests cannot be replaced. The authors of “Primary Forests are Irreplaceable for Sustaining Tropical Biodiversity“ Nature, (2011) successfully argue “…when it comes to maintaining tropical biodiversity, there is no substitute for primary forests.”
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Father with young Indri Indri in the rainforest canopy
Association Mitsinjo a community-run protected area
During my brief visit I was moved by the beauty of Andasibe, the variety of wildlife and unusual botanicals was astounding.
Read MoreAnalamazaotra National Park, a holiday in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar
…I asked to arrive to Analamazaotra N.P. promptly at 6 AM the next morning, so eager to see what the forest had to offer…
Read MoreEscape to Le Palmarium - Ankanin’ny Nofy
I worked for a private language learning institute in Antsirabe, Madagascar for 9 months. It operates year-round, so I did not enjoy a 3-month winter holiday as most teachers do, but every once in-awhile I caught news that the institute would be closed for a short break. Without much notice, I would quickly have my friend and travel agent, S. Cocchiarella, organize a Madagascar adventure for me.
One such adventure was to Le Palmarium, a private reserve on Lake Ampitabe. Access to Le Palmarium is by boat through the Pangalanes Canal system, paralleling the Indian Ocean before entering Lake Ampitabe.
My private bungalow, situated on the lake shore, was absolutely private since most guests chose to stay in the forested part of the reserve where lemurs visit their tree-top rooms and balconies. Whether one chooses the sound of lapping waves on the lakeshore or a birds-eye view of lemurs, Le Palmarium is far removed from the hustle of Eastern Madagascar.
Lemurs at Ankanin’ny Nofy
The lemurs are habituated to humans, they literally pose for photographs because they are accustomed to being fed my humans.
Many of the lemur species living here are not endemic to Eastern Madagascar.
The privately managed hotel and reserve maintains close relationships with the local villages. I spent a day walking with my guides to their homes, visiting their families, and learning a little bit about their lifestyle. Later that evening we canoed the shoreline, enjoying the lush landscape from a new angle.
Sunset from the canoe
Village Visit
Le Palmarium is a wonderful family getaway especially since it is fairly accessible from Antananarivo. Children are able to run, play, and swim while their parents watch with a refreshing beverage. I especially enjoyed my perfect breakfast overlooking the lake, escaping city-life for a few days.
Wild Madagascar arranged all of the details of my trip ensuring that I could pursue the activities that interested me.
Deforested hills outside Le Palmarium boundary
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Wild Madagascar Tour Operator arranged my travel plans to Le Palmarium
Song of the Indri Indri
Sometimes I make plans well in advance. I consider every contingency and discuss options before finalizing the itinerary.
But I’ve changed and am able to accept surprise opportunities as they arise, because I’m comfortable with my judgement now. When a trip to central eastern Madagascar came together in a matter of a few weeks, I couldn’t believe my good fortune.
The Andasibe region of Madagascar has different types of protected areas creating a patchwork of wild spaces to be explored. The rock stars of the region are the Indri Indri lemurs. They are the largest lemurs of Madagascar and are found in certain rainforests of eastern Madagascar. Their vocalization is quite unique. Researchers have been recording and watching these lemurs for decades trying to piece together the evolution of song and communication.
A recent paper has confirmed that the Indri Indri have different vocalizations towards non-family members dependent if the other Indri Indri are local neighbors or strangers to their territory. These types of sophisticated social communication styles help Indri Indri warn of other lemurs, avoiding physical fighting. I think we can all agree that verbal discussion is the first step to solving disagreements.
mantadia national park
The owners of Wild Madagascar arranged for my driver and lodge stays throughout my holiday in the Central-Eastern rainforest area of Madagascar.
Here is a link to a recording https://wildlife.org/watch-lemurs-have-rhythm/I
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I Will Ride About
Morning in Antsirabe
I have to ride about ½ hour to get out of the city then I’m riding through little towns, suburbs really, maneuvering my place on the road with semi-trailer trucks, taxi brousses, scooters, and motor bikes. There are some dirt road offshoots that I can explore. Muddy and deeply rutted paths. I’m saving those for when I’m brave or have time to get lost.
Most mornings, if I leave early enough, I greet the goat herder who allows his few animals to munch on the green grass lining our lane. Later in the day the goats will be replaced by street mothers asking for money, always in French.
Skinny cows pull their carts in belching traffic, sometimes the equally skinny farmer will hop out to guide them, whip in hand. Supplying the city of meat isn’t hidden in large regional packing houses, it is front and center of daily life.
Cycling in Antsirabe is not that different than Denver. I would dodge traffic and angry truck drivers there too. Though I reap new rewards here, all types of vendors line the road ranging from fresh vegetables and fruits to bicycle repair to used clothing.
sunrise in Antsirabe
exchanging laughs
Rich in Experiences
I’m a social person enjoying the noise of people around me, though I require access to the countryside for an occasional hike or picnic.
Read MoreLet us keep count
Let Us Keep Count
Strange place to be,
sleep settles into spurts.
My sharp staccato,
a Spanish tendency continues.
Time beyond these walls
incomprehensible.
We keep count
reminding each other,
not of better times,
just of impermanence.
Tana, capital city
One Evening in Madagascar
Sweet flute music is playing, Sitraka is in the kitchen with her mother cooking, I am swimming in language books, notes, and very overwhelmed.
Some windows only have screens, the outward doors are unlatched. Yes, it’s cold. These are the Highlands of Madagascar. Rice patties interspersed with canals and a mélange of farm animals, mostly cows and poultry, are included in the patchwork. Homesteads hug the roadways, much like rural France where families live in accordance with their livelihoods.
The flute floats across the valley, lovely to the ear yet the reason for the performance may shock some not accustomed to such proximity to death. My family is not involved with this ancient Malagasy tradition, turning of the bones They don’t entertain these live performances to help pass the long damp winter. My wish will be to fall asleep to that sweet music tonight.
Reboot, Restart, shortest reflection ever
Zambia, May 2022
Anyone else ever feel as if they need to restart life?
I thought it would be easy to do but instead it’s a lesson of forgetting old systems and just letting space be.
Beliefs are squashed
Identity questioned
Certainties lost
Lesson learnt
A life path suddenly drops from sight and the next step may ultimately lead to a long uncomfortable freefall.
South Luangwa Zambia
Everything has Changed
Sossusvlei, Namibia
1975, my ninth year, was one of those critical life-assessment years. I was faced with the reality that my classmates and I would soon be experiencing puberty together. The indignities of adulthood would absolutely bear down on the sweet weightlessness of our childhood, everything would change.
Ms. Kurtz’s science class also had a big impact. She was a woman of the 70’s. Her square-toed wedges and poly blouses with geometric patterns reflected her upbeat and quirky attitude. That year she explained environmental degradation to us. Industrial outputs and individual consumption were changing the planet so quickly that our class would witness ecosystems collapsing, certainties emphasized by colorful forecasting charts. Many of my life decisions have been based on Ms. Kurtz’s 1975 lesson plans.
We see that the environmentalists and scientists of the 1970s were right to be alarmed. Open wild spaces are mortally threatened today, yet those are the areas that are critical to our psyche and our physical well-being. Conservationists work to protect planet Earth and her biodiversity; we make personal and professional choices with the future of the natural world in mind. Conservationists are generally optimistic but truthful too.
Spending the day outdoors, riding my bicycle, these activities allowed my passage through adolescence. As a 21rst century adult, the joy I experience in nature is still my steadying force. I am always thrilled to share my enthusiasm for wild spaces with friends or am happy to go it alone. Taking the opportunity to be outdoors for a day or maybe a fortnight, allowing yourself to be lost in nature, these experiences provide the balance our bodies crave. Try it you’ll like it. *
*Copy of 1970’s Alka Seltzer TV advertisement.
Namib Desert, Nambia
Summer Night
Not a season for whispers
it harkens jigs and dance,
accompanied by nonsensical song.
Friends gather at night,
"welcome all, ladybirds and dragonflies,
come let’s celebrate the sun.”
But look at the
Platters of color
Salads of bounty
Soba and mushrooms
and a kaleidoscope of flavor
Oyakodan perfectly dressed with
small market vegetables.
Graphic short story by Ethan Bontrager
Little Lily
Ethan Bontrager completed this graphic story May 2022. He is a creative writer, bicyclist, mechanic, cook, and my brother. Because of his MS (Multiple Sclerosis), Ethan has difficulty with handwriting and controlling a pen.
I hope you enjoy this graphic biographical account of our mother, Lily Levine.
Forests can be replanted but the biodiversity of the old growth forests cannot be replaced. The authors of “Primary Forests are Irreplaceable for Sustaining Tropical Biodiversity“ Nature, (2011) successfully argue “…when it comes to maintaining tropical biodiversity, there is no substitute for primary forests.”