40 Days in Madagascar

We arrived in Madagascar two days ago late in the evening and as we were approaching the runway, we were straining to see city lights. Normally the city lights are visible for miles before we land, but this time we could only see a few lights from individual homes and buildings. No big street lights, few cars, and few signs of a bustling city life. Once off the plane and while driving with the local dentist, we realized this was in fact how things are. We have yet to see a stoplight. There are many cars, but there are no stop signs, traffic lights, or road signs. It is definitely very different from LA.

Most of our luggage arrived today. There is still a missing suitcase and stroller, but those are supposed to be arriving today and tomorrow, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed. The funny thing is that we usually pack an extra outfit and the essentials in our carryon baggage, but this time with the 13 hours of flying and all of Kasen’s necessities, we forgot. And of course this was the time our bags didn’t arrive! Now we have showered, have on fresh clothes, and feel like new people again.

Our apartment has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and most of the modern conveniences of a regular apartment in the States with a few exceptions (more on that later).

We already miss our friends and family, but have made fast friends with some of the missionaries here. Two wonderful couples have been helping us get adjusted to life here and have really been helpful in supplying some necessities. I don’t know what we would have done without them!

I will be posting pictures of various aspects of our life here in Madagascar. For now, here are two from today…

From our compound looking out over part of the city of Tana.

Kasen catching a ride!