This transfer has been a blast...

Ry Fianakaviako,

Personality-wise, Elder Kruger and I are getting along great! We're always trying to make each other laugh, and it's helpful to have someone not hesitant to make fun of me or point out the dumb thing I'm doing. I also like how even though we have a different perspective on a lot of things, we can always find a productive compromise quickly. The conversation never turns dulls too. We share stories between lessons, and it's weird how boring topics can be so fun to talk about. I didn't realize how similar our humors are in spite of the differences in our personalities. The only drawback is the rigorous process of teaching him Malagasy.  Otherwise, this transfer has been a blast!

Pulling a Handcart Pousse-Pousse:

I literally paid a handcart pousse-pousse driver 300 ariary so I could pull him and the 200-pound Kruger 100 meters. It was so masochistic and unfun that by 60 seconds I dropped the cart completely exhausted, stumbled a couple steps to the side, drenched in sweat and involuntarily sobbing. And in comparison to the little pousse-pousse driver, I have about 60 more pounds on me. I don't know how those guys live on one bowl of rice and day and pull those things 12 hours straight. Those guys are so excited to earn to 1000 ariary (33 cents) to transport you and your Sulley-sized friend a mile on a dirt path.

Banana:

The classic Madagascar missionary line, "Oh sorry, I don't speak French." Even when someone says, "Bonjour." We react, "I don't understand! Speak Malagasy!" This backfired when I asked this family what food their pet lemur liked the most, and they replied with, "Banane." Not understanding at first, I smugly said, "Psh, please. I don't speak French." Then, Elder Kruger started laughing way hard, "It's banana, you idiot!" The family asked what 'banane' was in our language. I said weakly, "Banana..." 

Professional Soccer Game: 

We heard these huge roars coming from behind this wall, and we decided to climb up and see what all the hub bub was. Turns out, FIFA held a match between Antananarivo vs. Mahajanga, and we had to pay about 50 cents to stand on this guy's wall to watch for 10 minutes. I've never heard or seen more swearing, odd squeals, angry fists towards heaven, insults to the refs and pure excitement. Malagasies are the perfect sport spectators because they are all so invested and passionate, and nothing can distract them.

Conspiracy:Almost every lesson we had this week somehow turned to Donald Trump and the weird conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11. It's weird how obsessed Malagasies are about America insomuch that they have their own well-thought out opinions about every major American event. They would bring the topic up by saying, "So... Donald Trump!"  Our investigators would then flip the conversation to 9/11, and I am so tired of how many Malagasies tried to convince me how it was a secret job done by Illuminati--a group of world leaders which apparently includes Obama, Bush, a random Malagasy president and some other obscure names to make it seem legit--in order to get oil from Iraq.

Malagasy Morsel of the Week - Manompo or Manompa:

To serve and to swear. These words are a little too similar for comfort. For some reason, 'manompa' bypasses the normal edit process in my brain and comes out every time I want to say 'manompo.' Here in Mahajanga though, swearing isn't considered as shocking or bad, and it isn't an odd scene when you see a grandma gently chastising her noisy grandchildren with dozens of severe, gruff swear words.

Stories for Next Week

-Identity Crisis

-Dallyas

Love you all so much!

Elder Soper