Overnight

We took a brave step this weekend. We ventured off the ship overnight! With 3 children 4 and under, we haven't thought much about going anywhere for the night but since this was a 4 day weekend we decided it would be the time to try it out and still be back for Easter Sunday. There are some really amazing places to visit not far from the ship and most places are very affordable.

The girls were so excited to stay in a "new cabin" at the hotel.  We went to a place called Manda Beach Hotel in Foulpointe, about 1 1/2 hours from the ship. It is a hotel that is mostly frequented by the local Malagasy middle class. We were struck while there that we notice much more of a middle class in this country than we have in other places we've been. We hope it is a picture of continued growth for this country.

We chose this hotel because it has a pool and is walking distance from an amazing beach with very shallow water and no current due to a coral reef about a mile out from the beach. 

The girls loved that they got to sleep under a "tent". Thankfully there were not many mosquitos!

Pool fun!

Adalynn learned how to swim while we were there!

Finding shells.

Adalynn got her hair braided. The women loved her hair.

Cora playing while Adalynn got her hair done.

Meeting the local kids.

We took a boat ride to a coral reef just a little distance from the beach.

 

Trying to take a selfie with an old fashion camera, over water, with lots of waves. Not the best :)

 

 

Poor Jack had to wear the pink life jacket :)

Holding a sea urchin our driver found.

This clear water was probably 1/2 mile out from the beach. It was still only knee deep. Our boat driver crushed a sea urchin so the fish would come. The girls could see them from the side of the boat. So cool!

John and I got to get in a snorkel for a bit. It was really spectacular!

Jack loved that he could sit in the ocean and play. Such a great beach for kids since it was so shallow for such a long distance out.

The highlight  of the trip fort the girls was a rickety old carousel. It cost 1000 areary a ride (less than $0.50) The girls probably rode it 6 times while we were there.

It was powered by these guys running in circles pushing them. So fun. They could actually get it going pretty fast. I was glad for soft sand underneath just in case it broke.

 

 

Headed back to the hotel after a long day at the beach.

 

Coloring on our porch.

 

 

We had a fabulous 2 days but we were glad to be back in our own beds last night. The kids did great but they were worn out at the end. This country has some amazing places to visit and we are so thankful for the chance to explore one of them.  Looking forward to more adventures in the future.

 

The market

Yesterday we decided to take a family trip to the market and the grocery store. Jack and Cora had been to the grocery store with me before but none of them had been to the local market. The girls had been begging to go as they saw me come home with yummy fruit and talk of my adventures there.  I wasn't really sure how they would do. We thought it might be interesting for you to see a bit of what daily life is like here for the people of Tamatave and for us!

The market itself is in a big warehouse-type building with open breezeways. It was build by Ambatovy, the nickel mine in town. It is very nice and as clean as a market of this type can be. They sell a variety of yummy fruits and veggies along with pretty much anything else you would need. The prices can't be beat. It is only a short distance from the ship, too!

It turns out that the best part of the day for the kids was the journey to and from the market.

Mercy ships purchased 2 tuk tuks to transport people in and out of the port. You can buy a tuk tuk pass for $2/month but kids are free! The girls were so excited to ride on them.

Our whole family can fit!

 

 

Once at the port gate we catch a pousse-pousse to take us the rest of the way to the market. We pay 1,000 ariary (less than $0.50) for the ride.

 

S.P.A.T sign in the background is the entrance to the port gate. The girls climbed in the pousse-pousse with daddy.

 Jack and I rode together. Here's our view.

 

 

The journey is about 1 1/2 miles. I'm amazed that the drivers earn a living only charging such a small price. There are usually many of them lined up at the port gate waiting for people to catch a ride. This town has many more pousse-pousse's than cars.

 

It is frowned upon to take pictures in the market. I wish I could give you a picture of it. It is lovely, but also quite crowded and smelly (at times).  The fruit is beautiful and super cheap. The girls liked seeing it all but were just a bit overwhelmed by the entire scene.  We stayed long enough to get some bananas, avocados, green onions, limes, honey and peanuts. In total we spent 18,000 ariary (around $7).

 

Here's a picture my friend took of the meat section. We try to walk fast through this part. I think I'll stick to our ship-meat that hasn't been hanging out in the heat with flies all over it :)

 

 

After the market we went to the grocery store to pick up a few more items. It is so nice to have a few really nice grocery stores that are close. Many of the products are from South Africa so they are in English!! In other countries I was always guessing about what I was buying. Prices are really reasonable as well.  We picked up some yogurt and canned tomatoes, beans and corn for a tortilla soup I'm making.

 

The ride back was just as entertaining for the kids!

 

Though it doesn't look like it in this picture. . .Jack enjoyed himself too!

 

Cora and Daddy. . .and all our purchases.

A street corner on the way back. Everything is so green right now with all the rain we've been getting.

The view from the road to the beach. You can see the blue funnel of the ship in the distance.

 

 

We had a great morning and felt thankful for the ease of doing these things that needed much more effort in other countries we've been to. What a beautiful little city!







Church

One of the things we have loved most about our time so far in Madagascar is being able to go to a local church on Sundays. We were not able, for various reasons, to do this in the other countries in which we've been. The congregation has been so welcoming to us and the church has been very generous. They gave us a Malagasy Bible and we are enjoying learning words as we follow along.

They translate the sermon for those of us that attend and even sing some songs in English. The worship is beautiful so I included a video of it as well so you could see what it is like.

Here are some pictures of our time last Sunday!

View of the church from the street. The building used to be used as a nightclub

 

 

 

Worship time is so beautiful!

 

Singing "How Great is out God" in Malagasy. At the end you can see the courtyard where the kids play.

 

 

The girls have really enjoyed getting to know the other kids in the church. They look forward to seeing their friends every week. (Jack stays back on the ship with his most favorite babysitter). During the service the kids play out in the adjacent courtyard.  It's nice that the girls have a place to be as the service is fairly long and it is very hot in the building.

 



Adalynn with her friend Biti.

 

Cora is usually running after or away from the boys.

 

Coloring time during worship.

The girls in their church dresses from the local market.

Adalynn with Biti after the service.

Getting ready to head back home. The drive in the car is almost as exciting :) They love meeting new crew members who join us for church. They always invite them to sit in the back with them.

 

They have asked John to preach in February some time!! We will let you know about that soon!

'Tis the season

As always after Christmas is over I find myself wondering where the time went.  It seems impossible that we left the states nearly 10 months ago to return to our ship-home. We miss our family and friends in the States so much and it is even more pronounced during this holiday season.  Despite our homesickness, we have had a really great few weeks on the ship.  Christmas is really special here and we were really glad to be a part of it this year.  Here are some highlights:

 

Adalynn was able to dance in a ballet performance. It was so well organized and we are so thankful for the ladies who volunteered their time to teach our girls!

 



 

I invited the preschool and nursery girls (plus an older sister) over for Christmas cookie decorating on the first day of Christmas break. One of the pediatric nurses came to help. It was so much fun and they did a really great job of not making a total mess :)

Some of the finished products.

After the cookies were done Miss Lee sat and read stories to the girls.

 

Another fun thing. . .Adalynn and Cora made Snowmen to hand out to all the kids in the hospital on Christmas Eve. We told them we were bringing a bit of our home (snow) to them. We also made "Merry Christmas 2014" ornaments for the caregivers and adult patients. It was a really great time going down to the wards to hand them out.  The girls were really proud of their hard work.

 

We had so many activities and events on Christmas day and we really wanted to try to keep that day as relaxed as possible so we decided to have the kids open their gifts on Christmas eve.

Stockings!! Jack in his "girly" jammies. Hoping to get some more boy clothes that fit on the container coming soon (thanks to Carrie!).

 

The girls got a new (to them) art easel!

 

 

 

Christmas morning we went to the ship café in the morning for pastries and coffee. The girls were excited to get to pick out a special drink (strawberry steamer).  We then played for a bit before a beautiful brunch in our dining room! The galley and dining room staff do an amazing job of transforming the dining room and preparing some really delicious food! It is a highlight for many of us!

 

 

 

Since it's so warm here we got to play outside after brunch.

 

 

Christmas night we participated in "open cabins". 18 different single people, couples and families opened their cabins and people were able to walk around and see peoples homes and enjoy great food.  Adalynn led a game of pin the nose on the snowman in our cabin. We served homemade peppermint ice cream, vanilla bean caramels and peanut clusters.  It was really great to get to know lots of ship-mates that we didn't previously know. The girls had a blast and were great hostesses, showing everyone their room and their new easel.  Jack slept the entire time.

 

Mrs Marcia (Adalynn's fill-in preschool teacher) and her husband playing Adalynn's game.

 

Playing on the easel with our guests.



 

What a great end to a wonderful day! Nothing will ever replace being with family on Christmas, but if we have to be away this is a fabulous place to celebrate our saviors birth. We feel so blessed and so thankful for this place.  Looking forward to the new year and all the Lord has in store.