June 17, 2017 Madagascar
The first of many….firsts. I have returned to where I kept a promise of camera and phone to a teen and her 23-year-old brother, to take them on an adventure of many firsts. They live in an island paradise, where the fresh food market could not be any fresher, with chickens scampering about their homes, cows moving freely from field to field, and fish just a few steps into the warm ocean waters to be trapped in a basket and brought home for the grilling. No power outages or sewer backups ever, because the live without electricity, or plumbing but they live a safe life. Education they have and a clinic too. And income from tourist who fly in and fly out, unlike the island residents who can only afford a boat ticket, on wooden boats with two stroke engines, to go the 2 or more hours to get to the mainland, to buy things that cannot be produced on the island, of Ile Sainte Marie, Madgascar where they live.
Today’s storyorgraphy covers the 24 hours from Franceline’s birth day, of her 16th year to arrival for her first time in her capital city of Anatanarovia and a series of firsts for her and her brother, which invigorates me as I appreciate the energy of new experiences through the eyes of new eyes.
Franceline, cuts her cake as she and her family celebrate her 16th birthday, for their first stay ever in a hotel, on their own island. The morning greets them as the reach the airport with a rainbow, giving them luck for their journey to come. A new experience for all as they enter the airport as tourist, checking in, and awaiting their plane. It comes. The board, for the flight of their lives. See their land from above and crossing the waters to experience their country for the first time.
Their faces focus, on the pre-flight instructions, and then turn to the windows of their view, not leaving until the plane has touched down and they can disembark. This is a two flight, flight, so the get a repeat flight, a second flight of their lives. They land in their native land, are greeted by a Presidential motorcade. They see for the first time, things they had never seen, (remember with no electricity, they have no TV) as their driver takes them to the Queens Palace, a historical building because there is no longer a queen, and has not been one since the late 1800’s. They learn of their history, and on the slow drive to their hotel, get to see the faces of their fellow countrymen.
Arriving at the hotel in time for dinner, they meet their guide, his wife and their son, as he explains to them, their journey with me for the fortnight, that will bring them to many places of intrigue; mountains, rivers, escarpments, hotels, camping, unique trees and islands of lemurs.
Most everything they will experience will be a first, from night time electricity, to flushing toilets, to not as fresh food as they are used to. It will be fun for me to live through their first-time experiences. One that surprised me today was an offer of an ice-cream bar, which they knew not of. They opted not to have the ice-cream bar, it was too cold here, not warm as is their tropical island paradise. Night time cold will be another first for them. I look forward to what I learn from this experience of Franceline and her 23 year old brother Jean Luc.
