December 11, 2010
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Madagascar …from the perspective of the sister-in-law
Greetings,
My name is Lara. For those of you who don’t know me I am Eric’s wife…Joc & Josh’s sister-in-law. Joc has asked me to write a few words about my experience in Madagascar so far and I most willingly agreed.
Eric and I decided to join the Reimer/Plett Christmas celebration in Madagascar this year. We have been here for five full days and I am already feeling more at ease with the different cultural surroundings. Before we left Canada I was aware that there would be a certain level of culture shock when we arrived. My father is a pilot so I have had the privileged of seeing and experiencing different cultures my entire life. However, I will say that I found the first couple days in Madagascar to be a bit overwhelming. Perhaps I wasn’t prepared for the level of poverty that exists here or my in ability to communicate with the local people. The wee-bit of broken French I know is just not sufficient.
So far I am finding myself inspired and touched by what I have seen here. The people are very friendly and appreciate the things they have.
One observation that has stuck with me is the abundance of stray animals, particularly dogs, on the streets of Madagascar. I am very passionate about animal rights advocacy and I donate time and resources to this cause in Canada. It hurts my heart to see them scrounge for food and listen to them bark as I fall asleep at night. However, I realize there are not enough resources available to feed the people never mind the stray animals. It’s not for lack of compassion and caring it’s for lack of resources and knowledge. I was extremely pleased to see an animal SOS down the road from where Joc & Josh live. Eric and I plan to visit next week. It just goes to show you that God touches us all and encourages us to make the world a better place in different ways.
I have a great deal of respect for what Joc & Josh do here. I look forward to what the next couple weeks will bring.
Cheers,
Lara
