Crazy week!!

Yeah, I'm gonna keep it short this week, too. This whole week we were either at the hospital getting treatments for Bates, or at home recovering. It was really just Bates recovering, but seeing as he is my other half, I'm including myself in that. Lots of stuff to take care of, it's been an interesting week with everything. 

gettin shots

Bates dying

I killed so many cockroaches and grasshoppers in that hospital

Some of our awesome investigators brought us food for 3 days while Bates was in the hospital. They took great care of us!!

That said, not much to report this week, just lots of sitting around. Bates' foot is getting worse, but his stomach (the reason we went to the hospital) is all good now. 

President Adams brought back Elder Solofoarimanana to work in our area. I replaced him when I came here, so we was only in his new area for like 2 weeks then came back. I'm stoked!

Solofo is from Ampefiloha, one of the areas I worked back in Tana. We hung out at his family's house sometimes. He's a cool dude, super chill. I'm stoked...in an amazing province, and with a native too. Time to drop the English. 

Love you guys.

Taylor

Another pic for ya...

Heart shaped garlic bread, the waitress brought it for me and bates. It was good.

Christmas Skype!!

Just a snipit from Taylor from our back and forth email this week... 

"Its a way small branch, we've visited like everyone. This area is way new. I'm the 16th missionary to ever work here, so everyone is recent converts within the past year or 2 pretty much."

We didn't exchange letters since we'll be skyping on Thursday night, so just enjoy some pics this week!!

teaching english class

video conference with president and all the outlying 2 man areas

posiposy's

baobab trees on the road

the bap font fills up way slow

after kevins bap

we make and eat rice for every meal

a little girl giving me rocks through a fence

I made it to Toliara...I love this place already!!

I'm here in Toliara now. This place is stinking ballin. There's actually 6 dialects here. But they just wrap it all together and call it Teny Toliara (Toliara Language). If I was to have come here straight from the official dialect (in Tana) I wouldn't have understood much for sure, but Tamatave's dialect has a lot of similarities. It's still difficult, but I'll get it in a few weeks. This dialect sounds way more African than regular Malagasy, I love it.

The trip stunk, haha. Cool sights every now and then. But 29 hours on a hot mini bus got kind of old. I spent all day Tuesday driving alone from Tamatave to Tana, then stayed the night at the AP's place. 

stopping for rice

manandona

smith and marsh

mission board. our group is a lot bigger than we were last time I saw this thing

chilling in the office all night

It was way weird being back in Tana. I don't know like anyone there anymore, so many new people. Being out in province, you fall out of the loop. And it's even more so here in Toliara. I like it though. Helps me not get trunky.

Then on Wednesday, Andriamanganoro and I drove together to Fianarantsoa and stayed the night there. Then finally, on Thursday, I spent all day alone in a bus driving from Fianarantsoa to Toliara. Super glad that trip's over.

me and andriamanganoro

soooo tired

almost to fianarantsoa

I sent some pictures. I didn't take a ton on the ride cause honestly I got bored and tried sleeping the whole time. I didn't get sick though, I bought meds to knock me out so that definitely helped.

Bates and I are having a blast. Toliara is way sick. Toliara is a lot like Tamatave, just replace the palms for baobabs and add a lot of dust. It's a desert here. Pretty much the same heat as tamatave though, not too different. Just a lot less green.

my boi bates

The branch is legit. We get like 80 people at church. Everyone in this town is super close, everyone knows each other, so we're always saying hi to people. It's like that all over Mada, but here there is hardly any car traffic, just bikes and walking, way nice.

The members are way sick. Before English (which a lot of members and investigators come to) I got on the piano and sang a song for them, it helped break the ice, so everyone's chill with me now.

Um, so as far as Malagasy Christmas in general. To be honest, it's really not a big deal here, no one does anything. Everyone goes wild for new years though. It's really just a big drinking party. New Years and Easter. Stumbling drunkards, ha. Malagasy's don't really do the same holiday stuff we do. But at the church, the branch is gonna do a little party next week. Just karaoke and stuff I'm sure. They want Bates and I to do a show too, so we'll see what we whip up.

Check out pictures, have a good one and talk to you guys in a week.

Taylor

saying bye to fr arsene's family (they're from toliara)

Transfers...oh yeah!!!!

yo,

About my new area...long story short, it's the sickest area in the mission. It's way down south. 5 insane dialects. It's gnarly. I'm stoked to learn some new malagasy. I don't know how they can still classify it as malagasy, but I guess it is somehow. It's definitely not what we learned in Provo. I am so stinking stoked. I leave tomorrow morning and get to Toliara (my new area) on Thursday night I think. Bates is gonna be my comp. We lived together the whole time I was in Ampefiloha, and he was in 67, ha. I was hoping for this exact transfer. time is gonna go so fast.. only 4 more transfer cycles, and I get to spend them in amazing Toliara. Toliara is like what everyone envies for because it's just a 2 man area, with no areas for hundreds of miles around. Crazy dialects.

Anyway, that'll be my week, on a bus. I'll take pictures.

This week was full of goodbye's too. I knew I was leaving, and a ton of people hooked us up with goodbye lunches/dinners. Investigators and members. Ah, so legit. I've got some legit pals here in Tamatave. I'm bummed to leave, but my stokedness to go to Toliara makes it pretty easy, ha. It's been a sick 7 months here. Here's to the next 5 1/2 down south.

one of my favorite families. Solo and Lea and kids

veronique doing my hair

another dope family. Allembine, Tina, Fabrice, Kanto and Sitraka

goodbye lunch with Sylvan and Virginie's family. Way sick investigators

Another goodbye lunch with a bunch of members

Just so you know, I got the 3rd package this past week. Thanks a ton, I gave a ton of the candy to some kids, blew their minds as always. I downed a bunch of it, too.

I gave my girlfriends some laffy taffy's

The AP's came this week. Smith stayed in the other house, Marsh stayed at our house for 2 nights. it was way fun. On Friday we had a conference with all the missionaries, president, and Elder and Sister Renlund from south Africa. it was pretty legit.

chilling with marsh again

saying bye to smith. dude's going home

I'm gonna try to see Ravaka when i head back to Tana, I'm not sure how much time I'll have in the mission home though, hopefully enough time to reorganize my suitcases.

Alrighty, I'll send pictures of the ride down to Toliara next week. I'm stoked out of my mind. Road trip across the country, what?!

love you, Taylor

A few more pics to enjoy...

fatana gasy. They pack down sawdust around a bottle then char it and use to to cook all day

like this.