The Sounds and Smells

I’ve talked a lot about what I see in Madagascar. I talk regularly about what I think about Madagascar, what I do in Madagascar. But, I haven’t talked much, if at all, about what I smell in Madagascar, what I hear in Madagascar. I thought of this after an e-mail from my grandparents the other day when my Grandpa asked what I hear around my house. Immediately, my brain went further, to what I hear in many different places around Fianar, to what I smell around Madagascar.

Clearly, there are many different smells and sounds around Mada. And they vary drastically based on where I am. But, there are some things that stick out.

Around my house, I regularly hear my neighbors. I had different neighbors when I moved in, but they left in November, and then when I arrived in Fianar with my parents in December, my new neighbors had moved in. They are a wonderful family; the father is a Pastor at my church and a fluent English speaker. The mother in the family is also wonderful, she takes my laundry in when it rains and does other little helpful things like that. They also have to children, a boy who just started school at Masombahoaka and a 2 and a half year old girl. So, I often hear the 2 and a half year old playing, giggling and sometimes even crying.

One of my favorite smells in Madagascar is the smell of starting a charcoal fire. The charcoal here has a wonderful smell that I have no idea how to describe. I don’t often cook on charcoal, mostly because I am not very good (read: terrible) at getting the fire started. But, my neighbors cook on charcoal, so I get to appreciate the smell each meal. They often laugh at me because sometimes I comment on how the charcoal, “smells good, like Madagascar.”

Other smells in Madagascar are not so pleasant. Fianar has some public restrooms, but they are not common, so the street is very commonly used as one big public restroom. This makes certain areas not smell so great. Also, there is little to no trash collection in Mada. This means that people make trash piles and burn them on the street. There are also smells in the market that aren’t so pleasant, like the butcher, or the fish section, but they are easy to move through quickly. These smells aren’t pleasant, but they have become very normal here. These smells will always remind me of Madagascar.

There are sounds around Fianar that stand out too.

Vehicles of all sorts here tend to make a lot of noise, from being broken in some way.

I hear the Call to Prayer from a mosque near my house.

I hear languages, sometimes 4 or more in one day.

I hear music. Malagasy people love singing, there is usually music in the bus, or at random places on the street. I recently discovered that you can stream a Malagasy radio station online: http://www.radioparadisagasy.com/ and click the red box in the top right corner that says “Écouter en direct.”

I hear sellers at the market, attracting buyers by saying what they are selling and the price.

I hear rice being sifted. Because of the way rice is processed here, there are usually still bits of husks and small rocks in the rice. So, it must be sifted before it is cooked. The rice sifting sounds like someone sweeping the floor.

I hear a lot of laughter. I am continuously amazed how people in this country who have so little, have so much happiness.

There are some smells and sounds in Madagascar that are wonderful, and some that aren’t so. But, all of these things make Madagascar what it is. I wouldn’t change them for the world.