Monday, September 7, 2015

Day 1 and Day 2

Sunday, September 6, 2015 430PM (930AM Boston)
We made it! Somehow we managed to get 13 bags all the way to Madagascar! Only one got lost in Paris but will be here tomorrow (Monday).

After waiting in line until our arms fell off (2 hours) at the Antananarivo airport at midnite we received our luggage and visas. Our hosts were there to meet us (Thank God!) and we piled in the two vans headed for the Hotel Ivato. There were numerous beggars following us around asking for money while trying to carry our bags for us to the vans. We couldn't get out of the parking lot at first because the gate wouldn't go up. Finally someone came over and lifted it up by hand so that we could pull through. We arrived at the Hotel Ivato a few minutes later only to find (you guessed it) a locked gate that wouldn't open. The buttons didn't work and the hotel wasn't answering their phone. Our driver (who we later discovered loves the horn) tried honking, backing up and pulling forward, even revving the engine (not sure why), until finally the sleepy-eyed staff came out and opened it up. The alternative was most likely to drive 2 hours to Antsirabe in the middle of the night! Whew!  After about 4 hours of sleep we were up and ready to head to the Lutheran convention in Antsirabe for a worship service.

The convention was a 2 hour drive and we ran late, but we were still able to catch the last half hour. It was held outdoors and was attended by about 30,000 Lutheran Christians over the week. But, let's talk about the two hour drive first...

They drive on the right side of the road but there are no lane markings, no speed limits, no rules about passing, and random police check points. Our driver passed other vehicles on blind corners like it was going out of style, just about burnt out the horn, and got us into a few near miss situations. We were stopped at police checkpoints 3 times but quickly let go each time. Just another day here.... However, what a beautiful country! The poverty is apparent. On our drive we saw endless terraces for growing rice and potatoes. We learned that Antananarivo is known for its brick making and we saw 'ovens' all along the way where they bake the bricks.

After the convention, we were driven about 5 minutes to the hospital guest house where we will be staying. We then had a home cooked meal including chicken, french fries, rice, bread, pasta, and... COFFEE! Our bags are unloaded and we got settled in. Then the fun began...

We won the award for 'most supplies brought by any team' which is great but it also meant that we won the award for 'most supplies organized by any team'. We spent a couple hours doing all this and it was absolute chaos. There is literally, thousands of pounds of antibiotics, hydrocortisone, anti hypertensives, etc etc the list goes on and on. We have enough toothpaste and tooth brushes to take down a destroyer thanks to you all...it will be put to good work starting tomorrow (Monday).

We only get wifi next to where we are staying at the hospital guest house so bear with us! More to follow...





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