We had a number of errands to run downtown yesterday and on top of that, had been desperately trying to get to this "cheaper" grocery store we'd been hearing about from the locals, on the edge of town. The problem with that has been transportation: buses don't go out that far. But Peter does! Not only did he offer to drive us to do our other errands, but waited for us for almost 45 minutes when one errand took much longer than we anticipated (as most everything does here).
He then drove us to the grocery store, or food store as it is called here, Sawyer's, then promised to pick us up when we were done. Sure enough, the manager called him for us and he arrived ten minutes later and we arrived at home shortly after that. An entire afternoon of taxiing cost us only $7 a piece! Perhaps this means nothing to you but allow me to put it into perspective for you. A roundtrip taxi ride to the airport (roughly the same distance as Sawyer's; perhaps a mile or two further) the day before cost $45. Bear in mind the airport is at most 7 or 8 miles from my apartment. So we are very thrilled to have our driver now who we can call and who loves our school and its students! The Lord continues to provide...
On another note, I am finishing up my first full week of classes tomorrow. It has been, well, interesting. Getting used to new professors, new styles of learning (all of our lectures are videotaped for our viewing pleasure later on), new classmates, new schedules...It can all be a bit overwhelming at times, especially trying to stay on top of the material without falling behind. On the one hand it is only the first week so I am trying to not expect too much from myself. But on the other hand, it is only the first week! I still have many more to go but am trying to take it all in stride; one week at a time, one day at a time. I am enjoying most of the material and our evening group study sessions at the apartment that we've started have so far (I've only been to one!) been extremely helpful. I think I may survive this yet. :-)
To keep our sanity, we have many outlets for blowing off steam. Every Wednesday here is Fish Fry. Smith's Point, just several miles from here, is a beach that hosts fresh and I mean FRESH seafood of all kinds each week. Not only that, but the PLANTAINS are outta this world! I asked our waitress why theirs taste so much better than mine. She shared their secret: canola oil, not olive oil. Figures. I use olive oil cause it's less fattening. And doesn't taste as good apparently. Below is a picture of my entree: barracuda steaks! Those of you who know me well know I'm fairly adventurous when it comes to food. Not a lot scares me. I was confident in my selection. And it wasn't bad, just very very fishy; kinda that seawater taste. But when in Rome right!
Below is the the place we ate at. On the beach, at sunset, with tons of locals; just livin the life!
So glad to hear you have found yourself a reliable driver! My friend's driver, Nono, was a literal Godsend in Madagascar. You can't put a price on their jobs!! Good luck continuing to settle in and tell Miss Jihan "hewrow" for me! God Bless girlie!
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