salama from tulear...again.

my bags didn't arrive yesterday, but i was assured at the airport that they would make it on today's flight. i called the tana airport this morning to confirm that they would arrive today and am proud to say that i engaged in my most coherent french conversation to date. unfortunately, the person at the other end of the line informed me that today's flight "est annule a cause des problemes techniques." translation: the flight was cancelled. translation: maybe my bags will come tomorrow. who knows? tonight will be my third night in tulear. i can't catch the taxi to ifaty until i have my bags. fortunately, the luggage delay has afforded me some great opportunities thus far.

last night, i stayed with stephan's family just outside the city. he's reef doctor's head environmental education officer and a rather interesting man. he has a wonderful family: a malagasy wife who cooks the best food i've had in africa, and 2 awesome kids, a 5 year old girl and a 3 year old boy, who are fluent in both french and malagasy (or at least, up to little kid standard). stephan is an ex-parisien and refuses to be associated with france in any sense of the word. come to think of it, he also hates the entire continent of europe, as well as the united states, as well as all forms of organized government. he has the best unkept full beard and dreadlocks i've ever seen and is always up for a great conversation. after the other reef doctor staff left me at his house, he smiled, sat down, and informed me that the events of 9/11 never took place. so began our conversation. despite our not so subtle different views on practically everything, we got along wonderfully. he's one of the most intriguing people i've met. ever. i spent the afternoon helping him prepare props and backdrops for an educational play to be put on at the school in ifaty next week. he's quite an artist. i'm quite good at sanding wood. he played a bootleg, homemade documentary that he somehow obtained during dinner that offered oodles of information on how the american government staged each event on 9/11. indeed, to each his own. his family is unbelievably hospitable, and the kids gave me a malagasy lesson in exchange for one in english.

other points of interest:

1. i found a local man today sporting a uga baseball hat. i was tempted to ask him for a picture, but i decided he wouldn't find it as amusing as i did. but go dawgs! you're represented even here.
2. i rode in a pousse pousse for the first time today. endless entertainment and unbelievably cheap. i paid 600 ariary, or roughly 50 cents for a 15 minute ride back to stephan's house.
3. i found (or was shown) a cafe owned by a french canadian in the center of town. i ate there twice today. best chocolate milkshake of my life.
4. FOR ALL MY KILI BUDDIES! our endless game of discussing the ideal american meal exists elsewhere, and it has a name here at reef doctor: food pong. i'm really good at it because i had so much practice in tanzania. also, the ketchup is good here. really good. almost like heinz.
5. one of the reef doctor staff, anne, is from charlotte, nc. home away from here! two southern girls in madagascar.

maybe tomorrow's the day. the sooner i get to ifaty, the sooner i start my survey and reef education classes. one final point: we need siesta in america.