I love being around people who appreciate the rain. Rain means that the corn is going to grow which will bring in that money-money. It means we can plant the rice which will not even come close to filling those bellies. But it will lessen some of the economic pressure that comes with raising a large Malagasy family. In so much of my life rain comes in as a conversation filler; one can always find a friend to whine about a grey sky with. But here in my little corn-growing community in northern Madagascar, people will welcome a cyclone if it means we're going to get a solid sheet of water to cover the fields.
Which, in the last two weeks, is exactly what has happened. I swam and slid my way between huts for the week as the cyclone flew through my village giving the town a "repose automatique". We all just kind of sat and watched the rain. Or they watched the silly white girl try to maneuver through it. I didn't enjoy that spectacle quite as much.
The cyclone is over but the rains continue to come. Its a good thing. My corn/peanut field is looking quenched and we've rocked out half a hectare of rice fields in the technique that I'm meant to be advocating to increase rice production. SRI. System Riz Intensification. The most amazing part of my new site is that people are so excited about trying this stuff out. The most amazing part about me is that I've come into loving farming rice.
(Kelly)
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