August 7 – Off to Madagascar
The next day it finally started: Paris to Antananarivo.
The flight was delayed by about an hour, but otherwise the journey was surprisingly pleasant. It was particularly nice that I got into conversation with several Malagasy people during the flight. We spoke in French, got to know each other, and talked about Madagascar.
I also got talking to the person sitting next to me. We got on so well that we even exchanged numbers at the end.
Then it turned out that he would be spending his holiday in Fort Dauphin of all places – exactly where I would be living and working for the next two months.
A pretty crazy coincidence.
11 pm – Welcome to Antananarivo
Around 11 pm I finally landed in Antananarivo.
Actually, I only needed one thing now: a bed.
Instead, I got several hours of waiting time.
My onward flight to Fort Dauphin was not until the next morning at 6 am from the domestic airport. So it meant: waiting.
The airport was quite chaotic at night, and with every passing hour the lack of sleep became more noticeable. I had been traveling for hours now and had hardly slept.
Nevertheless, there was mainly one thought:
I am really in Madagascar now.
6 am – Enough is enough
At 6 am, we finally continued.
Tana to Fort Dauphin.
And the last flight had another surprise in store for me.
Sitting next to me was a Malagasy woman who had lived in Germany. She had even completed a three-year nursing apprenticeship there.
The first thing she asked me was:
"Do you speak German?"
To be honest, I was completely surprised at first.
After all the hours of traveling, French, English, and Madagascar, I really hadn't expected to suddenly be sitting next to a Malagasy woman who not only knew Germany but had even trained there.
We quickly struck up a conversation and both had to laugh about this rather unusual coincidence.
8 am – Finally Fort Dauphin
Around 8 am I finally landed in Fort Dauphin.
After about 60 hours of traveling and very little sleep, I had finally arrived.
Norbert and Maria were already waiting for me at the airport. The two are my local contacts and at the same time the people whose work sparked the idea for this project in the first place.
After the long journey, it was incredibly pleasant to be welcomed directly by two familiar faces. I knew: Now I don't have to organize, plan or go anywhere for a while. I have arrived.
For the first three days I was to stay with Norbert and Maria. This time was deliberately intended for me to get used to the new environment, the climate, and everyday life in peace.
And that was exactly what I needed after this journey.
The first 60 hours were over.
Now the real adventure could begin.
