50 Kilometres Inland
We left at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Our destination was about 50 kilometres inland. I naturally assumed that it would take maybe an hour to an hour and a half. After all, I am used to German roads. I was very, very wrong. The first ten kilometres actually went surprisingly well: paved roads, road signs and everything you would expect from a normal road. Then the road simply stopped. The asphalt turned into an extremely narrow and bumpy track made of red sand and dirt. I don't think I have ever driven on a road this bad in my life. These were no longer potholes – these were pothole canyons. In the end, it took us almost three hours to cover just 50 kilometres. Around 10:00 a.m., we finally arrived in the village. I saw simple wooden houses, water wells and rice fields everywhere. At the far end of the village, however, there was a surprisingly well-built church. And that was where our day was going to take place.
40 Baptisms and an Incredible Mass
Father Kasimir had not simply come for a visit. He was going to baptise 40 children from the village that day. And I was allowed to be there and help. What impressed me most was the Mass itself. Instead of the roughly one hour I am used to from church services in Germany, the Mass lasted a full four hours. And yet there was not a single moment when I wasn't enjoying it. The atmosphere was completely different from what I know from Europe. The church and the Mass in Madagascar were incredibly lively: people were dancing, singing, laughing and celebrating together. Everyone seemed to be full of joy. Compared with the more conservative and quiet style I know from European churches, practically the entire community was involved. And those smiles were immediately contagious. To this day, this is one of the most beautiful moments of my trip so far. I was standing in the middle of the church, surrounded by people who didn't even know me, and yet for that moment I felt like I belonged.
A Feast in the Middle of the Bush
After the Mass, the celebrations continued. The village had prepared a big feast for Father Kasimir and some of the important people from the area – and somehow I suddenly became part of it too. There was beer, wine, juice, rice, chicken, fish and meat. Basically everything you could possibly ask for. Of course, I didn't need to be asked twice and ate quite a lot. After four hours of Mass and the long journey, the food was exactly what I needed. It was also impressive to see how much effort the people had put into welcoming and feeding us. Around 4:00 p.m., we slowly started our journey back to Marillac. Of course, we took the exact same road. So another three hours of pothole canyons were waiting for us. On the way back, things got even more interesting when a herd of cattle suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. I also discovered one of Father Kasimir's little traditions after Mass: he stopped with me at a small roadside stand, where we drank a fresh coconut together and bought some small cakes for the other brothers at the monastery.
A Perfect Day – With One Small Catch
We finally arrived back at Marillac at around 8:00 p.m. I was completely exhausted – physically from the six hours of driving and mentally from all the impressions I had experienced that day. I went straight to bed and fell asleep almost immediately. This day in the bush was one of the most beautiful and impressive days of my trip so far. A few days later, however, I would discover that the day had one little surprise left for me. Because as wonderful as the day, the people and especially the food had been… I probably should have paid a little more attention to what I was eating in the bush. 😅
