Ravoravo

I have been having a lot of fun recently. All of it is documented on Eliko's camera, so I could show you, but on saturday (her last day before heading back to site) we chose awesome concert over going to the internet cafe to copy her pictures so...hopefully when I see Eliko again around Krismasy I'll be able to pass those along. But you're thinking: awesome concert, tell me more!

OK! I will. It was some big Radio France International spectacle (that's splec-TAC-luh, it's french): Jerry Marcoss, Lola, Mika & Davis, Baba, and Tambour Gasy. Jerry Marcoss puts on a good show but his songs run nonstop on the radio and in clubs and I'm pretty tired of them. Lola is fluff super-produced pop. Mika & Davis, Baba, Tambour Gasy, and this guy/group? Mikea (sp?) who won a recording contract from RFI, on the other hand, were all amazing so the concert was a blast. But now you're thinking: Jayne, I heard that the concert sold out ages ago. Right you are! Good thing we met Mika from Mika & Davis (my favorite band in Madagascar) at the discotheque last weekend and then hung out the next day. I sent him a very passive text ("gee I heard that your concert is sold out. Is that true?") and he called and said that he had tickets for us, just call him when we got there. So come show-time Eliko and I are led behind the arena where several artistes are sitting inside a very smoky beat-up Camry-type car, presumably pretending to be angsty American high school students. We milled awkwardly around being the vazahas who speak Malagasy until Lola rolls up in a brand-new black SUV. I shook his hand, not to impress you guys but because the kids in my village are going to freak out when they hear. Then Mika very kindly escorted us inside and we got to watch the whole show from the very plush symphony-hall-type seats with a bunch of oldish French people with their fingers in their ears, which normally would not be my scene because I like to dance, but the floor at this type of concert is like pickpocket/groping-central so we were pretty happy where we were. When the concert was over we slipped out so we wouldn't have to mingle backstage with the other vazaha who got free tickets from the bands/receive reality check that we're not fabulously beautiful and fascinating, we're just from America, France, etc. Mika did take me to the zoo yesterday however, so I feel a little bit special.

Now I'm off to buy toothpaste imported from America (poison-free!). Next entry: election day at the ambassador's, and training the new PCVs in a town with a cheese factory.