100 up

Downtown Tana at night

I originally started blogging back in April 2009, just after moving to Madagascar from South Africa. I started after my sister suggested that more than just those on my e-mail contact list might be interested in the madness that was Madagascar.

The country had just been through a coup d'etat, and life here was unlike anything most of my friends and family had ever experienced. But, to be honest, I was a lazy blogger and in my first 16 months I blogged all of five times!

I started again in earnest in September last year, mostly because I was enjoying taking photos, and pasting them into e-mails just didn't do them justice. I was also extricating myself from Facebook, and blogging was a more honest reflection of my thoughts and experiences than throwaway one-liners on a social network. At first I blogged once a week, then it moved to twice a week, and now I try to write most days. Today is my one-hundredth post, which is quite mind-blowing to me, considering its snail-paced beginnings.

99% of the photos that appear on the blog, I have taken. As long as I remain inspired and able to maintain a steady enough hand for photography I will keep posting them - chronicling the life and times of a vazaha and his friends in Madagascar. I do have to thank Stefan at Nikon in South Africa for all of his support, and Kim, who lives down the road, for pointing out whenever my horizons are askew.

I have a few, regular, faithful subscribers - some of whom I count as friends even though I have never met them. Even my students read it occasionally! I've written poetry, every so often I've ranted about something serious and important to me, but I've noticed that my most-read posts are my humorous ones, as well as the ones filled with photographs - people clearly need more laughs in their lives, and don't have time to read. I do intend to keep writing about daily life here as it happens, about the Midgleys, about school, about my neighbours and about me (where appropriate). Despite being a very verbose person, I will try to keep all my posts below 500 words each.

I have also been amazed at the fact that the blog has been read in over 40 countries - far-flung places like Afghanistan, Cyprus, Brazil, Albania, Bangladesh, Kenya, Qatar, Sweden, Lithuania, Pakistan, Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Mauritius, Senegal and Costa Rica.

This is number 100. I pray that there will be many more and that I don't run out of interesting, quirky, mad inspiration any time soon...

I leave you with a few of my favourite photos from the last year and a bit. If you'd like to see more feel free to go to my flickr account.

I love the balance of this one, but also its subjects - the Canadian girls, Reece and Evan.
And if you're reading this girls, I miss you!

Iris, a little girl we met on holiday in January 2010. She was the cutest thing.

A little shop on the side of a muddy side-road. I love the colours!

Two little children playing with an old yogurt bottle. Pure joy!

Transport on the mainland. A typical, typical scene