Dripchak returns to Madagascar and, wouldn’cha know it, it really hasn’t changed.

Maybe I waxed romantic about Madagascar and Maroantsetra while I was in Central Africa, but reality is coming back, “finally” in some ways, after being here for three and a half months.

After so many little problems here, I took it upon myself to nickname the town, changing Maroantsetra to “Maroa-tsarotra,” which, loosely translated, means “a lot of difficulties.” That’s life here. But things have undergone an interesting series of events. At the outset of our time back, at the end of October, things were like they were long before: electricity was on-again-off-again (though on a more “regular” schedule); the house was not yet completed, so there was still a lot chasing after contractors and fixing things they did; and, it was HOT!

The interesting aspect here is that it was not raining as much as I recalled, and that was not so unusual because there is usually a relatively dry period in September-October. But here we were into November – December, and the days were still sunny and dry, with occasional overnight downpours. I could deal with that, in spite of the prickly heat that was driving me nuts.

Then, in late December, the electric company (Jirama) got their new generator and/or repair parts, and we have had electricity in the house almost constantly since then. We were able to pretty much finish the electrical installation in the house (except for the terrible job the construction crew did in the first phase – no ground for the plugs, for what reason I have no idea). And with a lot of dogging, the plumber finished the gravity-fed water system, without the water heater, which has been deemed not a priority in these financially-strapped times. I helped him install the electric pump to get the water up to the reservoir, and voila!

An aside: “Jirama” stands for Jiro et Rano Malagasy, or Malagasy electricity and water. Here in Maroa-tsarotra, they are known as “Jima” because they don’t have a water service.

So, water and electricity. What else could one need? Oh yeah, the “tenants” (as I affectionately refer to my wife’s family members who occupy the wooden house we originally built and I am eager to get rid of because it draws flies and family members) brought a puppy into the household. For lack of imagination and the old habit of the name the only other dog the house has had, she was named Bobbie. While quite the handful, she brings all those good and bad attributes of a puppy, and I love having her around.

Another positive discovery was that the cell phone provider was dealing the Internet over the connection, albeit quite expensive for such a feeble connection. At least I can look for work and send my CV out. Can’t get any software or updates, unfortunately, and I’m having a major problem with the firmware for my DVD drive.

So, I’m close to living in a dream world. Things work. But just in the past week or so, the rainy season, if one can call it that in one of the wettest places in the world, has kicked in. It rains so hard at night that even the dog is scared, and I rarely get a good night’s sleep now.

Bottom line: I’m going crazy sitting in Maroantsetra, not doing anything fulfilling.