Miara-dalana Blog

As we sat around the table, smoke from the cooking fire drifted lazily through the room. It carried a strangely sweet smell, perhaps from the type of wood burning in the fire, perhaps from the water bubbling out of the rice pot into the flames below. Through the open doorway, I could see into the kitchen. Years of smoke had blackened the walls around the hearth. The fire cast a soft glow on walls and on the inspector’s wife as she quietly tended to the fire. A few small child

April 2026 • About a month into my language studies, a priest from the Diocese of Fianarantsoa approached me and said that they needed priests to celebrate the Easter Triduum in the bush. He asked if I’d be willing to go. After a week of prayer, I came to a simple conclusion: a foreign priest who spoke Malagasy poorly was better than no priest at all. I asked the priest to explain to the curé in Fianarantsoa that I only had one month of Malagasy under my belt and that if he s

March 2026 • My language studies have been progressing steadily. Each day brings its own little challenges, little successes, and little failures. But with each passing day, I can see myself improving. Words are becoming more familiar, pronunciation is beginning to feel less awkward, and simple phrases are coming to mind with increasing ease.