KneeDeep185

Not to fuck with your game too much but I'm homeless and a software engineer!

Could probably fit a lot of these guys in a suitcase.

I'm not sure I necessarily have a favorite moment, but I have a favorite place. In the northwest of the island there's this place called Ankify (on-kee-fee) that must be the most gorgeous place on earth. For $12 USD you can stay in a decent hotel overlooking white sandy beaches and emerald ocean. Here's a picture of a friend on the beach

I'm a dude, and it depends on where I am. It feels like the farther I go from my village, where I live and work with the folks, and where they all know me, the more hostile people are to me. Big cities is fine, but if folks don't know me out in the forest then they're pretty weary of my presence. There are all sorts of stories about white people stealing children and harvesting organs and stealing their blood. Parents get a kick out of scaring the shit out of their kids when I'm in town. Not gonna lie, I sometimes threaten children that I'm going to eat them if they're bugging me.

I should mention that for every negative experience I have in country, there are 5 more that make this a great place to live and reinvigorates my faith in the goodness in humanity. However, not all white people here in Madagascar are trying to improve other peoples' lives. Being a Vazaha (white person) in Madagascar means you're automatically associated with some of the morally corrupt stuff that goes on with (mostly old French guys) other expats, namely: Sexual Tourism, Prostitution, Child Prostitution, exploitation of natural resources, that sort of thing. Usually when I start talking to someone in Malagasy and explain the work I do here, their attitude changes and I'm into their home to share a bowl of rice and/or have coffee.

That said,

About two weeks ago I went to a traditional Malagasy ceremony called a Tsaboraha (tsah-boo-rah) about 20 km from my village. A group of host country nationals and I took a canoe down the river to a town where one of my really good friends' family is from. We all piled into the boat, then joked and talked for the next 6 years til we got to the town. Here's a picture of the river we were on, and this isn't the same boat but one similar.

Once there, we were invited to the village leader's home and were served a simple meal of beans and rice, the leader gave a little speech, I thanked him for having me there, that sort of thing. Malagasy people are VERY into giving speeches of thanks. It's a way to humble themselves. Anyway, after the meal, I go outside of the hut to collect my shoes and discover that someone had spit two fat loogies into each of my shoes. Standing outside, waiting for me, was a group of about 8 teenage boys, all waiting outside for me to see my reaction. I asked them who did it and everyone just stared at me. Obviously I was pretty upset, but all I could do is walk away, so I did. After about a minute it occurred to me that if I left my shoes there someone might steal them, and I could just put some dirt in them and rub the dirt/spit away and it wouldn't be a big deal. Sure enough, however, I came back to find that someone had stolen my shoes.

tl;dr Took off my shoes to attend a ceremony, asshole kids spit in them, stole them, and I went barefoot the rest of the weekend.

Totally agree. As a kid I was diagnosed with ADHD and my parents elected to not get treatment for me, and I respect their decision. However, now as a 32 year old who sought to get reevaluated and was prescribed medication, I can say pretty confidently that it's changed my life for the better in a significant way. It's difficult to describe, but getting treatment has changed my own personal reward system. Tasks at work like opening my email used to be a challenge, and it was frankly exhausting living in that state. Now after a few years after diagnosis and treatment, I take pride in accomplishing tasks and getting into a flow state. I don't dread restarting from one project to the next (which used to cause so much chaos/push-pull in my head I'd fear completing a project), and genuinely appreciate checking it off the list and getting onto the next. If a kid might actually have ADD/ADHD, treating it can make a substantial difference in their lives.