5th day, Tana still - Mianatse malagasy!

Yes, Malagasy words are long and difficult to remember (I think my ever-patient teacher has to swallow a laugh more than once, as I keep mixing up the syllables). But the grammar is the dream of anybody who ever had to learn a foreign language: 3 tenses only (past, present, future, who needs more?! This is especially addressed at the French…), one article, the verb “to be” doesn’t exist at all. 

I am encouraged by my progress since yesterday, and vow to keep practicing over the next 3 months. I start by talking to a girl in the street, and get only slightly discouraged by the fact that she doesn’t understand a word of what I said. We continue in French. But only for now – give me a few weeks, and…