After having spent my first week at the Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute, many questions have surfaced. Here goes:
Q: Can you get clothes clean by washing in brown river water?
Q:Why is the ground wet below a pipe running away from the sink?
Q:How much is enough water to drink when it's 38C and feels like 43C?
A: Have you peed lately?
Q:Is it OK to sleep with a gecko in my bed?
A: it’s way better when the gecko sleeps in someone else’s bed! (Same for spiders and snakes!)
Q:Are these cramps just gas, or will it become diarrhea?
Q: How much is too much rice?
Q: Where does the garbage actually go? Yellow bins everywhere, and Nosy Komba is a small island.
A: There are no fires burning close by, but maybe that happens at night.
Q:Why do all the bird species sound the same? Or is that just me?
Q:Do giant cockroaches bite? (We slept on a cement church floor, and this was a REAL concern!)
A: whether they bite or crawl on your face, it’s still bad.
Q: Who "borrowed" our sunscreen?
A: Based on the number of burnt faces, backs and legs returning from this weekend’s “fun” away from camp, no one here has ANY screen.