cory plowman WRITTEN by Cory Plowman Photography by Megan Cencula
Madagascar, Africa might not be an island that is really well known, but in my opinion, it should be, because of all of it’s beauty. I have only seen around half of the island, and what I have seen is incredible, gorgeous, beautiful... from the people, to the landscape, from the coast, to the inland areas. I lived in Madagascar for over eight years working in children’s and youth ministries. Now I travel back and forth from time to time doing humanitarian work. My last trip was from June 2015 through March 2016 and I focused on documenting different areas of the island through photography. I spent the first five months with some national friends, on the east coast of Madagascar, traveling to some remote villages. Most of the villages I visited during this trip, were ones I have been to before. I loved seeing how things have slowly grown and developed in each village. My goal, going into these villages, was to photograph, the area, the people and what’s going on there. One use of these photos was for my friends to share the work they are doing. I also wanted to share them with the world and to let others learn more about Madagascar. Whenever I visited a village, I made sure they received their photos, which they loved! The last three months or so of my trip was spent in the capital of Antananarivo (Tana for short). While there, I also continued my photography but in other ways. I took photos for friends and their families, as well as a couple of weddings. Some of them have never had a professional photo taken of them, so for them to have their picture taken, and to see it, brought them pure joy. I also traveled outside of the capital to visit some friends who run a private school. They started this school years ago, and it’s really growing. They have close to 300 students and 27 teachers. I mainly visited with the students, hanging out with them when they were on their lunch break or at recess. The kids loved getting to know me, and having their photos taken.
Madagascar is a lot different than America... the food, the people, the landscape, the way they do things and of course the language (which helps that I am fluent in Malagasy). Even though it’s so different, it’s still an amazing place to be, to live, and to learn from the people. While living there and visiting, I learned so much. Not to worry, but to trust in God and enjoy my time, and to help wherever I could.
I j u s t lov e t r av e l i ng , e x p lo r i ng a nd l e a r n i ng f r om ot h e r p l ac e s a nd p e o p l e . T r av e l i ng i s i n my b lood, a nd onc e I g e t hom e f r om on e t r i p, I ’ m r e a dy to v e n t u r e o u t on a not h e r . I hope in the future that I get the chance to travel back to Madagascar (as well as exploring new countries), as it always has a place in my heart. I have learned from experience that anyone traveling to Madagascar, can’t just visit once, they keep wanting to go back and explore even more.
local wolves — 27