By Laurie King

A bit of history: People first came to Madagascar about 2,000 years ago, probably from Indonesia and Malasia, and the Malagasy language has evolved from that beginning. But to me, it sounds to me like a cross between Hawaiian and some African language. (Although I realize my only exposure to African languages has come from old B movies and "The Gods Must be Crazy," so I'm clearly clueless on that count.)

Understanding the language provides insights into a culture. I learned that the Malagasy word for "easy" translates to the English word "cheat." And "smart" translates "to be able to." Food for thought: The Malagasy realities about subsistence, capability, and intelligence are very different from ours.

I wish I'd learned more of the language. Both the structure and the pronunciation are straightforward, and Malagasy is very phonetic. The alphabet has only 21 letters -- no C, Q, U, W, or X. ("The ABCs" are called "ny ABD.") I did learn to say "salama" (hello), "misoatra" (thank you), and "tsy misy" (there isn't any) to the children begging in the streets. Also, my favorite rainforest phrase, "Aiza ny biby?" (Where's the animal?)

The street children usually ask for a stilo (pen), although they are skipping school and are too poor to have access to paper. Our guide, Debi, explained why they don't go to school regularly: There's no economic advantage. Many of the Malagasy people live at (or near) subsistence level, and taking time to go to school simply means time away from productive work in the fields. With high mortality rates, large families, and short life expectancies (average is 55), immediate needs like food, water and medical care are top of mind . . . and for many people it's difficult to think very far into the future. So school is where children might go to socialize with friends, if it's a slow day in the rice paddies.

If you don't have a stilo to give them, the children ask for bonbons (candy), which I think is quite ironic. We specifically teach our kids not to accept candy from strangers, but these children have learned to ask strangers for it. (Debi sometimes brings them Flintstones chewable vitamins, which apparently pass quite well here for candy.)

Creative Communication: Walking into Ranomafana town with Elaine, I discovered that creative travelers can communicate, even without a common language. A young girl followed us for a ways, obviously eager to interact. But we spoke no Malagasy and she spoke no English. We admired the armful of herbs she was carrying, but then what? Elaine whistled a short sequence of notes, and the little girl whistled back. Elaine whistled a longer sequence, and they made a lovely game of whistling back and forth!

Note for travellers: Madagascar was under French influence from 1895 to 1960, and for a while the French actually banned use of the Malagasy language. Today, many Malagasy people speak French (especially in the city), and you can get around pretty well with a working knowledge of "tourist French."

My favorite Malagasy proverb (so far): "Other people's children cause your nostrils to flare."