Significant events have occurred over the past week on the project in which Janis and I are here for. To make a long story short, construction has been dragged out, and so Janis and I are heading home on our turnaround and won’t be returning as scheduled at the end of September. At the present time, Janis and I are not sure when we are returning but if we were betting peoples (which Janis retired from being after this trip – more about that later), I would say we would return in January. If anyone is interested, Janis has informed me that she would be more than happy to explain the long story about what happened in person as she has quite a few opinions on this matter.
And so it seems our time in Mada is coming to a close for now. I have been most unhappy about this and so I have been sulking in my room. Janis, on the other hand, decided to make the most of her last two days and this is how she found herself in Moramanga eating a pizza with Malagasy chili oil and delicious french fries and agreeing to sing some karaoke for her last night at site.
So here is the story – Janis, the Fennester and Fernandez had a wee bet regarding two people on the site. Don’t worry, it isn’t as bad as it sounds. The Fennester and Fernandez insisted these two people – a man and woman – were married because they were always together. They ate all their meals together, took dinner as take-out together and even showed up wearing sweats at the same time. Janis, on the other hand, pointed out the three of them (Fennester, Fernandez and Janis) ate all their meals together and at the time of the comment on the sweats pointed out that the three of them were currently wearing sweats and the three of them were most definitely not married to each other. Turns out, the Fennester and Fernandez were right and the two were indeed married. Janis is still a little bitter.
And so, Janis owed the Fennester and Fernandez dinner in Moramanga. Janis’s last night on site was chosen as the occasion – it was also the Fennester’s 30th birthday the next day. Discussions with the only Aussie on site revealed the location of a pizzeria/karaoke bar which was rumoured to be delicious. And so the three of them set off after work on Tuesday.
It turned out to be the second best time Janis had in Madagascar. Delicious chicken pizza, Coca-Cola in a glass bottle, awesome french fries and a lot of toasting to lessons learned in Madagascar were how the evening began. And then came the karaoke. First up was a tribute to Janis’s Canadian heritage and a stunning rendition of Summer of ’69 by Bryan Adams. Infused with the triumph of their first song and the cheers of the crowd, they then braved the microphones again to sign The Lion Sleeps Tonight. So incredibly clichéd, I know.
Not learning their lesson, Fernandez and Janis enquired as to whether the karaoke bar had Totto’sAfrica. They were in luck as the bar did indeed have this song. And once again all three trooped up there to sing. Deciding they would stop with the clichéd Africa songs, they agreed one last song was in order. As it was the Fennester’s birthday the following day, the choice for their swan song was his. Being a good American kid (from Pleasant Hill, California), he chose Lynard Syknard’s Sweet Home Alabama. And what a rendition it was! All three of their drivers were in the bar playing pool and cheered loudly for them. I am truly sorry to have missed this experience.
And so Janis and I begin our journey from the site to Tana later this afternoon. It feels bittersweet as both Janis and I had a lot more fun than we anticipated. I believe that something called a shout out is required to the Fennester and Fernandez for making Janis laugh every single day she was here and being the best possible colleagues she could have hoped for. 
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