Susanne in Madagascar: The World According to Gerp

Monday, January 9, 2012

The World According to Gerp

Hi Gerp! You're cute!

Madagascar was on the international news today! That rarely happens. I believe the last time was during the coup d'etat in 2009. Sadly, the Madagascar cartoon movie is still the first hit when googling this country. But today we have something to celebrate: the discovery of a new lemur. Size of a hamster, cute wide eyes and a bushy, long tail. He is a handsome little lemur. His name is Gerp, and here is the world according to Gerp.

Species: Mircocebus Gerpi

Name: Gerp Mouse Lemur

Full Name: Groupe d"Etude et Recherche sur le Primates a Madagascar Microcebus

Place of birth: Sahafina forest

Nationality: Malagasy

Date of birth: December 2011

Eyes: Large

Height: 16 centimeters

Weight: 68 grammes (!)
Favorite foods: insects, fruits and flours

Favorite past time: sleeping

3 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 10, 2012 at 10:24 PM
Nice to hear from you again. Happy New Year and lots of blessings for the coming years.

It is very interesting to know that we have a new species in town ...:-) However, who gave the name Gerp? Is it Dutch...:-@ ...:-)?
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Global TrotterJanuary 10, 2012 at 10:26 PM
Ha ha, no it's not Dutch, it has been named after the research group (Groupe d'Etude et Recherche des Primates) who found it. Sounds funny hey?
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AnonymousJanuary 11, 2012 at 1:40 PM
hey hey,, then i have to come back to take a picture of him...
cheers
Michou
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What's in a Name?

Good question. Well I can tell you what's in a name here in Mada. A LOT. A lot of letters that is. My oh my, I have never seen a country with so many long names. Since I've been here I am breaking my tongue over the names. A random sample: Haingomalala Rajaonnarivelo, Njakatiane Rajaoharinaivo, Iarimalanto Randrianjafy, Hariavola Rabenabatoa, Fanjanirina Randrianarivony or Oniantsa Rakotonanahary. I am not making this up.

Sometimes I wish we had moved to Cambodia, I mean Pol Sem, Lee Sok, Son San...say for yourself.

Southern Hemisphere

Living below the equator, for someone from the Northern hemisphere, actually presents a few surprises. Firstly, the seasons are reversed; it's winter here when it is summer in Europe and the US. Secondly, the moon is not 'standing up' but 'lying down', which can easily been seen at half moon time, and thirdly - apparently - water in the sink or toilet spirals down clockwise and not counter-clockwise. Huh? I tried to look very hard, but no way. One can only peek inside a toilet pot for so long. Maybe one day you can see for yourself...?

Priceless...

There's contradictory information about the visa requirements for Madagascar. The French Guide du Routard reports that a visa can cost up to 60 euro at the airport. The Lonely Planet says 32 USD for a single entry. Well, let me set this record straight: if you stay for 30 days or less, a visa can be obtained upon arrival FOR FREE. Unless you want to donate money to a Madagascar Embassy, don't buy a visa. If you want to stay longer or are going to study or work here, you need a Visa Transformable which can NOT be obtained in Madagascar.
However, the visa we all REALLY need, is the Visa credit card, as Master Cards are hardly accepted here. So in short, an entry visa: priceless. For everything else there is...Visa!

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