My host sister has been talking about her wedding since I moved to our village in November 2023. In June, I was lucky to be able to celebrate it with her.
Vanessa Paolella
Sun Journal
Vanessa Paolella is a staff writer at the Sun Journal primarily covering local education. Before joining the Sun Journal in 2021, she interned for the paper twice and led the Bates College student newspaper, The Bates Student. Vanessa graduated from Bates College with a bachelor of science in geology in 2021 and wrote her senior thesis on water quality changes in the Androscoggin River from 1930 to 2019.
Posted inLife & Culture, News
My visit to a Malagasy witch
Despite the spread of Christianity in Madagascar, witchcraft remains widespread. In May, I was lucky enough to meet a Malagasy witch in person.
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Posted inbPlus, Maine
South Africa and the joy of opening the world to my host sister | Column
Letters from Madagascar: Vanessa Paolella travels to South Africa with her host sister, Tahiry, and has one of her favorite Peace Corps experiences.
Posted inbPlus
Looking for a deal in Madagascar? You’ll need to fight for it. | Vanessa Paolella
If any of you see me trying to argue down the price of a bunch of carrots at the Lewiston Farmers Market one day, now you’ll know why – that’s just how we roll here in Madagascar.
Posted inbPlus, Columns, Lewiston-Auburn
Finding purpose in helping deaf children | Letters from Madagascar
‘Nothing has felt as fulfilling as helping kids here in Madagascar get a decent education.’
Posted inbPlus
How to navigate the unwritten laws of life in Madagascar
Letters from Madagascar: Respecting taboos here in Madagascar is a must, no matter how bizarre they may be. To ignore a taboo is to risk being blamed for any number of unfortunate events.
Posted inbPlus, Maine
As they wait for the rains, this Mainer in Madagascar shares her village’s concerns
Letters from Madagascar: Usually by now, villagers have planted their rice seedlings, critical for feeding their families. But barren fields, dry grasses, and hard-packed earth is the view for miles.
Posted inbPlus
Less décor, more prayers, over the holiday for this Mainer in Madagascar
Letters from Madagascar: While Malagasy people observe some of the same holidays as people in the U.S., the celebrations often feel much different.
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Letters from Madagascar: The quest to help a deaf girl
It was February this year when I first met Aro, a 9-year-old deaf girl living in the village next to mine. Taller than most girls her age with hair plaited into neat braids, I was immediately struck by her quiet demeanor as we sat eating lunch on a woven grass mat in her family’s kitchen. […]
Posted inbPlus
Letters From Madagascar: Visiting Andringitra National Park
Madagascar’s renown biodiversity is on display in its extensive national park system, offering animal and plant life not seen anywhere else on earth.