Minor Niner / Pieces Of Eight

Wow! I got really behind this week as I took some time to enjoy a few days of fall beauty (and attempt [and fail] to use up my deer tag) before I take off.

So, without further ado, double-double posts.

MOST MALAGASY ONLY ATTEND 4 AND A HALF YEARS OF SCHOOL

Ok, So initially that kind of sounds GREAT. I mean, whenever someone suggests to me, "Hey! You should get your masters and become a nurse practitioner! How great would that be?" My response is: "ARE YOU KIDDING...do you know how much more school I'd have to do..."

But let's be real. 4.5 years barely gets you half way through primary school. If you ever want to get anywhere in life, do anything to help improve the situation of yourself, your family, or your country, you're gonna need more than that.

Students learning math, French, and Malagasy.

Some major improvement has taken place over the last several years, but there is still much to improve, such as the large gender gap (in secondary school, there are half as many girls as boys enrolled). School building quality also varies greatly, with some being mere shacks, or in desperate need of repair.

MADAGASCAR WAS ONCE A PIRATE STRONGHOLD

Back in the 1600's, the island became a haven for pirates, and was used as a headquarters away from the pesky armadas of the Brits, Spanish, and Dutch, who would spoil all their piratey fun. The scalliwags would target shipments of jewels, silk, and spices as they travelled the Indian Ocean.

One such pirate was the infamous Captain Kidd, whose reputation lives on in legends and myths, and occasional excitement like this "silver" bar that was found off the Madagascar coast:

Turns out, it was actually just lead.

The pirate infestation also resulted in one of the few written records of Madagascar prior to the 19th century, in the journal of a marooned sailor, who eventually joined a pirate vessel.