One week ago, I was in Johannesburg frantically searching for my connecting flight to New York. I was easily distracted, of course, by numerous milkshake and food kiosks, but I managed to find it on time. Fellow passengers snickered at me as I walked by since I was sporting a traditional Malagasy straw hat with a plastic chameleon strung to it; a gift given to me by the other volunteers when I left KAFS. I didn’t want to ruin it, so I vowed to wear my crown all the way from Antananarivo to New York. Since I’m a man of my word, I did just that, much to the appreciation of the customs officials in New York.

Leaving KAFS was difficult. I made some amazing friends there: my fellow volunteers, other researchers, my guides, and my friends from the commune. They all did so  much for me in the past 6 months which helped me grow as both a young scientist  and as a person (I mean this literally too, since I now have a beard). Despite my intense anxiety when I first arrived, I quickly felt at home in KAFS within a few weeks of my arrival because of everyone’s hospitality and the laid-back atmosphere. The forest is a truly serene area to work in and the creatures that inhabit it, lemurs or otherwise, are equally as captivating as they are fascinating. I’m very appreciative for this opportunity to work with an organization that does such amazing and selfless work.

For our departures, reforestation volunteer Brittney and I decided to throw a Halloween party at our friend Hary’s house in the commune. We wanted to host the party to show our appreciation for everyone involved with MBP, but also to expose the Malagasy to Halloween! Many of them had never even heard of the holiday, so we thought it’d be fun if our party was Halloween themed. All of the volunteers were eager to dress up, and they modeled some pretty awesome costumes. Brittney and I were dressed as an old couple, and we played the part by hobbling around on canes, muttering in our old people voices and offering candy to all of our guests. We were happily surprised to even see that some of the Malagasy themselves dressed up in some amazing costumes as well! Those who didn’t dress up were a little intimidated by the weird costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and glow sticks, but after skeptically eyeing the scene for a bit, they deemed us worthy and were quick to join the dancing. One of my guides even stuck some leaves in a hat and said he was dressed as a Eulemur rufifrons, one of the lemurs we work with! All in all, it was an amazing party and I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did.

Don’t get me wrong, being home is great. I appreciate the warm showers and being with my friend’s family, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss my tent. Thankfully, I still have a few weeks to recover before I return to classes at Northeastern. Seeing as I still expect to spot a lemur whenever I glance outside, I’ll need every minute of it to readjust. In the meantime, I’ll continue eating rice for every meal, jamming out to Malagasy music, and savoring the Madagascar chocolate I brought back to help me through the readjustment process.