Niaina is "BIG"

This is Niaina Thierry! I first met him about a week ago, and I’m very blessed to get to know this young man of 22 years. Niaina is from Madagascar, and he has traveled all the way to Mandal here in Norway.

For myself, it’s very interesting to meet, and share room with someone from an another culture. It’s hard to explain, but you realize that it’s so much more in this world than that’s meets the eye.  We are similar in many ways, but there it’s something that’s also different. And I say that in a good way. I’m very excited to investigate this subject over the weeks we are spending here at Hald.

Every time I bump in to Niaina in the passage, the living room or even when I’m going to bed in the middle of the night, he bumps up and shouts; “halla dude” , whit a big smile on his face. He is full of energy, and a really nice guy.

This morning I asked Niaina; “what is your dream, Niana?” He spent a moment reflecting about the question. Afterwards he said to me: 

- My dream is to be able to take care of myself. I want to find my way into the future. I want to be a leader of my own self, and if that means I need to study, I’m going to do that.

Anything else you dream about, Niaina?

- Yes, I want to be independent, and I want to help my people around me to be the same. I also want to rise up my country

Niaina, where do you see yourself in 5 years, also in 2015?

He replyed; “Niaina is big”

I took some time to process the answer. What do you mean about big? Niaina told me the word “big” in the context of Madagascar means that you are important to yourself. That you have became something in your own eyes.

- I also want to do something good in my country. I have shared my knowledge, and I probably teach others how to manage and take care of themselves. I want Madagascar to be a developed country, and I hope that I will be so needful in that process. You know, Madagascar have lot of resources, and most of the 80 percent of the Malagasy citizen are farmers. But we are still using the traditional methods to exploit our resources. So we need to industrialize our system. I hope that Madagascar is going to be a develop country some day, and  I hope that I’ll be needful for my country. I feel that I have duty for Madagascar.