Saturday Market

The market directly in front of the school is open every single day, but it's busier on the weekend. The people can buy everything here, all their food, and household goods and even little furniture, clothes, shoes, everything. Even charcoal stoves and charcoal to cook with. Across the street from the school, behind where the charcoal sellers sit, is the mechanics' shop. I believe they store their tools in the house behind them, and they work on the cars and the tap taps and motorcycles right there in the street.

I went out on Saturday to buy a few vegetables. They are often arranged in little pyramids, little piles, on the ground. I tried to buy only three tomatoes out of a pile, and was not getting anywhere with that. I think if I had known some creole I might have been able to speak a little more. Eventually I did get a lady to let me buy two little eggplants, instead of five, but I did wind up buying more tomatoes than I wanted. Plus, I am sure I paid too much; Jeff said the ladies were winking and smiling at each other. As we walked away, he said that tomorrow there might be a crowd of women waiting at the gates to sell me tomatoes. I may ask a student to do my shopping from now on.
A note about the ladies, carrying everything on their heads. Just this morning I passed a 

woman on the street carrying a basket of green beans on her head. It was loaded up so heavy, the beans were piled high and hanging over the sides; it was probably two feet tall and two fe

et wide. And she was walking so elegantly and smoothly not one bean fell off. No hands. I just read a post by an American woman who is a mother of a one year old. They live near St. Marc and build clean water systems in the mountain areas. She said her daughter is beginning to walk- and she is trying to carry things on her head. How cute is that? Her mom wrote that she never does it; her daughter must be watching the women she sees around town. The men all use wheelbarrows to carry their stuff. You never see a man balancing anything on his head.