Shopping!

I'm still in front of a computer, and the bugs are still not flocking to the computer screen or landing on my hair, so those are both wonderful things. Outside people are blowing whistles and cheering; one of the other volunteers at the Basse house told me it's probably a football game. And now the call to prayer is sounding, so it's an interesting combination of sounds.

Today the workshop ended right after lunch, actually, it ended before lunch but we stayed for the food. If I'd wanted to, I could have quickly packed my things and probably caught a car back to site...but I didn't want to. No one is expecting me home until Sunday anyway.

Here's what I did instead of spending two or possibly three hours squished in a vehicle: I re-visited the market. If you'll remember, my last trip to market was unpleasantly overwhelming. I mentioned the not-being-allowed-to-simply-browse aspect, but here's what else went wrong:

• the owner of one of the larger Mauritanian bitiks got mad at me for spending a lot of time looking around and then only buying 5 dalasi worth of goods. I could not tell if he was actually mad or only pretend mad (so I haven't returned) but either way it is not my fault his shop didn't sell the crackers I was looking for and if I decide I don't actually want oatmeal after all. In fact, I only bought the soft chocolate cookie with chocolate syrup filling because I didn't want to walk away without buying anything. Plus I like chocolate.
• I told a lie. Several times. I just wanted to find my way out of the part of the market selling bicycle inner tubes and stacks of plastic cups and other goods equally deficient in aesthetic value BUT every shop keeper I passed wanted to greet me and THEN because I correctly responded in Pulaar the greetings went on longer and I had to say my name and where I'm from etc etc. even though I just wanted to find the fabric or vegetable section.  So when the "etc etc" included "how is your husband?" or "where is your husband?" I said "he's fine" and "he's in America" because if I'd replied truthfully I probably would've had to explain why I'm not married and why I won't marry you, which I was NOT in the mood for. But now, even if I meet someone incredibly handsome and wealthy enough to buy me a new baby goat whenever the previous one grows ugly, I won't be able to marry him because everyone in Basse would know I'm a liar.
• I bought a chicken sandwich like I'd been wanting to do for weeks, but it was only semi-delicious because half of the chicken was just fatty, cartilage-y bits.

Today I returned to the market because I needed to buy some vegetables and I was also hoping to leave Basse on a more pleasant note.

Success!

Here's how today's market adventure went:

• I left for market around the time when most people were eating lunch, so the streets were less crowded and I did not walk around in constant panic that a motorcycle or donkey cart would hit me.
• No one shouted "Mariama!" or "Toubab!" One person called out, "Fatoumata Binta," which was half-way correct, and a few people actually remembered to call me Binta!
• I remembered the way to the vegetable section of the market without first wandering through the bicycle inner tube and plastic cups section
• Most of the ladies at the vegetable stands had left for the day, but I found one lady selling carrots and eggplants, so I bought some. At my site I can buy eggplants at the Sunday market, but I have yet to see a carrot
• I wandered the jewelry stands again (mostly plastic stuff from China) and this time when the ladies said "Hodum faalda?" I didn't even try to reply in Pulaar. In English I said, "I'm just looking" and then the ladies would point out the square earrings with the rhinestones in the middle or the square ones with rainbow stripes until I moved to the next stall. I finally bought some blue, glittery, over-sized flower ones that will hopefully distract from the hideous pattern on my Tobaski compelet.
• Speaking of Tobaski, today's market adventure did not include a "ram trade show." It either happened before I came, after I left, or not at all. I did, however, see a man walking a herd of rams in the direction of the market as I was leaving. They are probably destined for slaughtering because I've never before seen a herd of sheep that didn't include ewes or little lambs so cute they could be a pillow.
• Returning to jewelry, the lady who sold me the earrings also convinced me to buy some beaded bracelets, but she did not convince me to buy powder for henna or the necklace with the large beads that look like dried prunes
• I also bought some flip-flops because everyone else is going to have new shoes for Tobaski, plus the green and white ones I originally bought for bathing but now sometimes wear around village are 1) ugly and 2) not usually worn by women, who have better taste in shoes. The flip flops I bought today have a fish on each strap, and each fish has an iridescent rhinestone for an eye, so they're pretty fabulous
• I stopped at the Mini Mart on the way to the house and bought more of the biscuits with the Arabic writing on the wrapper and some coconut cookies for the kids

After the market I washed some clothes, and it was amazing because I could fill up the buckets with water from the tap and if the water became too soapy, I just poured it out and filled it again. And when it came time to hang the clothes to dry, the clothesline was waiting for me above my head. Washing clothes hasn't been this easy since I had access to a washing machine, a.k.a. since I before I left America.

And after washing clothes I cleaned out my backpack and read some and waited for the power to come so I could write these posts.

Now, farewell! I'm honestly not sure when you'll have another sitting-in-front-of-the-computer post...possibly not until December... I don't think anyone is going to Basse for Thanksgiving, it sounds like most people will be going to the Kombos. I've been promised cornbread if I will stop being a site rat and join them...but it takes a day for me to reach the Kombos from my site and I would be repeating the trip less than three weeks later for in-service training in mid-December.

But I really really love cornbread...