Market madness

Market day has rolled around, the first one I’ve been present for since mid-August. It’s just as crowded and stranger-filled as I remember it being. It’s all right, though, it’s a nice lively change. Ramata and I went out and bought a watermelon and some bananas, fighting our way through crowds. Now, at least, the days are beginning to cool off, so you’re not a sweaty mess by the time you get back. Market mornings are the best. A couple people come by and chat, you can watch ox-carts, donkey carts, camels stream past the door, but the house hasn’t become the Hotel de Ville yet.

The last couple days were better than the week preceding them. Minkailou came back on Friday night and Seydou went to Anda for the night last night and got back this morning. I’ve been busying myself with work on the grammar, which is beginning to take shape. Ramata’s father should be coming in today, so then tomorrow I can start real work on the dictionary.

During the afternoon yesterday, Ramata and I walked across town to her former lodger’s house. It’s the peanut harvest now, and his courtyard was filled with uprooted peanut plants and women separating the peanuts from them. Fresh peanuts are delicious—still moist with an earthy flavor, much better than the months-old bags we get in the States. It continues to be an interesting experience eating only what’s in season. Guava season can’t start soon enough. I’ve heard many good things about it.

Yesterday evening, a big dust storm blew in, followed by a light shower. I was afraid the rain would come harder and leak into my room, since there are places that need repair after the rainy season, but luckily the rain stayed light and cooled things off, making for a pleasant night’s sleep.

Word on the street is that Kirill is coming into town a week from tomorrow, then I head to Bamako two weeks from Tuesday. I can mail my absentee ballot from the embassy, and good thing, since otherwise I don’t think it would get there from Douentza in time. Our post office is a little behind the times.

In other news, my hair is doing the India thing and beginning to fall out big time. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that, but it bums me out. I guess I’ll try to cut it short in Bamako and see if that helps. Also, I can’t help but look at the cockroaches in the bathroom differently after reading the Metamorphosis. I still don’t like them, but somehow they’re more tolerable.