Mud and the Market

Last night, it started storming pretty badly. The rainy season came late this year but it would seems that it is finally here. It poured last night and the wind was so bad that a hug metal sheet of roofing ripped off the roof. So Sr. Gloria's (she lives here when she is not at school) ceiling was leaking. But I got several buckets of water without having to draw it up from the cistern. What makes life really difficult when it rains is the roads. Only some roads are paved and the unpaved streets become muddy, slippery messes. I can't imagine how people tolerate the rain for the next four months.

Sr Franca and I went to the market today to get food for our Easter dinner. Our shopping expedition took over five hours. We bought the usual dried stock fish, flour, fruits, and vegetables. We also went to the butchers. The butchers have a couple of buildings in the middle of the market with huge cement slabs covered with various cow parts. We bought liver (which I now eat) and cow stomach (which I am a little hesitant to try). As Franca haggled over the price I had time to look around and take it all in. I was a little taken aback when I saw the whole cow heads, watched a man pound the hoof off a foot, or saw a lone cow eye sitting on the table. All of those cow parts are available but I can't even get a hamburger. I was happy because we found vinegar and food coloring for dyeing Easter eggs.