the market...and friendly faces

For various reasons, it's my first full weekend at site in a bit and I'm quite excited for the slow pace. Somehow, this first trimester has already come and gone. We're already 1/4 of the way through this new year. As always, time is marching forward at a frightful pace. Unfortunately, for my current situation it still feels like it's stagnate. I'm still in the waiting and holding pattern I've been in for the past month, with no real idea when it will end. I suppose if I don't hear from Trinity in the next few weeks before the next trimester starts, I'll have to make my decision on imperfect information. At least now I'm okay with doing that.
On a brighter note, I love being at site through a weekend because it means I get to go to the market. It's funny because I have to prep myself and brace myself to go. I know there's gonna be double to triple the number of people running around town. They just come in for market day and they don't know me. They stare and call me muzungu. So I put up my guard for that. I've just embraced it as a part of my life. I don't like that I have to put up that guard, but it's makes the most sense. Otherwise, the laughing and pointing and staring does get to me. BUT the odd contrast is how much I love the other interactions I have at the market. I have my tomato lady and my pineapple lady and my Fanta dude. I have my Mama's in their shops for my other things. There's the one that I work with in the co-op who always throws in a couple of extra pieces of fruit even when I just come in to greet. These people don't know me per se, and you'll have to forgive me for not knowing their names, I feel like I'm at that awkward stage where it's too late to ask and everyone just calls everyone 'Mama' anyway. BUT they look at me with a face of recognition. They ask how my day is and always compliment me on my kinyarwanda. That look of recognition is huge when everyone is looking at you but doesn't know you. Back in the states, most of the time you don't look people you don't know in the eye and you try not to stare. That's not the case here, so when you get so many eyes looking at you, it's nice to see a friendly pair. It's nice to see a set that crinkles with a smile. They're not just looking at you, they're happy to see you.