Marketing and a Birthday

Here in Tamale, a city of more than 300,000, open markets abound where one can purchase anything and everything from fresh produce & packaged goods to items of clothing & household appliances, etc, etc. Venders sell a multitude of goods carried on their heads, wheeled with a cart, or from hundreds of roadside stands. There are also specialty shops, a general all-purpose store which ressembles a US dollar store (but which also sells larger items such as stoves) and small supermarkets much like 7/11 convenience stores in the US.
The other morning, Sr. Jacky introduced me to her favorite butcher. He, along with 20 or 30 other men were housed in a long slaughterhouse type of building. All were busy at their individual tables, carving up huge carcasses and preparing their customers' requests.
I also received a practical initiation to bargaining for produce in the open markets from Reggie. Now I have a pretty good idea of what I should pay for a stack of onions or green peppers and a bunch of plantains. What I didn't realize after selecting a number of various items was that Reggie would insist on carrying most of them in a big box atop her head.
Learning something new every day. Simple pleasures mean a lot and one soon realizes what little we need to live well.
Oh, - and I celebrated a very special birthday yesterday at the "Jungle Bar" with Jim, Jacky, Fernand, Marie-Renee (Jacky & Fernand are French Canadian whereas Marie-Renee is from France), Fr. Jon Kirby, and Damian, a South African doing agricultural work in the area. We had a delicious veggie pizza, Star beers and sodas. I wore a traditional bou-bou dress which was a beautiful present from Jim. Was great too to speak with the kids on our cell phone!