At the big markets, inter-tribal commerce happens in French or more frequently Arabic. In French the prices are given straight up: 500=cinq cents. In Chadian Arabic however, the word for the price 500 means literally 2500. They think about prices in units of five. Anyway that gets really confusing when you are speaking foreign languages in the first place, neither of which you are expert at. Finally we figured that out. David got some sunglasses. We bought mango, and David and Stephen bought head wraps. We were dressed western, but I wished I had worn a headwrap because of all the dust and the direct sunlight. I didn’t wear my sunglasses today. Stupid, what am I thinking? Of course you need them. The sun was overhead the whole time we were at the market. I overheated. I drank 25 glasses of water today easy, 35 probably. I drink ALL THE TIME. You’re just always dehydrated. Water is life here.
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