Cal at the Meat Market

Every "jour du marché" brings with it surprises and excitement – what's coming in from all the surrounding villages and how many oranges CAN he fit in that station wagon? The answer; a lot! It's no surprise, then, that you'll usually be coming home with something a little extra in your bag. Today it was a wiggly, flea-ridden little guy named "Cal." God, I seriously hope I didn't get lice from him. Jordan and I went to the "meat market" which is at the end of the cobblestone street from the road to Aplahoue. Chickens, dogs, rabbits, cats, goats, ducks, turtles and other wonderfully edible animals sit in sad cages waiting for haphazard Americans to see a pet in one of their cute little faces and take them home. First, of course, we weighed the options of dogs (there certainly were plenty) and finally settled on saving one little main course for the tidy sum of 1.000F CFA (about two dollars). Afterwards we went immediately to the veterinarians where we paid for a rabies vaccination we then had to administer ourselves. Cradling our little bundle of joy all the way home Jordan and I fretted about the potential for lice, potty training, and what to do when we're both out of town and don't want our puppy to end up dog food himself. We gave him a nice Pantene Pro-V washing and began picking away at the fleas. After a while we gave up and put him in a box surrounded by concrete blocks I pried from the side of my house. He had a tasty dinner of soggy bread and water – hey, it's no Iams, but we're in Africa for Christsake! I hope he doesn't end up being a whiny dog that poops all over the place; I hope he does what I had intended, which was eat malevolent lizards and other gross things in my yard and keep a watch out for creepy people climbing over the walls of my concession. If not, I could always just open the door and look the other way. I doubt he'd get very far before meeting the same fate as his mouton neighbors. In less appealing news, the surprise my neighbors came home with from marché today was some sort of cross between a rooster that crows constantly and a peacock during mating season. It's been a real treat to listen to and I hope they have their feast or ceremony or wedding or whatever soon because I need to get some sleep.