The Market

This morning, the principal at our school and one of the teachers picked us up to go to the market in Castries, the capital of St. Lucia. Castries is about a 15-20 minute drive from where we live on the north side of the island.
The market is quite the hectic place. There are so many smells all at once, it becomes a little overwhelming. We started by the fish section in the outdoor market, which is definitely the smelliest part. When we stopped for fish, the three of us foreigners almost immediately became the attention of many men. A few called to us, and one even came up behind us and talked to us, but we just ignored him. First of all, we were wearing our sunglasses, which helps like CRAZY to ignore people. I know that sounds really weird, but it helps a ton! (I felt #fierce.) Second of all, I had a hard time trying to understand all that was being said by the men. It makes me feel almost dense to not be able to understand what people are saying to me. Many nationals talk too fast for me to understand, and the accent at times makes it difficult for me to understand the first time around. Communication is probably the biggest challenge for me right now, but hopefully with concentration and practice, improvement will come.
My roommates and I were able to purchase a variety of fruits and vegetables for very reasonable prices, compared to prices in the grocery store. The principal was so nice to buy us coconuts! The man selling the coconuts sliced into the coconut with a large knife. (If I would have tried, I would have definitely cut off my hand.) We first drank the water from a straw, and then the seller hacked the coconut in half, so we could scoop out and eat the coconut jelly that is inside. Until today, I really had no clue what was all up in the coconuts. Now I know! I have not yet tried the coconut jelly, but maybe soon. We bought sweet peppers, watermelon!!!!, pineapple, mangoes, cucumbers, and lemons at the market today. I am extremely excited to eat the watermelon tonight for supper! It's the small things that make it feel like home here.