Every morning for the last week, I've been visiting Mauritian schools (working in classrooms and promoting the Eli Africa educational center.) After leaving a school a few days ago with my recruiting parrtner Gina, we decided to spend time exploring the vegetable market in the heart of Rivier du Rampart (a wonderful village.) I've been eyeing the market for days now, and was SO EXCITED to finally spend some time there. As we walked along, I pulled out my camera and began shooting like crazy. So much eye candy in front of me! Fruit and veggie stands filled the streets, some sporting traditional produce and others selling exotic produce I've never seen. (They sell a crazy cucumber-like vegetable, for instance, that has sharp edges naturally carved into the skin.) Most of the merchants stood behind the produce and would try convincing us to make a purchase. I was taking a mad amount of photos, and I found that most men would stand still and let me take their photograph, even without asking. (I was still nervous about photographing women, due to the various cultural issues that could arise should I accidentally photograph a religous woman whose husband decides I am violating her, etc. I was instructed to be careful about that when I arrived in Mauritius.) I kept stumbling upon new and interesting people to shoot. A man who made some delicious colorful kettle corn (which I purchased for a whopping 10 rupees, or 30 American cents) stood still while I photographed him with his kettle corn. A man shaving the skin off of fruit looked at me long enough to catch a few shots. BUT NOTHING COMPARES TO THE BOY WITH THE RED CAP.

I was walking along totally consumed by the village's good vibrations when I spotted the most adorable child sitting most adorably on a big chair, wearing a red baseball cap tilted to one side. He looked about five or six years old, and had giant brown eyes that immediately locked with mine. I had to take a picture. Feeling brave and totally comfortable at this point, I walked behind the fruit stand where he was sitting and started photographing him, sitting with his hands on the chair beneath him. His dad stood nearby (whose permission I was granted via a quick connection of eyes and friendly smile) and started laughing as I photographed the boy. He shouted for his son to smile, but the kid just stared into my camera, and then to either side of the camera as I furiously shot what I felt was such a precious moment. Having a camera--and a crazy addiction to the sound of its shutter--brings such a welcome dynamic to exploring new locations. I can't not see something without thinking about how beautiful it is, and how I simply must take a picture.

I eventually left the cap-wearing boy behind and continued my stroll. By this point, Gina had wandered off somewhere (we both agreed we'd surely run into each other in the village at some point.) I turned the corner and struck up a conversation with a short Hindu lady from whom I tried buying papayas. Turns out, it's pretty rare to find papayas at any general marketplace. "You come back tomorrow?" she asked me. I nodded yes and she added, "Okay. I bring you two!" So guess who's going back to that fruit stand tomorrow to score myself two papayas? :) As I walked away, a few men standing behind yet another fruit stand called out to me, "Where you from?" I responded and then heard, "Your China lady went that way." It's great exploring Mauritius with an Asian (Gina), 'cause everyone pays attention to the white boy and the Korean girl (who they always call Chinese.)

I then walked into a little fabric store which caught my eye from the street. It was a small shop dimly lit with natural light from outside. Behind the desk sat a tall old woman speaking with a customer who couldn't have been more than 4"8. The customer, a Hindu woman with thick circular bifocals, began chatting with me in French. Surprisingly, I understood a bit of it (the bits that sound like Spanish) and we had a small conversation in English and French (I don't speak French, she doesn't speak English.) I felt so comfortable with the two of them and asked if I could take a photo. The small woman immediately beamed and set her bag down to pose, which I immediately (and obviously) took as overwhelming consent to let me pull out my camera. Photographing this woman was a delight--she beamed with the smile of a child, which shone through cute wrinkles she's collected over a lifetime. These women seemed so flattered to be photographed, and I walked away grinning. I'm sure if they spoke English there would have been a dinner invite. :)

Soon I ran into Gina and we decided to check out a second-story cafe called "Expresso." Gina loves coffee, and she was praying we'd find some there. Of course, we're in Mauritius, so we were not surprised to find that the cafe had nothing to do with coffee, despite its misleading name. (Worth a try.) On our way out, I peaked my head into a beauty salon where a young hairstylist my age sat reading a book. I asked if I could take her picture and, just like the elderly women, she beamed. I started shooting and she giggled to pieces. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that she was deeply flattered to be catching the attention of some crazy American boy. :)

We then wandered down to the bus stop, where we ended up making friends with a GIGANTIC man named Amassi who is a clothing merchant that splits his time between Mauritius and Pakistan. He is a jolly ol' fellow and a businessman at heart who invited us to his place in Grand Bay whenever we're in the area. (Grand Bay has the best beaches!) He looked awesome sporting a GIGANTIC robe and a funky flat African hat (surely that hat has a name.) Meanwhile, Gina made friends with a lovely lady (wearing a sheer yellow scarf!) who gave us her number and hopes that we stop by her village sometime. I LOVE THIS PLACE AND ITS PEOPLE. So many dinner invitations from so many kind people. Eventually our bus arrived and we hopped on, bidding farewell to our new friends and one of the most thoroughly enjoyable wandering experiences I've had on the island so far.

I'll post some of the photos soon. :)