Bouncing in a Burundian Bus Ride

Saturday was such a fun, fantastic day. In the morning, I went to market again. It's just a fun thing to observe, all of that humanity doing business. I watched my friends haggle to buy some household goods.
Saturdays are busy market days. Each time I've been to the market, I've gone with a different person, so each experience has been quite unique.

ALSO, I rode on a bus to get there. Not one like you'd ride on in the states, but a veritable human sardine can.
One like this:

The girls I was going to market with met up with me, and we waited for a bus.
And then we waited some more.

I had walked out to meet my friends earlier (before I found out that it was going to take some more time for my friends to arrive)

The first time I walked out, I had seen two ladies sitting on the street corner waiting for a bus. I went back to the house. 15 minutes later when I emerged from the house with my friends, the bus-waiting ladies were still there.
Not a good sign.
So we walked down the street, hoping for a bus that wasn't already full.

Finally, one stopped for us. I think the bus driver's motto is: there's always room for one more!

What a trip.
These buses are more like mini-vans. I counted, and there was supposedly room for 13 passengers and a driver.
I don't quite know for what size people these seats were made (anorexic midgets?), but with the usual four to a row, one was squashed, shoulders overlapping.

Imagine trying to squeeze in 5 to a row!
But we did it. We survived. I was halfway out the window, on the edge of my seat, but I survived.

I enjoyed my return trip on the bus. Once you get used to the lack of personal space, it's not so bad. I asked my Burundian friend if she thought it would be okay for me to take some pictures. She assented, so here is proof that I rode a bus:

Here is the row in front of me with cheerful Naomi:

Also, here are the pictures of the market! The internet is favorable today. ...though, you know, I had to be discreet about taking these pictures, so they aren't as fabulous as they could be.

After my market trip, I went to a wedding.
Oh, how I love weddings.
I love how all sorts of people come together to celebrate unity. I delight in the joy, the excitement in the air, the use of beautiful things. I love to think of the spiritual allegory that comes from weddings.

Since I'm still processing all that happened during the four hours I was at this wedding, I'll write several posts and make this a serial of sorts. I like suspense, don't you?

And so it shall begin.