Not Helping

So this morning I go out to buy some bread, I go to the bread lady and ask for a loaf and then give her a 1000 bill for something thats 125F. This is not really OK, it's 8am, she doesn't have change, and I don't have change, so we're at a stand still, but she doesn't want to loose me as a customer the sooner she sells her bread the sooner she can go home. Then a man comes up and says to me acting overly polite bending down with a big smile on his face "Bonjour madamoiselle yovo" I already don't like him. Not only is he hitting on me by calling me a madamoiselle, he has just called me a yovo. I don't call him black man, so don't call me yovo as it's the same damn thing as calling me white person. I know from the start this is not going to end well. He then thinks I need help. The woman and I were getting along just fine without him we were coming to the conclusion that I could just leave 100F and pay her the extra 25F later when he came in. He then takes my money from my hand and asks the woman what's going on. Seriously guy, I got it under control. He then explains to me that she doesn't have change. No shit. He then stands around thihnking that he's going to continue to help me. Basically the only thing he's doing is saying the same thing that she's already told me. Only when he says it, he uses smaller words and speaks so slowly that I want to strangle him. He's basically treating me like I'm stupid. When anyone treats me like I'm stupid it makes me so angry and so frusterated. I realize that nobody likes to be treated this way, but I handle it worse than others. I finally get my bread and walk away from this man before he can ask me for my phone number, address and marriage acceptance.
Men in Benin seem to do this type of thing a lot. I wonder what goes through their minds when they see a white girl doing something. "Oh she's obviously not from here so she must need my help. and maybe if she helps me eventually she will marry me and take me back to her country." Getting help when you actually need it is fine, but giving help when there is not call for it, is just plain counterproductive. It really annoys the crap out of me. I kind of just want to tell everyman that does this "Hey listen, I'm not a helpless white girl I know what I'm doing, I know what's going on, and you treating me like I'm stupid is not helping you, in fact it's backfiring and I'm not really going to want to continue to talk to you after I'm done dealing with whatever it is your trying to help me with." Grrr.... Cotonou is unfortunately full of these obnoxious men.

As a final note to Carly's Dad (unrelated to above post) my toe is fine, there is only a little bubble in the nail but it's growing out nicely. I actually got them painted for the first time in country not too long ago. this was the first time that I was able to do that because before it was infected and gross. So yay for healthy toes!