Day Forty

Well of course someone had to make a liar out of me. It seems that now we're leaving on Friday instead of today. Both Dr. and Mrs. Sabet have a lot of meetings between now and then, and even I have a lot of work to do. Despite all of the pending work, we still managed to find time to bum around today since it was a public holiday (Birth of Muhammed).

This afternoon, we went to Mwenge Market, which was my first trip to an African market. The shops at this particular market seem to specialize in wood items. In fact, some of the artisans were gathered under makeshift tents carving their wares right in front of us. You could find just about anything made out of wood that you wanted. Necklaces, earrings, eating utensils, bowls, small statues, fragile statues, massive statues, huge boxes, chess boards and pieces, etc. Most of the pieces were carved out of mpingo, which is African blackwood, and done in the style of the Makonde tribe in southern Tanzania and Mozambique. It's what mzungus like me are looking for. =P

I didn't come to do too much shopping, but I did see a chess set that I liked. The store owner saw me examining it, so she was all over me like white on rice. And then began the haggling. "It's 25, but I give you for 20." The problem with haggling is that some people are actually reasonable and will quote you only a slightly inflated price, whereas others will give you an outrageous price. For instance, Mrs. Sabet was trying to buy a khanga (a long piece of cloth wrapped around the body, usually in two pieces, to make a "traditional" sort of African outfit) and the woman quoted her 20. Mrs. Sabet haggled for a bit and then get tired of it, deciding to walk off. The woman comes running after us, waving it in the air and shouting "Okay! Okay! 8! 8!".

Anyway, I figured the chess set woman was trying to stick it to me. I told her 10, then 12, and then compromised at 15. I suspected that was still too much, so I started to walk off. "Ah! Baba! Where you going? Okay, I give you for 12! Please, don't go! I need the money for chakula (food) for my babies! They got to eat and go to school! Ah, Baba, you killing me here, please!" She was wailing and flailing her arms around and making this God awful scene like I was single-handedly condemning her children to a life of ignorance and hunger because I wouldn't buy this chess set for 12,000 shillings. I've never seen anything like it in my life! I decided not to buy anything from her since she chased me out of the shop trying to put a guilt trip on me. I can find the same thing in another shop probably for less without the hysterics! I shouldn't laugh, but in retrospect the sight of her melodramatics was pretty funny.

There are also these beautiful paintings called tinga tinga, which the Sabets didn't seem all that impressed by (probably because they see so many of them). I didn't price any of them, but I'll try to take some pictures the next time I go. Maybe I'll make a list of things to buy in case people want me to pick up some things for them. Speaking of which, if you'd like me to get something for you, you have to let me know. I don't know what to just randomly buy people. I'm happy to bring back things for you, but let me know what you want!