So many things in my life have changed in the past 17 months...the change that sticks out the most to me on this particular day is my personality. I came to the ship incredibly shy and reserved. And I had this dreadful, dreadful fear of having to barter for things in the market. I hated it. Just pick a price, display the price, and it's fair for everyone! But nope. The only way there is a "set" price is if you have lived here long enough to have learned the typical price or have really good contacts who will tell you.
Well, today I discovered that I've actually grown to enjoy the bartering experience. Sometimes. But still, that's more than it used to be! I remember a time in Sierra Leone when I saw a pair of capris on display week after week, until finally I decided it was time to muster my courage and go buy them. I decided beforehand what my absolute highest price was (my brain isn't so quick at figuring out the US dollar equivalent on the spot), so that I wouldn't hesitate too much when bartering. So off we went, Murray and I, to buy those capris. I told the gentleman which ones I was interested in and he sent me to the back room where a curtain provided small small privacy to try them on. Found the right size, went back up front and began the circus. Of course, he wanted about double what I was willing to pay. I stood my ground. Finally we came down to his "lowest price." I said "No" and started walking away. (Something I learned from others.) Wait for it...."Okay." I turned around with a grin on my face. He said, "You know Salone money. Why?" (I think he was actually a bit angry with me.) My answer: "I'm not stupid. I've been here a while and have learned." I was very pleased with myself that day. Yes, I had probably just paid a lot more than what a local would pay, but I left without paying more than I had decided beforehand and for that I was happy.
Fast forward to today. Murray and I walked to the market to look for some fabric that I saw last week and wished all week long that I would have bought it. Found the same stand where the lady was selling lappas and immediately there were 3 or 4 guys who walked up who spoke bits of English. Just enough for us to communicate. I finally got them to understand that I was looking for a piece that I saw last week and tried to describe it. Not to much avail, so they allowed me to look, pulling up piece after piece and shoving it toward me. Then I spotted it. "There! That one!" "O you like this one?" coming from the guy who spoke the best English and had pushed his way to the front to be the one who helped me. He wanted me to tell him what price I had paid last week, but that wasn't going to work since I hadn't bought any lappas in Guinea. I told him to give me a price. Finally he gave me one. "45." (Meaning 45,000) Divide 45 by about 7 to get the US equivalent, which in this case is roughly $6.00. That didn't help me know what the real price was, except that it was likely much lower than that. In Sierra Leone, it was rougly 1 or 2 dollars for a lappa. So we bartered. He told me he would give me a better price if I bought two. I wasn't completely satisfied with the price he was offering, but I agreed to look. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm super indecisive. So I looked, and looked, and looked...they were beginning to see that it wasn't going to be so easy to pick one that I liked. Finally the owner of the stand handed me a piece. "Uh-huh!!!! Oui!!" That got a laugh out of the lady, who then started imitating my excitement to the others. Others joined in the laughter. This was starting to get fun.
By now, he had gone down to 30,000 for one piece, claiming that as his last price, and I had gone up to 25,000 claiming that as my last price. Judging from his body language, he knew he was getting a good price regardless of who got their way. He put the material in a bag, still saying "30. Last price." I pulled 50,000 out of my purse and handed it to him. He handed me the bag, still asking for more. We laughed and joked and I told him I knew it was a very good price for him. More than the normal price. "No, 30 is the price for everyone," he said. Nope. I knew since he had handed me the bag, that it would be okay if I walked away. That was the unspoken agreement that the price was settled. So we said our thank yous and walked away.
That's when I realized that I actually enjoy bartering. Maybe it's because I'm stubborn and I get to practice standing my ground. (Murray is voicing his agreement to this.) Maybe it's because we laughed together, regardless of it being at my expense. Whatever the reason, it's one more thing that I will miss when we leave the ship. Mostly, I'm so thankful for the people and the circumstances that God has used here to grow me and pull me out of my safe little shell.
