It's funny how time gets away from you. I've been MIA for a couple of weeks, and while they say, "time flies when you're having fun" I can't say the grading, lesson planning, and first quarter reports are my idea of fun. Don't be fooled, I've had plenty of fun on the weekends, and have been relaxing in the evenings, but it's hard to say where the time has gone. I have been living in Dakar for 11 weeks (75 days to be exact) and it feels as though time has widened the distance between my Canadian home and I.
As different as certain daily routines are, life is not without its similarities as well. Once or twice a week we will walk 5 minutes down our sandy street to the main road, hang a right and come to Caddie, our local grocery store. Caddie is about the size of a Rabba 24 hour Grocery Store at home. We can buy fresh meat and cheese from the deli counter and almost anything else we need need from the shelves or fridges/freezers. There are two check-out registers, though they are so close to one another that you often can't tell there are two lines. Just outside we buy our fruit and vegetable at the corner stand. It is almost always one of two vendors. One is from Guinea and is very friendly and amiable. The other is very serious, and I often will have fun trying to get a smile out of him. We once overpaid by about 40 cents US and he chased us down the street to return the money. Ironically, he was so pleased with himself that he was grinning.
Occasionally we will be invited along for a trip to the bigger grocery store chain, Casino. These stores are comparable to Superstore or Loblaw. They are huge, tidy, bright, and well-stocked. They sell school supplies, housewares, fresh produce etc. The cost of groceries, generally speaking, is quite high.
In addition to the required shopping for physical sustenance, I have visited a beautiful French bookstore downtown Dakar for intellectual sustenance. It didn't look like much on the outside, a modest two-story building squished its neighbours on a sidestreet. Inside it was much like Chapters or Indigo though it wasn't quite as well merchandised, the stock is entirely French, and it was missing the smell of freshly brewed coffee from an adjoining coffee shop.
There are several other stores around the city you can visit for a North American-feeling shopping experience, but you don't have to go far to shop. Vendors walk around with arms full of the most random goods to sell to passers-by; board games, cds, dusters, coffee mugs, shoes and shirts. They wander through slow-moving traffic allowing you to make purchases from your car window. They'll even jog alongside the car to complete the sale if the gridlock eases.
A few weeks ago I had a unique Senegalese shopping experience at Fugg Jaay (pronounced Fug-ee-jaiy), also known as the Saturday market. Imagine with me, a median about the width of a narrow two-lane side street between two or four lanes of traffic (this is Senegal, it might look like two lanes, but it's four). The two outside edges of the median, closest to the road, are covered to create makeshift booths. There is a narrow aisle down the middle, wide enough for two shoppers to pass comfortably though dozens of people manage to circulate without too much difficulty. Pants, dresses, and a variety of other clothing are hung from metal frames, while piles to dig through are on the canvas-covered ground. Though it is easier to peruse the wares hung on display, clothes are cheaper if you dig through the piles. Once you've found something you're interested in, the negotiations begin. To the average vendor, white skin implies wealth so it is important to know how much you are willing to pay before beginning the bargaining. The market itself covers 3-4 city blocks and you could easily spend a morning pushing your way through the crowds and getting bargains.
Another day I went with some friends to HLM Market specializing in the sale of material. It is most common for men and women to buy material and have outfits custom-made by a tailor. The material is sold in designated lengths perfect for one outfit. As with most everything else, bargaining is important. I bought 3 'wax' materials which feature African patterns, and one more expensive print all for $40 US. I then went to a friend's tailor and we discussed a style for the four outfits I will be able to pick up next week. I'll be sure to post pictures once they're ready. All together, material and tailor costs, each outfit will be approximately $40 US.
A typical fabric shop
An example of an African wax material
photos from: http://banyangigirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/african-fabric-and-prints.html
My most recent shopping expedition took me to the Artisan Market. Jewlery, purses, shoes, wood carvings, and art are among the many products available. The market itself is a maze of booths with shopkeepers who call out to you in French or broken English insisting you look at their wares. As the market caters primarily to tourists, the experience can be quite overwhelming as various vendors compete for your attention. I am not inclined to ingore people and avoid eye contact, but it becomes a survival instinct when you are accosted by people from every direction. I managed to come away with only one necklace and a fabric purse for a very reasonable $15 US.
Shopping at home is a weakness of mine, and unfortunately I don't seem to have escaped it here. The way I see it, I'm simply doing my part to stimulate the local economy.
