May 24- shopping!

May 24- Shopping!

Some might say that I am an avid shopper. Let’s just say I know my way around every Target and Walmart within 100 miles of our house in Cave Creek. Well, today I had a shopping first- I was completely overwhelmed!

The shopping trip started by hiring a taxi driver to take us to the shops because you have never seen crazy drivers until you come to Africa. There are no street lines, few traffic lights, and even fewer rules. Basically there is one rule- push your way through- whether you are a person or a car. And there are people everywhere- dodging in and out of the cars and selling all sorts of goods to the cars stuck in traffic. Moses is our taxi man around here. He is trust worthy and reliable. He doesn’t just drop us off and come back, he stays in the car the whole time and guards our stuff from sticky fingers. Thank God for Moses!

 Big buildings, small shops that specialize in one kind of item such as toilets, roadside huts, smoke, red dust, beggars asking for money, and a million items for sell can be seen all around in town.  Sights of green or nature are few and far between. There is hustle and bustle everywhere. Sounds of horns honking, people yelling, and loud radios fill the air as we drive through town with our windows down.

Aleta and I are shopping for goods that we cannot get in Central African Republic. I think we went to 4 shops to get what we need/wanted. I didn’t take pictures because it is not allowed which is a shame because there is no way to describe these stores. The best way I guess is to think of a dollar store in a small town that has a little bit of everything- some groceries, some home goods, some clothes.  You know the general stores that are dusty and have really random stuff.  There were name brands that we have in the states like huggies diapers, pantene shampoo, and Nutella. But these have a name brand price! For example there was a box of Reynold’s wrap aluminum foil for $25! Twenty five dollars! But then there were “dollar store” type knock off brands for $3. The stores had names like “Price Leader” and “American Shopper,” but the missionaries here call them the $3 store because most things were $3.

So what does one buy to live in the bush in Africa? That is what I asked Aleta! In the first store, I just wandered around aimlessly. By the 2^nd one, we were on a roll. I ended up just buying whatever Aleta bought! Here is a sample of our goodies- huge bags of powdered and brown sugar, toiletries such as shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, balsamic vinegar, canned green beans, towels, ant spray, and bouillon cubes. We even bought Kraft mac and cheese, Ghirardelli brownie mix, Jiff peanut butter, and Tide detergent (these were not quite the Reynold’s wrap prices!). In fact we filled the taxi up completely and are headed back tomorrow!

For lunch we went to a bakery. I have never smelled anything so wonderful! We got croissants with ham and cheese! And even a flat Coca-Cola lite!  All in all, it was a great day!