Sundays in Sori

Sundays have become my favorite day of the week because its market day. The open air market is bustling with people, produce, and poultry. Goats meander through the market, and the smell of dried omena (like sardines) is potent. Mounds of tomatoes line the isle way. Villagers come from their homes, miles away, carrying their tomatoes, onions, maize, beans, and fish to sell at the weekly market.
Armed with my plastic shopping bags and 350 Kenyan Shillings (about $4) I trek to the market in Sori 2.5 miles down the road. This past weeks shopping list included onions, cabbage, sugar, and papaya. Bargaining is essential. No price tags, and no ads telling you what the weekly specials are. Being white usually causes the price to double. When I was a market rookie I inquired about fair prices on items from friends before I went to the market. I want to pay the “mafrika price” (black man), and not the “muzungu price” (white man). When people see me their eyes turn into dollar signs. Being a veteran market goer I now know what the fair prices are and I fight for them. If their was a Price is Right Karungu, I would definitely win. I hate being over charged, even if it is just a few shillings. Usually, ‘mano maan yen’ (that’s too much!), putting down the item, and slowly starting to walk away is a good tactic. Most of the time the seller will agree to my price.
My favorite part of the market is the second hand clothing piles imported form the US and Europe. I love rummaging though the heaps of Goodwill leftovers. Some of my best purchases have been: a Xavier U. t-shirt, American Eagle tank top, and Aeropastle pants that fit perfectly. They have spruced up my wardrobe of ten shirts that I have been wearing the past eight months. A shirt is about 50 cents and pants are $1.50. Not bad considering that they sometimes still have the $6.99 Goodwill price tag on them.
The first few trips to the market I was a spectacle. I think the entire market stopped what they were doing to look at me. Seeing white people in the market was unchartered territory. Usually visitors come just to take pictures then leave, but I was actually there to make some purchases. At one point, I looked up from rummaging through a pile to fine 4 women lined up in front of me just staring at me in amazement. Yes, I am a white girl and I’m looking to buy some second hand clothes. Small children also liked to follow me around and to observe the purchases I am making.

What’s the cost of living? (74 cents=100 shillings)
Bread 35 shillings
4 Tomatoes 20 shillings
Cabbage 30 shillings
Sugar (1kg) 110 shillings
Pineapple 40 shillings

A Sunday afternoon of haggling at the market…..priceless!
For everything else there is Mastercard