watotofoundation.nl/en/projects/child-in-the-sky
This Wednesday, our Swahili class visited the Watoto Foundation, a center for former street kids. The center houses 50 boys who have been found begging or stealing on city streets after running away or being orphaned. The boys range in age from 12 to 18 and come to the center to live and get a primary education and receive professional skills training in farming, welding, carpentry, and auto-mechanics. They raise all of their own cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and even rabbits. Many crops, such as beans, corn, onions, potatoes and the like are also grown all on the center’s grounds.
We went on the field trip to practice our Swahili with the boys. Eriki, the one who showed me around the premises was 17 years old. Eriki is in Class 7, the last level of primary school. He’s in charge of raising the chickens and is training to become a welder. Although I’m sure I have terrible grammar and had to use a lot of roundabout descriptions in place of the vocabulary I don’t have, I was really surprised and proud of myself by the amount I was actually able to communicate. Granted, I couldn’t remember the Swahili word for cauliflower, or pigs, or grain mill. But Eriki has been taking English for quite a while so he whispered me some translations! A fun trip, anyways, and it got me warmed up for the next time I needed to put my Swahili skills to use… the market!
We went on the field trip to practice our Swahili with the boys. Eriki, the one who showed me around the premises was 17 years old. Eriki is in Class 7, the last level of primary school. He’s in charge of raising the chickens and is training to become a welder. Although I’m sure I have terrible grammar and had to use a lot of roundabout descriptions in place of the vocabulary I don’t have, I was really surprised and proud of myself by the amount I was actually able to communicate. Granted, I couldn’t remember the Swahili word for cauliflower, or pigs, or grain mill. But Eriki has been taking English for quite a while so he whispered me some translations! A fun trip, anyways, and it got me warmed up for the next time I needed to put my Swahili skills to use… the market!
That afternoon we went back to Tengeru Market to find some warm clothes for our climb this weekend. Remember how I said Tengeru was mostly vegetables? WRONG. Last week we didn’t even come close to the huuuuuge area for secondhand clothes and fabrics. Wednesday that’s the only part we saw. Here’s how to get 2 hats, wool socks, and fabulous pants for the low, low price of 2,800Tsh (less that $2):
I entered the market grounds with a mission: warm hat, warm socks. We made our way through a narrow alleyway lined with heinous belts, bags, and old shoes before coming out into a sprawling expanse of wrinkly secondhand clothes, shaded by tattered plastic tarps. I checked out a whole row of sellers in search of something resembling wool before returning to a toothless old woman and asking her price.
I entered the market grounds with a mission: warm hat, warm socks. We made our way through a narrow alleyway lined with heinous belts, bags, and old shoes before coming out into a sprawling expanse of wrinkly secondhand clothes, shaded by tattered plastic tarps. I checked out a whole row of sellers in search of something resembling wool before returning to a toothless old woman and asking her price.
SELLER: Elfu mbili (2,000Tsh).
ME: Elfu mbili? Lakini ni ngogo! Nina mguu kubwa.
(2,000? But they’re too small! I have big feet.)
SELLER: (tries to stretch them bigger) Kubwa! (big!)
ME: Hapana, nitalipa mia tano kwa sababu ni ndogo sana.
(No, I’ll pay 500 because they’re really small)
SELLER: Hapana, elfu moja. Soksi nzuri!
(No, 1,000. They’re good socks!)
ME: Haya, mia tisa?
(Ok, 900?)
SELLER: Saba. Mia tisa.
(Ok, 900.)
ME: (Take out money but only have 800 in my hand.) Ahh, hapana, nina mia nane tu!
(Oh no, I only have 800 though!)
SELLER: Haya, saba, mia nane, asante.
(Ok, ok, 800, thank you.)
ME: Asante mama!
(Thank you ma’am!)
ME: Elfu mbili? Lakini ni ngogo! Nina mguu kubwa.
(2,000? But they’re too small! I have big feet.)
SELLER: (tries to stretch them bigger) Kubwa! (big!)
ME: Hapana, nitalipa mia tano kwa sababu ni ndogo sana.
(No, I’ll pay 500 because they’re really small)
SELLER: Hapana, elfu moja. Soksi nzuri!
(No, 1,000. They’re good socks!)
ME: Haya, mia tisa?
(Ok, 900?)
SELLER: Saba. Mia tisa.
(Ok, 900.)
ME: (Take out money but only have 800 in my hand.) Ahh, hapana, nina mia nane tu!
(Oh no, I only have 800 though!)
SELLER: Haya, saba, mia nane, asante.
(Ok, ok, 800, thank you.)
ME: Asante mama!
(Thank you ma’am!)
Sa-weeet, I just got wool socks for $0.50. And it went on like this, until I had 1 fleece beanie (1,200Tsh), the socks, and a pair of cazy orange silky “Indian” pants (900Tsh). I needed the rest of my money to get home (I only carry about $6 worth with me each day cause you can’t get robbed if ya ain’t got no money!), but I spotted this awesome plaid flannel baseball hat with furry ear flaps. Super classy, so obviously I had to have it. But alas! The seller wanted 10,000Tsh. I’ll just do this dialogue in English for you, but imagine it happening in broken Sawhili:
ME: Ten thousand? That’s so expensive! I still have to eat dinner tonight!
SELLER: (Laughs) But this is a really nice hat! Very warm, and it’s an original.
ME: An original what?
SELLER: An original. Nice one.
…
…
haggle haggle haggle
…
SELLER: Okay 5,000.
ME: (look in pocket) Oh no, I don’t have enough! Ok, sorry, I won’t get it. (leave)
…
…
(I walk by later)
ME: Hey! My friend gave me some money! Can I get it for 500?
SELLER: Ha! Sorry, no, it’s 5,000.
(now I’m really sad.)
ME: But I only have 500.
SELLER: Check your pockets!
ME: (rummaging through backpack pockets) Ah, there’s nothing—oh I have this! How about this?
SELLER: ...A spoon?
ME: Yeah, a spoon and 300.
SELLER: Ha, okay my friend. (fistbump)
SELLER: (Laughs) But this is a really nice hat! Very warm, and it’s an original.
ME: An original what?
SELLER: An original. Nice one.
…
…
haggle haggle haggle
…
SELLER: Okay 5,000.
ME: (look in pocket) Oh no, I don’t have enough! Ok, sorry, I won’t get it. (leave)
…
…
(I walk by later)
ME: Hey! My friend gave me some money! Can I get it for 500?
SELLER: Ha! Sorry, no, it’s 5,000.
(now I’m really sad.)
ME: But I only have 500.
SELLER: Check your pockets!
ME: (rummaging through backpack pockets) Ah, there’s nothing—oh I have this! How about this?
SELLER: ...A spoon?
ME: Yeah, a spoon and 300.
SELLER: Ha, okay my friend. (fistbump)
And now I just bought the coolest hat ever…. for a spoon. It seems the best way to not spend money is to just not have any. :)