Karen's Day Out

Some how some productive spirit took over my body and I finished the first draft of my ISP yesterday…six days before it’s due! The other people on my program were giving me dirty looks so I decided to go on an adventure. This adventure had a mission of course! 2 specific gifts for 2 specific people…and I wanted to try to get some Henna.

Going to the market is usually quite an ordeal and it takes a lot of energy. You’re going to be called “toubab” a lot, there will be mud, you might get robbed or more likely ripped off, oh and getting lost in this labyrinth of a market place is also a likelihood I’d only been twice before (the second time was only a few days ago) but each time I was with other people who dealt with the cabs and knew where we were going in the market. This time: I was on my own.

I head out on my own—no need to hail a cab, within minutes one has screeched to a halt at my feet… “asalaamalekum nanga def---maangi dem HLM 800 baax na” and away we go. I have improved LOTS on the whole cab thing. I only ever pay what I’ve decided ahead of time I am willing to pay—of course not being in a rush helps because there’s always another cab.

At the market I made my way down to the row of stalls with ****** (I am leaving this crucial piece of information out because two family members and a close friend are getting things from here) Here again, I knew ahead of time that these things I was going to buy were expensive, but I also knew how expensive—so I wouldn’t get ri

pped off. Plus then the bargaining comes into play. If I buy this this and two of these…I’ll pay you X…ummmm okay but ONLY because we are friends (the vender remembered me from last time and of course that makes us friends). Great I’ve been in the market for 30 mins maximum and I’ve accomplished half of the things I wanted to do!

Next stop: the bank. No not to get money, but when I walked by the other day I’d seen a sign with pictures of henna motifs on hands and feet. So I went there and asked the bank’s guard, “where do they do the henna?” while pointing to the sign. Turns out you need to call the number and they come find you! SO I did.

Ten minutes or so later someone was at the bank and I followed him to his house. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical about GOING TO HIS HOUSE but I figured that I could handle it. So we get there and any worry I had was gone—this was not a sketchy place…it was a really nice place and there was another customer there already who’d just had herfeet and hands covered in a beautiful design.

I sit down and flip through the photo albums they have. The general prices are 10,000 for one foot, 2500 to 3500 for one palm. I explained that Iwanted a palm design and I wanted to spend 2500, then he said I should pay 10000 and he’d do a foot and the hands for free…when I told him that I only HAVE 5000 we settled on 2 palms for 5000 with the backs of my hands as “gifts” cool.

(word shut down and lost what I wrote and I am tired and don’t want to rewrite it but here’s the gist)

I told him I was named Mame Diarra Obama. I am married, my American husband is still in America, I am not willing to leave him to marry the henna man. I asked henna man if he had a wife—he said “I’ll leave her for you” hmmm….

Oh then when I was done he INSISTED that I stay to eat lunch (it was 3:30 already and I hadn’t eaten anything yet…so ok!)

I HAD A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Then got to talk to Hannah! She’s in the airport in Delhi.