212/365

212/365, originally uploaded by britrosewhite.

We had an adventure today! To prepare for the family reunion, Pastor Chola and Miss Pauline took us to the Marikiti Market in the city. Vendors sell fruits and vegetables like watermelons, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, potatoes, cabbage, bananas, and oranges. It’s HUGE.

If you are a white person in Africa you are called “mzungu” and apparently mzungus don’t ever, EVER, go to this market. So today when we walked in to the crowded, loud marketplace we were surrounded and bombarded. Everywhere people were yelling “Mzungo!” and “British!” (?) and we had SO many people wanting to help us. Pastor Chola wouldn’t let us bring anything with us so the only thing I had in my pockets was a bobby pin. No earrings, no make-up. Fine by me.

But people weren’t really interested in stealing from us, they were more interested in touching our skin or starring at Amy’s blonde hair. One man wanted me to work for him for 20 shillings (about 24 cents). I said no. He said how much? I said BILLIONS. Then he said his heart was rich! But I said nope! Show me the money! And then I said my heart is taken anyway (Jesuuuuuus comin’ through)! But he was pretty nice, anyway.

Another man asked me what I ate to make my skin so white. I said apples. The next thing I know he’s tapping on my shoulder and I turn to see him halfway through a Granny Smith! He asked me why his skin wasn’t turning color...I told him to give it an hour.

Amy literally had a woman walk by her and stop in her tracks just to stare at her hair.

Miss Pauline had to buy 50 cabbages for the reunion and she’s used to spending about 20-40 shillings per cabbage. But because she was with mzungus, the first vendor asked for 150 shillings! She threw that thing down and walked away. Seconds later Pastor Chola asked for the same cabbage (the mzungus far from sight), and he quoted him 90 shillings. He ended up getting them for 40.

All in all we ended up with two huge bags of cabbages, one or two of potatoes, one of carrots, half a bag of oranges, onions, garlic, ginger...SO MUCH food! These bags are at least 3 feet tall. Enough to feed 100, at least. Once everything was purchased a man put it all on the cart and brought it to the car. I really wanted to pull the cart - you see men on the side of the road all the time pulling them! It created quite a laugh when I started to pull it away and almost hit a car. It looked like I was going to hit it, but I didn’t! That makes me a true Kenyan!

Right now we are at the Chola’s at Shiro is giving me a hairstyle. It’s kind of awesome to come to Africa with long hair because everyone wants to feel it and I don’t mind that at all! We’re staying here tonight because we are leaving for Taita around 5 in the morning. I got my backpack all ready...pretty pumped for this.