Today we got out again- this time we tagged along on another family's embassy appointment so that we could go shopping and have lunch at the big store by the embassy. I went with S and her little girl J, and of course, Mr. Mtoto was also along for the ride. The store by the embassy has two levels. The bottom level has a grocery store and a café, and the upstairs has smaller specialty stores and a restaurant. The restaurant had been recommended to us, so that is where we spent some time. Really, it was rather a long time. I had forgotten exactly how slow service usually is at restaurants in Africa. The food was good though, and it was fun to get out.
After lunch we went shoe shopping for J. Her mom brought shoes, but they were a bit too big, and the shoes she wore home from the orphanage fell apart after a day or two. So, we went into one of the specialty shoes stores. S picked up a little sandal, tried it on J's foot, and asked how much it was. Fifty dollars. We knew shoes would be expensive, but that was a bit steeper than she was expecting. So she picked up the sandal next to it, which looked much more poorly made. How much? One hundred and twenty dollars. Needless to say, we left the shoe store empty handed.
Now, in contrast, we then went to the fabric store a few doors down. I bought 24 yards of African fabric for twenty four dollars and seventy-five cents. Granted, this is cheap fabric, but still, fabric for a dollar a yard and shoes for one hundred a pair. It just doesn't make sense!
We also went food shopping downstairs. It was quite an adventure. Instead of listing prices, the store has a letter and number for each item. If you want to know how much it costs you have to look it up on a list that hangs on the end of each aisle. This makes comparison shopping next to impossible, and guarantees you will spent more money than you think you are spending. Happily for my wallet, I couldn't find most of the things I wanted, so I only bought a few overpriced apples, a bag of Doritos that cost about as much as gold, some ginger soda, and some jam.
After the market we cruised by the doctor because one of the little girls was feeling poorly. While there I even got to read a magazine in English! It was an US Weekly from October. Now I am all caught up on what celebrities were wearing six months ago. I also found out that Jennifer Garner is just like me because she puts sunscreen on her little girl AND lets her eat ice cream. I wonder if people in other countries pick up these magazines and think WHY ON EARTH do Americans buy this stuff?
We had a pizza party again for dinner tonight. This was top notch for me because spaghetti was on the normal menu, and I am not fond of that dish. Then, Mtoto and I began our war against scabies, which will hopefully be done after tonight. Now, you may wonder why I didn't mention that Mtoto had scabies in my first posts. Well, I didn't say anything about it because he didn't have scabies then, but he has them now. Yes, I took my poor child out of his orphanage, where he was critter-free, and brought him to a western-style guest house where he contracted scabies. To be fair to the guest house, the other kids here have it and they all play together. His case is very mild thus far, and I am hoping and praying that we are nipping it in the bud. Mtoto is also doing some teething and having some stomach issues. I don't think he has any parasites, but something is upsetting his tummy. I'm hoping it isn't the formula. His diaper rash also took a turn for the worse for a while, but I have been very careful with it the last few days, both with keeping him dry and spending hours airing him out, and it is beginning to show some signs of improvement. The room is what it is. Getting things done is far more work than it was before. We are very hot and having difficulties sleeping in a sweaty dog-pile in the center of a twin-bed (with a mosquito net you have to be very careful that your skin is not touching any part of the net). The net is working to keep the lizards out. I have yet to see any lizards, but they are leaving their poop everywhere, so I know they are here. Mercifully, I have not seen any cockroaches yet. I am sure they are there, but I feel so much better not actually seeing them. Thank you for all of your prayers. I am hanging in there. We've had a few good meals in the last two days, so I have been full for twenty-four hours straight. Not feeling hungry all the time has been a nice improvement. Tomorrow we are taking a trip to another orphanage outside of the city to do some work there. I am really looking forward to it, because I've been told that the woman who runs it has an enormous heart and the kids there are so loved. The car ride promises to be an adventure (pray we actually make it, some of our transportation has been a bit questionable).
After lunch we went shoe shopping for J. Her mom brought shoes, but they were a bit too big, and the shoes she wore home from the orphanage fell apart after a day or two. So, we went into one of the specialty shoes stores. S picked up a little sandal, tried it on J's foot, and asked how much it was. Fifty dollars. We knew shoes would be expensive, but that was a bit steeper than she was expecting. So she picked up the sandal next to it, which looked much more poorly made. How much? One hundred and twenty dollars. Needless to say, we left the shoe store empty handed.
Now, in contrast, we then went to the fabric store a few doors down. I bought 24 yards of African fabric for twenty four dollars and seventy-five cents. Granted, this is cheap fabric, but still, fabric for a dollar a yard and shoes for one hundred a pair. It just doesn't make sense!
We also went food shopping downstairs. It was quite an adventure. Instead of listing prices, the store has a letter and number for each item. If you want to know how much it costs you have to look it up on a list that hangs on the end of each aisle. This makes comparison shopping next to impossible, and guarantees you will spent more money than you think you are spending. Happily for my wallet, I couldn't find most of the things I wanted, so I only bought a few overpriced apples, a bag of Doritos that cost about as much as gold, some ginger soda, and some jam.
After the market we cruised by the doctor because one of the little girls was feeling poorly. While there I even got to read a magazine in English! It was an US Weekly from October. Now I am all caught up on what celebrities were wearing six months ago. I also found out that Jennifer Garner is just like me because she puts sunscreen on her little girl AND lets her eat ice cream. I wonder if people in other countries pick up these magazines and think WHY ON EARTH do Americans buy this stuff?
We had a pizza party again for dinner tonight. This was top notch for me because spaghetti was on the normal menu, and I am not fond of that dish. Then, Mtoto and I began our war against scabies, which will hopefully be done after tonight. Now, you may wonder why I didn't mention that Mtoto had scabies in my first posts. Well, I didn't say anything about it because he didn't have scabies then, but he has them now. Yes, I took my poor child out of his orphanage, where he was critter-free, and brought him to a western-style guest house where he contracted scabies. To be fair to the guest house, the other kids here have it and they all play together. His case is very mild thus far, and I am hoping and praying that we are nipping it in the bud. Mtoto is also doing some teething and having some stomach issues. I don't think he has any parasites, but something is upsetting his tummy. I'm hoping it isn't the formula. His diaper rash also took a turn for the worse for a while, but I have been very careful with it the last few days, both with keeping him dry and spending hours airing him out, and it is beginning to show some signs of improvement. The room is what it is. Getting things done is far more work than it was before. We are very hot and having difficulties sleeping in a sweaty dog-pile in the center of a twin-bed (with a mosquito net you have to be very careful that your skin is not touching any part of the net). The net is working to keep the lizards out. I have yet to see any lizards, but they are leaving their poop everywhere, so I know they are here. Mercifully, I have not seen any cockroaches yet. I am sure they are there, but I feel so much better not actually seeing them. Thank you for all of your prayers. I am hanging in there. We've had a few good meals in the last two days, so I have been full for twenty-four hours straight. Not feeling hungry all the time has been a nice improvement. Tomorrow we are taking a trip to another orphanage outside of the city to do some work there. I am really looking forward to it, because I've been told that the woman who runs it has an enormous heart and the kids there are so loved. The car ride promises to be an adventure (pray we actually make it, some of our transportation has been a bit questionable).
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1 comment:
We're praying for Mtoto's health and that you guys have a wonderful time on your visits! Can't wait to see the fabric you bought too!
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