By eryon180
Here it goes! The last week in the big capital city of Nairobi. The last four weeks have been a mixture of awe, confusion and wonder, I can only imagine what the next month is going to look like.
During our last week, we focused on improving our Swahili. In order to do this, we went to one of the biggest informal markets in Nairobi called Toi Market. Toi is “karibu naa” or near the informal settlement of Kibera and provides self-employed jobs to hundreds of people. The products in Toi range from fruits and vegetables, second-hand clothes from the US and UK to bedding and TVs. For a student though, Toi Market has proven to be really useful because the prices are cheap and the sellers are open to bartering the price.
For example, work shoes (flats, heels) and boots are 300ksh which equates to less than $3 in the US. I was able to barter down a second-hand bag from 800ksh to 500ksh. We found that by speaking in Swahili, the sellers were also more open to changing the price especially since many thought that we were rich Europeans or Americans and would triple the price. The place is often filled with people and it has a very unique atmosphere.
The issue with Toi Market or at least with Americans going to Toi Market is that you may forget that each stall is an individual’s main source of income. We may be students, but it would still be reasonable to buy a 1000ksh or $10 bag instead of walking away. Its something I had to keep in mind going each time.
For students going abroad or are abroad I suggest a few things about going into these kinds of markets “sokoni”:
- Know the Local Language
- Take a certain amount of cash with you
- Have a game plan—never show your cards
- Don’t reveal how much money you have
- Have fun and be open to anything!
Our goal during our last Swahili class was to go completely through Toi speaking in Swahili and to buy at least one thing while bartering. I was able to get some gifts for home as well as giant avocados for 50ksh (less than 50c). We were also able to make friends in the process cause many of the sellers wanted to continue talking to us in the language to see how much we knew.
I highly suggest throwing yourself out there and speaking in the local language as much as you can!