Shopping

On the first day in Nairobi, we went with our host family on a mind-numbing trip to the grocery store. It was one of many trips as we began to set up house and work through lists and lists of things to get. The answer to where to find any item around here seems to be “Nakumatt,” the Kenyan version of Walmart, and it is true that you can find anything from appliances, to meats, to linens, to groceries there. We have visited several over the past weeks (sometimes 2 different ones in the same day) because the stock is different in each one. That takes lots of patience and getting used to. We keep a running list of things we hope to find, so that maybe, just maybe the particular store we are at will carry it one day. It is not unlike like hunting for a unicorn-you hope very much to find one, but you realize that your chances are slim. Persistence pays off though: we eventually located both a dish drainer and a cheese grater. On the current “unicorn” list is a lint roller-we’ll keep you posted! (Check back in October, maybe) ☺ But there have some surprises too:  Bob’s Red Mill brand of grains appeared unexpectedly on the shelves! Learning that was pretty much unheard of, we stocked up because who knows when it will happen again. Our local Nakumatt has a larger selection of those specialty grains than I could even find in America outside Whole Foods! For the most part, though, the choices of everything are endless, just not in brands that we recognize. The rule of thumb is that most things you could want are available, if you are willing to pay ($6 for 8 tortillas, anyone?) ☺

Not everything comes from Nakumatt, though…

The mall near us is very upscale and full of specialty art shops, but besides the Nakumatt there, it is not very practical. The supermarket is good for staple groceries, small housewares, but not much else. When you need furniture, you go to a vendor on the side of the road and either pick from that selection or from a catalogue of choices and have it made. When you need clothes, shoes, or rugs, you head to Toi Market.

On the Monday after we arrived, our host mom took me and another mom to Nairobi’s famous Toi Market (this place has a fascinating history and a surprising link to the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation!) This may be the picture that some of you may have in your mind when you think of shopping in Kenya. It is the definition of sensory overload and a place where bartering is an art form (so basically, I loved every minute). Only later did I find out that going to Toi is not something people do right away; most colleagues waited months to brave Toi-but, when you don’t know any better, you just do things because these cold floors need rugs! If we need clothes, this is where I’ll head-but you have to be in the mood to sort and argue and sort through some more. It was helpful to be with Nancy because she expertly led us past hundreds of stalls to the “back” where the real bargains are. Imagine stalls with low tables the size of a full-sized bed piled 2 feet high with clothing or bedding or shoes. Those are helpful; otherwise I spent lots of time on my knees digging through piles on the ground next to a trench running throughout filled with trash and other less-desirable refuse. Some stalls specialize and only carry one item, like jeans, children’s clothing, or t-shirts. Some areas have piles that are marked 20/50/100 shillings-no negotiating. Every other price is generally up for debate. It was exhilarating and exhausting. The prowess of those businessmen and women was not to be denied. They know value, and quality, and how to bargain. They spend their entire day sorting and resorting then folding and arranging their wares. The place is hard to imagine: we spent 5 hours there and saw maybe 10% of the entire market.

Ever wonder where all those clothes you send to the Goodwill go after you clean out your closets? Many end up here in Africa. I saw several items with their Goodwill tags still attached (along with a few of their Irish and English counterparts). A shirt marked $3 for Goodwill was a steal on the 20shilling table. All the brands were there and for the persistent, an entire designer wardrobe could be had for next to nothing. Some stalls had sewing machines and dressing rooms for on-the-spot tailoring.






Another famous shopping destination here is Biashara Street. It is the place to go for fabric and sewing items. Like Toi, it is not a place to go without an experienced guide on your first time; I’m hoping to join a trip of colleagues soon so I can look for some fabric for curtains in the girl’s room and the kitchen.

All this specialized shopping and trips to multiple versions of the same store can be tiresome. If you know me at all you know how little patience I have for shopping stateside most days. I nearly broke out in hives after all the constant shopping we had to do in the first few weeks as we worked to get our house functional. We are (happily) set up now, things are in working order, and I have (hopefully!) cut the shopping down to once a week for necessities. You can try to run a typical North-American household here, but it will cost you in money, time, and sanity! For our part, we have decided to live more simply. We noticed right away that the staples of a Kenyan household are cheap and everything else we are used to is expensive. When looking for a clothes hamper to hold dirty clothes and take clean clothes out to the line, we found a few cheaply made, flimsy hampers in the 600 shilling ($7.50) range and then some really great ones-just like they have at home at Target!-for 2,500 shillings ($31). Yikes. “What is this?” we asked. Many expats refer to this price-break as Kenyan prices and “Embassy prices.” Embassy workers (from all countries) generally get paid astronomical wages by local standards, and so stores have begun to cater to this clientele by offering products that they are used to at insane prices because they can afford them. This puts many things out of reach for typical Kenyans and for other non-embassy employees as well. Needless to say, we ended up with a perfectly serviceable, shockingly orange tub instead.

-I finally bit the bullet and bought an ironing board (at Nakumatt of course!) right before school started because we needed to get Kirk’s work clothes ready. Let me tell you it was a struggle and I put it off for weeks because of the price tag (yes, I’m still talking about an ironing board). The going rate for a standard ironing board here is 4,350 Kenyan shillings; even before you convert it, your brain is telling you that there should not be 1,000s of shillings attached to such an item (it’s around $54). If you remember Kirk’s post about his haircut (~700 shillings) you start to get an idea of the economy we are in: services (and labor in general) are shockingly cheap and goods (especially imported ones) are shockingly expensive. This has brought us much philosophical distress at times (what?!?!? $54 for an ironing board!??! Ok, I am clearly still not over that one). Joking aside, it is vitally important to us to pay a fair wage for the services we receive. The average daily wage for a gardener is 500 shillings, which puts things in stark perspective.

We hope you enjoyed your economics lesson for the day. It is impossible not to be affected by the stratification. Please pray that we will find ways to live within this society in a way that is respectful of the economic situation of people we encounter, and that we use our relative wealth wisely and in a way that improves their lives and allows for greater economic opportunity. This includes the mindset of expats-that providing an honest job is important, but that paying more for services could make a huge difference in people’s lives. Revolution coming soon!