Bargain shoppers come out at night

Hi everybody. Bobby tells me I’m supposed to report on my late night shopping trip with my new friend, Waffiyya. Well, I can confirm that women from around the world actually do share a common word – SHOPPING!!! Waffiyya came to our apartment to pick me up for our trip to Male at around 7:30. She brought her own translator (her 12-year old son!). He was less than enthusiastic about the task he had been given, as you can imagine! We caught the 8:00 water taxi and arrived on the main island at 8:30. Then we began to walk. As Waffiyya and her son Eliysifaz tried to wave down a couple of taxis, I came to the conclusion that this market must not be just a short walk. I was right. We weren’t able to catch a taxi on this busy night, so we did walk. And walked. And walked. She led us to a small outdoor cafe where we had snacks and drinks before we continued our journey! It turned out that the market was just around the corner from the cafe. Shortly, I discovered why we could not catch a taxi. The market was a bright, noisy street filled with delicious smells (food vendors) and great bargains – and the population of the whole island, I think!! The crowd was almost shoulder-to-shoulder, but we worked our way in and began to shop. Right away, I concluded that Waffiyya knew exactly what she was doing. She weaved in and out of the crowds from booth to booth, swiftly perusing the goods and only giving up her money for the great deals. A few times I would ask the price of something in my hand, and when she heard the price, she would wrinkle up her nose and shake her head. She was watching out for this rookie night shopper!! It took us about 2 1/2 hours to work our way from one end of the street to the other. People in this part of the world do not consider it rude to push their way to where they want or need to be. If they need to be in your spot, they will kindly nudge you out of it. Our family is trying to learn not to be offended by that! The advantage for me was my height compared to all of theirs. I could pretty much stand behind all of them on my tiptoes and see everything I needed to see! I didn’t buy much. I found a few DVDs the kids have been wanting to watch. I found a jump rope for Kyndal. (We seem to be running out of things to do, which means it’s time for school!!). And also, some tiny “clinky” bracelets that we call Indian bracelets. ALL the little girls were wearing them at the conference we went to in June, and we’ve thought of almost nothing else since then. We had not been able to find them here until . . . . the night market!!! I found several other items that I didn’t get and later regretted – one of my shopping trademarks!! We actually did secure a taxi for the trip home, which was almost necessary, because we had a little more baggage than when we started. Waffiyya was so proud of all our purchases! I was grateful for her invitation and her enthusiasm at calling me a friend. We didn’t catch the water taxi home until 12:30, and we all dozed on the trip home.This was such a great experience for me. Although I could have done without all of the items I bought, the evening with my native friend and her son was priceless. Communication is tedious between us, but we get by, and I promised her I would learn her language as soon as possible to complement her English. By the way, she shared with me, through her son, that she is practicing her English by watching CNN! Remember, we get 20 minutes a day!! So we have decided to make the night market a family event tonight!! Crazy, huh! We want to try out some of the foods I was smelling, and I just may end up with those items I left behind the night before!!