Market Challenge

Today was our first official day in Africa. We still cannot process the fact that we are actually here! We had our first breakfast and purchased bottles of water to keep hydrated. The cost of one bottle of water came to 2500 shillings which is roughly $1.75 USD. This currency became very useful throughout the rest of the day since we referenced back to in whenever making purchases. In other words, after purchasing something we would stop and think "hmmm, that's about 4 bottles of water."

Before going to the market, we wanted to do our own little simulation of what Living on a Dollar a Day would be like. This idea came from the movie Living on a Dollar a Day where a group of college students went to Guatemala to experience first hand what it is like to live in such conditions. This movie was very inspiring to all of us, and we all wanted to experience what it is like. To do this, before heading to the market we were divided up into three groups and were assigned one of three case studies. These case studies portrayed different living situations including family size and income. Such case studies included a family of 6 with one on the way and their income was $1.50 USD a day. With the given case study, we then had to go to the market and try to purchase enough food to feed all of the family members.

The market itself was chaotic. Since it was a Friday, it was very busy and lots of people were present. Trying to weave through the crowd was nearly impossible and there were vendors set up every where you looked.  Most vendors were selling fruits, vegetables, rice, etc. and some also sold shoes, backpacks, jewelry, etc. We went to different stands and tried simulating our case studies.  As expected we could hardly purchase anything with a dollar. Relating back to the previous case study, we were only able to buy beans and bananas for the simulated family of 6.

When we returned we began preparing for the next day at the community center.  This entailed reorganizing all 28 bags of generous donations which will be a blessing to all. Being in Africa is still surreal to all of us, and we are all still trying to take it all in. We are so happy to have this opportunity! We cannot wait to see what our following days here will bring.

                                                               
Baraka (blessings in Swahili),

- Vanessa & Alondra