Corrnishman in Africa: Christmas Shopping.

I have not seen my family for 10 weeks now and it hurts. I am going to see them over Christmas for two weeks when I leave the sun baked lands of Africa to return to the windswept and probably cold and damp land of Cornwall. But boy am I looking forward to seeing them all again.

I decided this weekend to start my Christmas shopping. The decorations are going up in the shops and the Christmas style special offer barkers are up in the shops with pictures of bells, baubles, holly and SNOW! Yes snow. It’s about 36 degrees here and yes whilst we have had our first rains, I would be prepared to bet my left ear that we will not have snow here in Zambia this festive season, and that has nothing to do with global warming. It just isn’t going to happen. ITS SUMMER HERE. I guess it’s just one of the hang ups that has been inherited from our colonial forefather’s memories of Christmas. And that’s probably why they left the UK in the first place because it’s so bloomin cold and wet.

We are not doing any big presents in our household this Christmas, just small and thoughtful. So I decided to go to the craft market at Arcades, as that is usually a good place to get something reminiscent of Zambia without breaking the bank.
I arrived early and had a brief scout around before popping into Spar to pick up some essentials that I had forgotten to get yesterday and to collect my thoughts, without being hassled by overzealous store holders. I dropped those back to the car and started Christmas shopping in earnest.

There are some genuinely nice pieces at the craft market and there is also some tat. You have to walk up and down the avenues a couple of times to distinguish the different qualities of similar products and once that is done you get in and start haggling.
Now haggling is something I enjoy and find it hard to get out of the habit of when I get back to Cornwall. You get some really odd looks in Tesco when you are at the checkout with a rather large queue behind you, when you are going through every item trying to beat the poor till operator down in price on each one. It seldom works and usually results in a supervisor being called and you being asked to either by at the price or leave the store. Where’s their sense of adventure.
Haggling here, I always feel you want to be fair and firm if it is too much walk away, don’t screw the guys too much, they need to make a living too. If you are happy to pay so much, go that far, then no further. If you find it cheaper later on, on another stall, well you have just learned.
Ear rings, necklaces, bracelets, bangles, purses, bowls, key rings, pictures for Sharon, Kate and George’s girlfriend Jade.
Animal statues, woolly hats, key rings, bangles, semi precious rocks and pictures for Henry Arthur and George.

I got a number of other trinkets for the whole family. What I like about buying from this sort of place is each of these things are a little different from the bits and pieces that you can pick up in the UK and for a fraction of the cost, whist putting a bit of money into the pockets of the craftsmen that make them. And don’t worry I am not under the illusion that it is only the craftsmen that are selling at the craft market. Most of them are traders who have bought from the craftsmen, but they need to eat too.

Its quite an intense experience purchasing in this type of environment as there is always someone trying to grab your attention and cajole or guilt trip you into purchasing from them, even though there isn’t anything on their stand that you really want.
If the young and disenchanted of the UK had the get up and go, that a lot of these guys have over here have. a) they could make a lot of money and b) they could learn a lot about self respect and making things happen for themselves.
I came away feeling quite happy with what I had purchased, comfortable in the fact that I have probably got half my Christmas shopping sorted and not so happy that I will more than likely have to pay excess baggage on the way back to Cornwall.

Denzil Bark.