I LOVE TO SHOP - BUT I'M NOT BUYING YOUR B.S.

SETTLING IN THE OFFICE ONLY 9 HOURS AFTER MY ARRIVAL MADE THE FIRST FEW DAYS A BIT OF A WHIRL-WIND

MEETING ALL MY CO-WORKERS AND TRYING TO REMEMBER THEIR UNFAMILIAR NAMES WAS A CHALLENGE IN ITSELF.  BY ONLY A FEW HOURS IN I RECEIVED MY 

‘LOCAL’ NAME –JAIKO

LUCKILY ENOUGH EVERYONE IN THE OFFICE IS EASY GOING, OFFERS HELP, AND WILL REMIND YOU OF THEIR NAME EVERYTIME YOU ASK.  ALTHOUGH IM NOT SURE I WILL EVER INSTICTIVELY RESPOND TO HEARING –JAIKO

THE HARD WORK AROUND THE OFFICE IS SHOCKING TO ME – ARRIVING AT 8AM AND BARELY STOPING FOR LUNCH AT THE DESK THE WORK GOES STRAIGHT UNTIL 5PM

FRIDAY AFTER WORK WE ALL MARCHED TO THE CLASSIC FOR SOME LIVE MUSIC, TUSKER BEER AND CLUB SODA (FOR THOSE OF US WHO CANNOT HANDLE OUR BEER AND JET LAG IN THE SAME WEEK.)

THE MASI MARKETS ARE SIMILAR TO THE MARKETS IN MEXICO WITH 10X THE INSTENSITY OF THE SALES PITCH. ONCE WE WERE ABOUT A BLOCKS DISTANCE FROM THE MARKET WE WERE BOMBOARDED WITH LOCALS WANTING TO ESCORT US TO THE MARKETS. WE ASSURED THEM WE WERE QUITE CAPABLE OF WALKING THE 10 FEET IN FRONT OF US TO THE MARKET.  ONCE WE RID OF THE SALESMEN WE WERE GREETED BOMBARDED BY ANOTHER GROUP OF LOCALS WANTING TO OFFER THE SAME ‘SERVICE’.  THIS TIME I USED AN AGE-OLD TRICK THAT HAS FAILED ME IN MY PAST TRAVELS.  “NO ENGLAIS – NO ENGLAIS” I REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES.  THE PERSISTANT SALES MEN PULLED OUT A PEN AND PAPER TO USE AS A WAY OF COMMUNICATING.  WE DESPERATELY STARTED SPEAKING GIBERISH TO EACHOTHER IN A FAST PACE.  ONCE WE SAW THEY WERE BACKING OFF WE TURNED TO THE SALES MEN AND STARTED SPEAKING THIS ‘GIBERISH’ TO THEM AT AN UNBELIEVABLE PACE (WITH HAND GESTURES AND STRANGE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ADDED).  THEY QUICKLY FADED AWAY AND MOVED ON TO FIND ANOTHER WHITE CUSTOMER

THE MARKETS ARE ABUNDANT WITH FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES - AND MAKE IT VERY EASY TO BECOME A TEMPORARY VEGETARIAN HERE.