SHOPPING IN SIERRA LEONE

For my final blog about Sierra Leone for this year I thought I’d take you on a shopping trip.  Sierra Leone has no malls, department stores or quaint little boutiques.  There is an attempt at creating a mall in Freetown, but it is nothing like we call a mall.  I couldn’t even figure out what door to get in to where the shops appeared to be!!!

Most of the shopping is done in small shack like places

Shack Shops

that line up side by side along the street.  In many cases you walk up to a board stretched across the opening at the front of the shack and point to what you want on the shelves behind.  The only larger walk-in stores are the supermarkets and appliance stores.  These are not owned by Sierra Leoneans, but mostly by Lebonese. 

You can find western dress but only in second hand stores that stock clothes from charitable donations or flawed runs of clothing and shoes.  Even these items are sold by the human mini markets carrying large tubs or baskets of items around the streets or into the villages.

Selling Breakfast

Sandwich Anyone?

The human mini market is the most common way to shop.  You can shop from your car as you are stuck in traffic or as you walk along the street.  They carry everything from padlocks and tools to hard boiled eggs, bread and fruits and veggies.  All kinds of clothing is available this way also including underwear and shoes.

When I was in a village recently I bought a pair of rubber sandals made in Cote D’Ivoire.  If you look closely, the stripping is faded in some areas and the finishing is not

Rubber Shoes

perfect.  But they were 8,000SLL or $1.85 and they are cute!!!  They’ll be great for the beach or as shower shoes.

One day I accompanied Micheala to pick up an order of office supplies in Freetown.  I figured we would park the car and walk into the store.  Wrong!  We parked the car, but we stayed in the car while the merchant came out to us from one of the shack type establishments I mentioned before and loaded up the back of the car with the order.

Shopping from the car is very common in Freetown and Up Country.  It’s loads of fun to pick your bananas, bene cakes, plantain chips, cashews, avocados, mangos,

Sunglass Shopping

or any other foods this way.  Not only are all types of food available, but I bought my sunglasses this way and the guys shopped for underwear while we waited for Micheala to do her banking.

Underwear  Shopping

Once when the men were shopping for trousers from a guy who came to the office, I asked how they knew what size to buy without trying them on.  I was told you take the waist of the pants as it is folded and buttoned and wrap it around your neck.  If it meets in the middle at the front of your neck that is the size of your waist.  For shoes you put the toe of the shoe at the breaking point of your wrist and if the end of the shoe hits the bend in your arm, it is the same size as your foot.  I tried the shoe thing with my own shoe. It works!

I suppose that progress will eventually do away with this way of life especially in the larger towns and cities as more modern buildings are erected and the streets

Shirts On The Streets

Street Selling

cleared of vendor selling.  The thought of this unique way of life disappearing is somewhat disheartening to me.

The only people who shop in the supermarkets are the wealthy locals or the expats.  Everyone else shops in large open air markets or along the street as mentioned above.  I loved shopping the way the locals do except for meat.  That I bought frozen in the supermarket.  Somehow buying fly specked meat left out in the open doesn’t appeal, but hey that’s just the American in me.

Some of you may be curious if am returning in 2015.  You bet I am; God willing/Inshallah.  

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara