- how to haggle efficiently and possibly rudely (firmly state your price and just keep repeating it until the vendor or motorbike taxi driver concedes - not sure if this is in accordance with the cultural norms of the back-and-forth conversation involved in haggling, but it always worked for Ryan, Shannon, and me in Senegal, and it worked for me today when I firmly told the motorbike taxi driver that I was willing to pay 40,000VND to take me back to the hotel, and that I was not looking to have a conversation or a negotiation.).
- to accept the fact that cockroaches (and, dare I say it, probably even rats and other creatures looking for a cozy home) will make guest appearances in my life, and I will just have to deal with them like a big girl.
- not to touch animals, even when they are oh-so-cute, period.
- eating weird food (pig's liver? pig's stomach!) is part of the experience, and you can rarely get out of it.
Some preliminary thoughts...
- Allison B.
- Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
- Finding the best places to eat and drink in my area! Check back for more!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Thank you, Senegal
Thank you for teaching me...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It sounds like you learned some useful lifelong lessons while in Senegal, that will serve you well wherever you hang your hat. Good for you! Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteAnd in the for what it's worth department of your subheading, the French speaking countries you visited prior to Senegal were St. Lucia as a small baby/toddler (twice), and also the Quebec province of Canada.
ReplyDeletelegit one of my favorite senegal experiences was just repeating a price over and over until people gave in. i wish you the same experience in vietnam :-)
ReplyDelete-Ryan