So, the other day we purchased our TV for our home here in Senegal. I was given the advice that it should be plugged into an AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulator). Apparently when the power comes back on, it comes back in with “force”, i.e. the voltage can go quite high, and if you want to protect your electronic equipment you use an AVR. So, being as patient as I am, I wanted to get one right away so I could test run the new TV. I paid a taxi to get to the store where they were supposed to have them…they were all out except for an expensive one with not very many features. I asked someone in the store where else I could find one, they said go to “Sandagua” (sp?), which I understood to be store, some sort of electronics store probably. The man said you could find anything there. I understood it was “downtown”, which I thought was far way. So, I stopped a taxi to go home, negotiated the rate to go home, or so I thought. I am visiting with the cab driver and ask him about “Sandagua”, he says, oh, that is not that far, just so much more. So…I asked if we could stop by quickly for me to buy this device.
The more we talked, I found out we had not understood each other about where home was. There are apparently two places with similar names that are quite far apart. Next he pulls up on a street with lots of vendors and calls a guy over and asks for a regulator, apparently “Sandagua” is this huge open market with tons of little booths where they sell stuff. The man was very nice and came running back with two options of AVRs. He was very sweet with James and Jada who were with me. He started buy asking for 45,000 for the big one and 35,000 for the small. Around here you have to negotiate all pricing. So we around and around and around. He spoke of being hungry and tired due to fasting and not wanting to go around too much. I finally got the smaller unit for 17,000, which I thought was a little bit high, maybe 2000 to high, but I went with it. I get another cab to come home and hooked everything up.
A friend came over to help with some problems around the house and I told him of my adventures. He then shared that he had purchased two, with more features for 11,500 each. Oh well, we live and learn.
Today, I was at the hardware store just a block and a half from home. I asked out of curiosity if he had AVRs. He does, and one similar to mine, but with more features is 9,500 and one with 3 times the watt capacity of mine is 16,000. I knew I had been taken to the cleaners, but I guess I didn’t realize how bad. 🙂
When you enter a completely new way of life (culture) you just do your best and try to learn from your mistakes. 🙂
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