Jeans

I have decided after losing over 35lbs. I needed to buy some new pants and stop rolling and pinning my pants ever so creatively each morning. One of my friends, Sylvanus, said he would come with me. Sylvanus is a 19 year old kid who finished school in Ghana, where his family is from, and so he doesn’t do much except play basketball. I met him through my best friend here and he is a trustworthy and kind person so I don’t mind him coming around or going to the market with me. I think that his presence makes my friends feel better when I go out or to the market. None of my friends, Togolese included, like that I go places or to the market alone.
Sylvanus and I walked from one end of Grande Marchette to the other in a zigzag pattern. To be honest though we only covered the major streets. I don’t really go into the allies or side areas that often. We finally came to the jeans area. Mind you most sellers of similar items group together in an area. So I began looking at the piles of jeans at one vender and within 45 seconds I was bombarded by ten men holding jeans for me to look at. There are all the different shades and most of the jeans are either huge or too small. I just had to point and say “too small”, “too short”, “too big”, “I no like”. I did come prepared…I wore a skirt with leggings so I could just lift up my skirt and try on the pants right there on the street. I found a few pairs I tried on and then I found THE PAIR I wanted. I tried them on with about 14 men gathered around watching and holding more jeans for me. When I had them on they all told me how nice they looked on me. Sylvanus made sure to ask me, like he was my dad, ‘Are you sure they fit and they are not too tight?’ I assured him that they fit just right. Not only did they fit but the brand was Super Star. I knew these pants were made for me.
I asked how much they were. The man told me that they were 7000 CFA ($14.00 USD). I realize that in America this might be ok, but in Togo only crazy rich yovos pay this price and I we all know I’m making so little I should have my head examined. The average pair of used jeans is 2000 CFA ($4.00 UDS). I paid this for my first pair of jeans when I first got here and Togolese respect that I wasn’t ripped off at the market. So I began bartering with the man. I got him down to 4000 and I began walking away. I talked to another man about some jeans when another man came up to me holding the Super Star jeans. He was not nice and he told me that the jeans were 7000 CFA and he worked hard all day out in the sun all day and I was white and had lots of money so I should just give him the money for the jeans. This man rubbed me the wrong way with his stereotype of white people. I looked at him and I could feel myself boiling inside. I told him he didn’t know me. I live here too and he could forget the jeans because he wasn’t a nice person and there was no way I’d buy from him. I turned and walked away.

This is something that I’ve encountered quite a bit lately. I don’t know why after six months I’m feeling it more. I have this suspicion that it’s because I know that I will never fully be accepted or fit in to this place, no matter how great my friends are or how long I’m here. It’s a sad thought because I really love it here and can see myself being here for quite some time. If I stay I need to just accept this aspect of culture. In America we have close-minded people who judge people too. I normally observe it rather than experience it firsthand and it sucks my friends.