Computer Shopping

Today is one of those rare occasions when I get to spent some time on a decemt internet connection and so I'm actually writing this online.

I'm in Dakar today, having come in to buy a new computer for the school computer classroom.

Jonno, the headteacher, has been saying to me for a while that there was enough money in the ICT budget to buy another one and that we should consider it. Now that it's getting towards the end of the year and we're thinking about the next, in particular with knowledge of expected class sizes, we've decided to go ahead and buy one.

I came in with Jens and Heiko who have gone on into town to do more school shopping while I'm here at the guesthouse.

The computer shop is just round the corner and so at 10 o'clock, after some internet surfing, I meandered round to the shop to see what I could find.

I was a little nervous as I hadn't had a French conversation in a while and didn't know how to ask for half the stuff I needed. Upon announcing my purpose of buying a computer I was shown two grubby looking relics on the counter, not what I'd expected. After clarifying that I'd like a new machine I was ushered over to a pretty looking out-of-the-box Compaq machine which I knew was out of our league. At this point I worried a little, not really understanding the sales assistant who was nevertheless very good to me.

He seemed to be saying that I could specify a custom machine which they would then build, or at least that's what I assumed he was saying, the obvious thing for him to say at that point. I was relieved that there was a third option but simultaneously worried as we'd intended to take something home today. I tried to explain to the man that if I could buy the parts then I could build it myself later, getting stuck on the verb for building, if only I'd chosen assemble, the translation is much more obvious.

The stock was rather limited, one case choice, one processor (twice as fast as I needed), pretty much everything was better than I needed which worried me about the eventual total bill.

The sales assisitant had a little English and we enjoyed the farcical pointing and describing trying to establish which components we were talking about. I learnt some new vocabulary and so did he.

When we'd finally got together all the items on my never ending shopping list he said he had to go somewhere to get the hard disk and would be back in ten minutes. While I paid at the kiosk he donned his moped helmet and dissappeared ou the door. I sat by the counter listening to bizarre and apparently humourous Senegalese radio and watching customers come and go.

When he came back about twenty minutes later we took the pile of stuff outside and he hailed a taxi. Upon realising I had no change I asked one of the guys in the shop to change my 10,000 cfa note, he shortly came back saying that they couldn't change it and so the first sales assistant and I persauded the second that where I was staying was close enough to walk. As I picked up some bits I watched in not total surprise as the first guy got the moped and tried to get himself and a 17" CRT monitor on it. I was a little wary but Africans behave like this all the time so I decided to trust him. As we set off walking the monitor fell off the moped to the floor producing shouts from the neighbouring shop owner which I didn't understand. Seemingly unperturbed the guy got back on the bike with the box and started off again, this time with more caution.

In a minutes time we were back at the guesthouse, the men surprised that it actually was as close as I had said (things like time and distance are often exaggerated in Senegal). The moped riding sales assistant was anxious to check that the screen was in tact and so we brought it inside and plugged it in. It was fine much to all of our relief I'm sure.

I'm now waiting for Jens and Heiko to return so we can go home. I've since taken advantage of the small supermarket and the ice-cream parlour round the corner but I'm now getting rather peckish not having had any lunch.