My crazy day taught me that learning a new language is definitely my strong suit compared to bargaining. When learning new phrases and having conversations in class today, I really enjoyed finally being able to make sense of some of the things my host family had said to me the previous day. After the lesson, my sister picked me up and I tried to put my new words into practice, although she laughed at me quite a bit for my failed attempts and speaking fluently.
After the lessons and a delicious bell pepper lunch made by my host mother, we had the lesson in bargaining techniques which I enjoyed a lot. However, I quickly realized bargaining was going to be a struggle for me once we headed into the market to practice. Upon finding the first bag I liked, the owner said the price was 250 DH, but I knew I had to bargain for a lower price. I tried negotiating several prices starting from 175 DH and moving upwards, but the owner refused to negotiate. The issue at hand was that I was in LOVE with the bag and I knew I wasn’t going to leave Rabat without it. Let’s hope I find something more negotiable in Marrakech!
After my first unsuccessful attempt at bargaining, I went to a shoe store with Yoana, and we both fell in love with a pair of blue and white braided flats. This time, the shoes were sold at a fixed price, and while always negotiable, I couldn’t bring myself to bargain with the sweet shopkeeper who welcomed us with open chairs and a kind smile. I needed to give my negotiation one last attempt which I ended up trying at a jewelry shop. This time, I pulled out all my techniques. I walked in showing mild interest in the products, only briefly looking through a few bracelets and necklaces. Then, I asked him for the price on some pieces I was interested in, and he said they were 80 DH. I knew I had to get the price down to 30 somehow, so I told him I only had 30 dirhams left with me. I even showed him the bill so that he believed me. He refused to accept the price, so Yoana and I walked away, leaving with nothing. To my surprise, the shopkeeper yelled for us to come back, and he agreed to 30 DH for a specific set of bracelets. I didn’t end up buying them because I didn’t love them as much as I wanted to, but I was finally successful in bargaining!!
In both bargaining and learning a new language, I believe that persistence and confidence are the most important skills needed to execute them. When I struggled with certain words in the lesson, I continued repeating them and engaging in conversation with them with my partner. Similarly, when I struggled bargaining in the market, I continuously tried until I had a successful attempt. This persistence helped me gain some level of mastery with these skills. Furthermore, if you’re confident when speaking a new language it can help you improve. Even though I messed up some pronunciations with my host sister, my confidence when it came to certain greetings that I had become well versed in showed that I was truly interested in learning and trying to be better at speaking. With my bargaining too, when I walked away from the shop, confident that my price was the best price, the shopkeeper immediately wanted me to come back and buy his products. Ultimately, confidence is key!
After the class, my friends and I returned to the market to do more shopping. I even went and hung out with Yoana’s family and enjoyed stunning views of the Medina from the rooftop. Once I returned home, my host sisters took me on a walk to a technology market where various vendors sold technology like phones and laptops. We even walked towards the ocean where we saw the beautiful sunset. My host family’s father is traveling to Saudi Arabia tonight, so we returned home to tons of family and friends waiting to say goodbye to him. We had a delicious dinner of spaghetti (reminded me of home!!) with some friends and ended the night wishing the father a safe journey ahead. Above everything that happened today, I was once again reminded of how tight-knit and caring the Moroccan community is, and I’m so excited to see what tomorrow has in store!
