This place is so romantic. There are no frills here, no big signs or people harassing you to buy worthless Knickknacks to turn an almost non-existent profit. You’ll never see a sale sign, or 'buy one get one free' You don’t have to haggle for a good price, these people know their item’s worth, and price their items well.
There is not one market day that I am not thinking of the economics behind these places. I want to know how it all works. It’s fascinating to think about where each of these vendors might come from. Is this their main source of income? Is this sustainable? Is it organic?
These aren’t questions I can go up and ask. So I’ll just remain curious.
I've been going to the market almost every week that I've been here aside from the winter months when the market is almost non-existent.
I'm a people watcher, and a trend seeker. So over time I've began to notice that there are certain types of vendors and they all function in about the same way. I've created a list of the different types of sellers I've noticed. They don't ALL follow these trends, but most all do.
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| Dried-Flower Lady |
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| Basket Guy |
The big booths that sell one basic kind of item. There is the basket guy, the herb people, the cut flower ladies, the crochet baby items lady, and the dried flower arrangement lady (All middle aged or older)
The big booths that sell small plants or fruits and veggies at fantastic prices (usually young people)
people who just set up a chair on the sidewalk or take the end of an unused booth. They sell odds and ends like beans, fruits and veggies from their own small garden, or a few cut flowers (probably also from their small garden) and are always old people.
I try to get to the market at about 9:30 every Saturday, which is the busiest market day. I don’t know when they set up, but it seems that at 11:45 some sort of warning bell sounds that only they can hear and the majority of vendors pack up rapidly. It’s always the young vendors with the big booths first. The older ones don’t seem to be in any kind of rush. The only exception to that is the older people with the makeshift booths who don’t have much to sell in the first place.
The patrons of the market are equally as interesting. It seems like the market is on everyone’s agenda. There are plenty of young couples and families with young kids. The kids are often on bikes or left to play in the open area where they climb on the old fountains freely. They are so carefree. Their parents aren’t constantly holding their hands or yelling at them to get down or be quiet, but they don’t need to. The kids are just being kids. They aren’t disruptive or at any real risk of hurting themselves. I’m envious of how much fun they seem to be having.
Just as commonly as you see children, you will see dogs as well. Typically they’re small because most people live in apartments. They’re most often with the older people or young couples. I find it interesting how few dogs are on leashes here. The dogs follow along their owner like they are on an invisible leash. Never misbehaving or getting far ahead or behind. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s almost surreal to see it.
I don’t know if people come in looking for certain things when they come here, but like me, I think most people just come to browse. The vendors aren’t aggressive so you can go from booth to booth without feeling any pressure to buy.
Some people come with baskets (that they probably bought from the basket guy) but many others just carry reusable bags from Tesco or accumulate cheap produce bags that the vendors pack your things in without even asking. I was surprised by this because everywhere else I’ve been you’ve always had to pay for the bags, but here it’s standard practice. I try to refuse the bags as much as possible and carefully arrange my items in my wicker basket. I know I’m not saving the whole ocean or anything, but it feels nice to do what I can.
I’ve been sitting here at a small cafe for about two hours now. It’s 11:45 which means the mass pack up has begun. These vendors aren’t the type to just sit on a stool and wait for someone to come by. They are constantly re-adjusting their display after each purchase. Bringing more and more out from the invisible magic boxes they have hidden behind the booths. They don’t just display the best stock and keep the ugly things in the back, they seem to cycle through an constantly changing variety of products. All of fantastic quality.
I’m curious where all of these vendors and their products come from. Many have small trailers that attach to the back of cars that they pull crates of products out of and repack at noon. Other vendors just carry their products around in large grocery bags. Are they coming from the villages? Large farms? Do they have their own stores and this is just as side business for some of them? I really have no idea.
The only vendors I can unquestionably peg are the 'end of the booth/sidewalk set-up with a chair and table' older people. I see them with their push carts walking with me to the market in the morning. They come from the countless multi-story apartments in this area, and grow their products on their porches and the community gardens at the front entrances. For them I am confident that this is just a hobby to fill the time on a Saturday. None of them sell enough to make more than maybe 10 euro a day, and they don’t appear to be desperate for the money. The sidewalk ladies with the little stations sell tiny vegetables or flower arrangements, and spend the morning chatting with the ladies around them. They don’t have much all together and rarely stay more than a few hours.
There are other vendors who seem much more desperate. Every once in a while you will see someone just standing and holding some small vegetables, magazines, or beans. Begging for a sale. I think they’d certainly get a sale if they sold something different. But they are few and far between, and usually aren’t at the market for long.
This market is something that I will miss hugely once I come home. This place is so much more than the place to go to get some beets and watch people while I drink ginger tea. It is a melting pot of people and culture. It’s a place to learn about how this community works, and see just how similar it is to the places I call home. I don’t come from a town that has many markets. It’s just not part of the culture, it’s too hot. But this is people’s livelihood here. You can see the passion these vendors have for their products, and they don’t seem to be about the money at all. They are tremendously proud of the things they are selling. You can clearly sense the validation they feel when people by their items because it shows that other people see value in the things they grow or make as well.
There were a few times when I was walking through and thinking about how much I’d enjoy having my own little booth. What would I sell? Who would see value in the things that I love? Is my American point of view something desirable or detrimental in this society? I don’t know the answers to that yet. I just know that the sense of romance I feel in this place comes from humility and passion of the people who fill these stalls. They’re not salesmen, they’re artists. They don’t have budgets or long lists of sales goals or dreams of massive wealth and prosperity. I don’t think these people are lusting after the American Dream we assume everyone wants. They’re just living, and that is really beautiful to me.
If you came here to read about me and how I am doing, I will summarize it a bit for you. I believe I'm finally feeling at home here and starting to become a part of this community. I feel accepted, I feel important, and a huge part of that is due to the people around me. I never thought I'd see so much kindness here. People go out of their way to help me all the time, and this place is really starting to feel like a second home. I've been struggling for the past few months with the question of whether or not I should stay here another year, and it has kept me up at night many times. There is so much purpose for me here. I feel like I'm really helping people and doing meaningful things. But I feel a sense of guilt that I am not doing enough for my friends and family back home.
It is tremendously difficult to continue relationships with people who I never see and are 7 hours apart from me. I have a grandmother who really misses me, and I can rarely talk to her because she doesn't have the technology. I have a really fantastic boyfriend and parents who really deserve to see me. I feel like the longer I am here the more I am putting off my life back home. So I've decided I need to go back to Texas.
This was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. My students are very upset with me, and I feel like I am letting my co-workers down a bit. My boss told me her dream is to see me get married and have children here and stay here forever. I'd love to do that. But I'd have to bring all of Texas over here with me.
I will miss them so very much. I've already bought my one-way ticket home, but still catch myself thinking about how wonderful it would be to stay. I stay positive about it by reminding myself that I can always return. I will always have a place here.
I only have a few weeks left until I begin to pack up. I will start looking for jobs soon. My boyfriend has a job at Lake Mead in Nevada, so I will be working on finding a job in that area. I also really want to get a dog. I will save the sap and waterworks for my next few posts, so look forward to those.
As always, if you would like to write me just let me know and I will give you my address. The school is looking for two more teachers to take my place in the coming year. It is a really incredible opportunity for people from all walks of life. We have people in this program that are married, retired, single, and some have children and pets with them. This certainly isn't just a one-year job for young graduates. It's for everyone. If this interests you and you'd like to know more I would be happy to answer any questions you have.
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Oh, Em! I love your candid but free spirit, your zest and love of life in its many layers. Will be waiting for your return and a great big hug. May God continue to bless you mission and walk with you as you wind up one chapter and begin another.
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