Well, it happened today. Abigail and I had just a girls' shopping trip. The guys wanted to get off the island and head into the crowded, chaotic city and check out an electronics store. I decided to stay back with Abigail and try the quiet little shops around here. I felt we had enough vocabulary and she was understanding more and more every day that I could take her shopping and that if I didn't want to buy something, she would not throw a temper tantrum. We have had a few discussions about whining and that when I say no, I mean no.
I knew that Abigail was very interested in one of the feathered hackey sacks that people here are always playing with. The way you shop in China is you ask several vendors what the price of an item is to get a baseline (and believe me, it varies widely) and then you begin to bargain. With an item as cheap as the feathered hackey sack, it didn't take us long to figure out that the typical price for one was five yuan. This is a little over seventy five cents. I know it's not much, but a Dutchman just has to get it for a better price.
I told Abigail that five was too much, and if she could get it for three, we would buy it. Boy, did she go to town. She would go up to the vendors, ask them how much in Chinese, make her offer, and if they told her no, she would walk away.
After trying this for a while, I realized that three was probably just a little bit too cheap. So I told her if she could get it for four (not five), she could have it.
Now she started in on her new price offer. In one shop, the female shop clerk told her, no it was five. Abigail would shake her head and tell her no, I want it for four. Finally, the woman sent Abigail to the owner of the shop and Abigail and he sealed the deal at four. I must say it was great cheap entertainment for me to see her haggling the way the Chinese love to do.
The shopkeeper spoke excellent English and he told me that he is trying to teach his son to be brave and do this as well. He then told me laughingly that when he agreed to Abigail's price, she told him that he was a good man. We also bought a little butterfly baret from him that Abigail was very excited about. He also did Abigail's name for her in calligraphy. When I told him Abigail's name, his face lit up and he said, "Oh, from the Bible! I'm a Christian, too." And he shook my hand.
After this, Abigail was through shopping. She wanted to play hackey sack. I was never athletic when I was young, and I have not improved with age. Abigail took me to the park in the heart of the island and made my try to play hackey sack. We were quite a spectacle for all the Chinese that were all around. I think they marvelled that somebody could have as little coordination as I. I could tell that Abigail had never played before either. Finally, a Chinese woman had pity on us, and gave Abigail some tips on how to play. Her tips did nothing for me, of course. Later on, Abigail dragged us all down to the center of the island to make us all play hackey sack.
A group of Chinese playing hackey sack
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