Shopping outdoors…
Much of the shopping that we do takes place outdoors at “ferias” (markets) or small shops stuck in the outsides of buildings along sidewalks. Sometimes the owner lives on the other side (the “back”) of the store. Other times you’re shopping along a sidewalk that would be a mall if there were not a street separating you from the other side and it had a roof on top!

Ferias…
Ferias in Cochabamba look very much like arts/crafts shows in the U.S. where vendors set up their stalls specifically for that show. The stalls at ferias can range in size, but the usual stall size is about 4-6 feet wide and about 4 feet deep. Ferias will usually include the following products for sale: fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, spices, personal care products, cleaning products, some garden products, some toys, some clothing, some artesan products and drinks and food prepared there (although you NEVER eat from these stalls, no matter HOW good it smells!*).
*more on food dangers in “Watching What You Eat”

Although there are Ferias somewhere in Cochabamba for every day of the week, I go to La Feria every Saturday. I will share more about what a “typical” Feria Saturday is like in another post. (see: “A Typical Feria Saturday”)

Shops/Storefronts…
Have you ever heard the term “storefront” and wondered where it came from? I’ve seen old westerns and such, but now I know firsthand about storefronts! A storefront is when you have a “store” at the “front” of your house. How cool is that?!

When you go to work, you don’t have to worry about traffic, rain or anything other than the occasional toy left out by the kids! lol…

Seriously, there are entire blocks of the street that are devoted to small, garage-sized shops that are specialty shops. My friends used to laugh about the Saturday Night Live skit where the comedians were poking fun at the specialization of “boutiques” in the 80s. I remember one of their favorites being the “Scotch Tape Boutique”.

All shops are “specialty”…
I never thought I’d see it, but that is almost exactly what we have here! To buy hardware items, screws, nuts, bolts, rope and various home repair type things, you go to a Ferreteria (ferra = iron). If you want someone to weld together the things that you buy at a Ferreteria, you go to a Cerrajeria. While this would technically be a locksmith, a “cerrajero” is also known as a “hardware man”. When the noise of the hammering and the smell of the welding gives you a headache and makes you sick at your stomach, you buy your medicines at the Farmacia. For just about any noun that you can think of that you would use, when you put “teria” or “jeria” at the end of it, you can probably find a store that sells it or fixes it!

While this approach to commerce might not be as “convenient” as our modern-day department stores, it has a certain charm. As in older days in the U.S., you can find some pretty interesting things rummaging around in a store that sells only one kind of product. Often you can find an even better solution to a problem than what you had originally gone to look for.

Yes… shopping this way takes a lot longer. And when you have no transportation of your own, it costs more in taxi fares. But when God has blessed you with a helpful and knowledgeable taxi driver, your search can often become a valuable language lesson as you work together to figure out what it is that you want to find. Remember that time is one of the least valued commodoties in many 3rd world countries. When you don’t value your people, how can you value their time?

We are working hard to change this perception. Whenever someone does something for us, whether it’s to take our order at the restaurant or to build those desparately-needed storage shelves, we insist that they accept more payment for their time and effort. [An added benefit that we've never had before... waiters at our favorite restaurants KNOW us and get us what we always have without asking! Yup... you better not change your mind! But how cool to be watched for and welcomed. wow, that's nice!]