I went to Dajabon! Dajabon is a town located on the DR/Haiti border, and visiting the famous Market there has been a travel goal of mine for quite some time. Down to the wire time-wise, but I made it all the same. I went with my neighbor, Carla who goes weekly to purchase for her store in Mao, and three other Mao donas who purchase from the Dajabon Market to sell at the Mao Market. I had heard about the Dajabon Market from other volunteers and their recounts are usually laced with the same theme - it can be a crazy place. That said, and having now been, yes, it is overwhelming so I’m really glad that I went with Carla as she has literally been hundreds of times and knows the majority of the Haitian sellers there as she’s been buying from them for years. I got to spend the day in her shoes seeing what she does on a weekly basis which I really liked, and also helping her carry a few bedspreads and baby basinets that she purchased to sell in Mao. All in all a good time, for sure!
The day began early. We woke up and left by 5am in a large white truck driven by Mamacita - another Dajabon regular and professional shopper for the Mao Market. Joined by two other Mao women, the five of us made the trip, and upon getting to Dajabon, entered the Market separately (except me, obviously I stayed with Carla to help/not get lost alone on the border). Carla knew exactly where and who to go to look for anything, and you can buy just about anything at this Market - you name it, it’s most likely there. Carla approached every seller (the majority Haitian women) with a “Madam,” and haggled the price of the item for sale. We jumped around the Market really quickly, this is not the browsing or “I’m just looking, thanks” type of place. We walked from tent to tent, looking at shoes, bedspreads, baby carriers, shirts, sheets, and all the while were confronted with people presenting socks, garlic, or underwear right up in our faces asking us to buy it. Pigs roamed around and poked through trash. People pushed constantly as our paths crossed theirs, and motorcycles carrying goods, people or both plowed through the shoppers and sellers driving to and from the Market exit. And of course it has been raining everyday lately, so there was a lot of mud and puddles to avoid as well as crowds to navigate while looking for the items. All that said - I was really glad I went with Carla because she knew exactly where she was going in this chaos.
After observation and asking Carla about a little of the logistics of the market itself, I learned a few things. The market takes place twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays (we went on a Dominican holiday - Dia de los Trabajadores, and it was still packed) and according to Carla, this market happens rain or shine no matter what day it is. And it makes sense once you see how many people buy and sell. Never in my time in the DR have I seen so many pesos all in one place. I did a little reading post-trip and learned that $1.5 million USD are represented in the market on a market day. That dollar amount might surprise you if you’ve already looked at the pictures below, but though the atmosphere may not be glamorous, it does have a really competitive, fast, and stressful spirit about it. It’s hot, there’s little shade, and you don’t just browse around and relax, or at least we didn’t anyway. People have a very purposeful attitude in the Market, despite how unorganized it may seem to someone new. But those who know, already know, and navigate the crowded, tent-lined paths with ease. At a certain hour of the morning, Haitians are allowed to cross the border to sell, and then the tent space fills up (you might notice empty spaces in some of the pictures, those were all earlier in the morning before their arrivals!) I also learned from Carla that the goods that Haitians sell are bought from a market in Port-au-Prince and the goods themselves are received off embarques (remember those?) and boats in Haiti’s capital. And this market is huge, truly a business - people from all over the DR travel up to the northwest border. I saw buses from Bani (south), Puerta Plata (north) and met people who woke up a lot earlier, and traveled a lot further than me to get there that day. Many Dominicans sell what they buy in Dajabon at other Markets in different provinces. For instance, the three of the women I traveled with sell their purchases weekly at the Mao Market on Sundays. Others, like Carla, have their own stores and go to Dajabon for the low prices. Essentially, many people’s livelihoods depend on the items that they buy from one another at the Dajabon Market.
And what are they buying? Well anything. But I can tell you exactly what in some cases because I actually recognized so much of the stuff from my former American life. :) There were shoes from Target, (some of which I have previously owned), shoes from Payless (again some of which I have previously owned), a lot of Crocs, college shirts (looked. did not see St. A’s though it was likely represented), shirts from Aeropostale (popular here), cooking supplies, sheets, blankets, bedspreads, larger items like bikes, strollers, cribs, playpens, and so much more.
The day was a good one in that I really liked seeing what Carla does weekly to support her store and livelihood, and although it was probably more chaotic than I expected it to be, I respect the business that is the Dajabon market and the countless people that sustain themselves and their families from the market profits.
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| Carla and I in her store in Mao |
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| Obama 2008 campaign shoes? pero claro! |
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| Dajabon Market with future market building location on the far left |
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| shoes are a hot item at her store, so we were on a hunt! |
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| don't own Toms, so don't know - but somehow I don't think this is how "buy a pair give a pair" works. |
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| so many little pigs! |
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| one of the checkpoints on the DR/Haiti border in Dajabon |
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| border checkpoint and front of future market |
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| lots of rain = puddles and mud everywhere. |
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| Dajabon haul of the 4 donas I traveled with. (I didn't buy anything). |
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| Mamacita securing all the purchased items! |
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| black flats from our Dajabon trip that Carla gave me to remember the day. very sweet:) |
Unexpectedly, the trip took away any desire I had to visit Haiti before returning home, which for the past 2 years had been something I planned on doing. I still think I’d like to go someday of course, but as long as I had a reason, a plan, and maybe a guide. Helping Carla carry and search for her store’s items (not as easy as it sounds by the way! that stuff is heavy), made the Dajabon experience a lot less overwhelming and gave me a little job to do that morning. Without that, I wouldn’t have enjoyed or understood the Market as much. So instead of hopping the border post-Peace Corps, I’ll spend my last days on the island with the same people I’ve spent them with the last two years - drinking sugary black coffee, listening to bachata, getting bitten by mosquitos (can't wait, bring it on), and (with any luck!) eating yucca with my Mao families, and of course spending time at school with the IDENE family. My days are numbered now (I guess they always were?), but it’s going to be a wonderful and tear-filled last few weeks, I’m sure. :)
Take care all, and see you next month Stateside!
XO
PS- If you're interested in reading about the Dajabon Market, I really liked these two pages:
Love this post! What a great experience Em. so glad you got to see it. And my pig friend were there to...its I was there with you! haha Enjoy your last few weeks! Can't wait to see you oh so soon!
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