"I want to hear more from them than just 'I have no more chupis!'", my wife says. Chupi means slip or underpants in Swahili and is what is asked for most by girls and women when asked what they would like auntie or sister to bring. Most clothes are either bought from second-hand markets called mitumba or are tailored out of traditional cloths. But chupis are scarce on the second-hand markets and not part of traditional garments. So now, instead of, or in addition to, chupis they are going to get a mobile phone. The price of most older models is comparable to that of chupis anyway.

There is no way of knowing what the conversations will go like once the classic 'I have no more chupis!' has been preempted, but I certainly look forward to hearing them.
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