Oskee-Wow-Wow

In the Basse market today, the best thing to have ever happened to me or the University of Illinois, happened. I was walking and saw, hanging from a hanger, over a pile of trash, gleaming like an angel, an embroidered Illinois Basketball shirt.

Before I go into the details of this Illinois basketball shirt, I want to tell you the first Illinois basketball shirt that I encountered in this fine country. A man was wearing one in my tiny village of Nyakoi. I knew very little Mandinka at the time, and so thought twice before approaching him to declare my love for the Harvard of the Midwest (this is a lie. A big lie). I went to him excitedly and said in Mandinka “Me! School! My school!”. Having exhausted my Mandinka I said, “Do you speak English”, and he of course said no. So h, despite the fact that he knew no English, I went into a long soliloquy about how I went to the University represented on his shirt, and how I loved my time there, and it’s so weird that he is wearing a shirt of MY school, in MY tiny village, thousands of miles away. Then I left.

So anyway, during this exchange, I knew I would probably fair better. I know slightly more Mandinka, and I was in a town where most vendors know at least a little English. So, I excitedly marched up and said, THIS IS MY SCHOOL. I WENT HERE! Then I switched to English, and told my host sister and the four people working at this tiny stand that I went here. I made them all say “The University of Illinois”, “The Best University in America” (again, I know, I lied, not true). Then I sang the fight song, did the dance that goes with it, and made them repeat the dance. Only after this did I say, How much.

Upon reflection, I maybe should have left it hanging so that a Gambian would buy it and spread the Illini nation by bringing the Chief’s glorious image to his or her village… but I had to have it. He started with the ridiculous price of 200 dalasis. I said, “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyeeeeehhhhh” in the aghast Gambian way. With the help of my host sister, I talked him down to 75 dalasis, or the equivalent of about $3.

I looked at the price tag (the shirt came from Marshall’s) and it was going for $19.99 in America, already marked down from the exorbitant price of $32.01 to the low, low price we all have come expect from Marshall’s. Following is a cost analysis of how much you save buying your sports apparel in the Gambia.

Cost of T-shirt at high priced store where only millionaires shop: $32.01.
Price in dalasis: D800.25

Cost of T-shirt at affordable store like Marshalls’s: $19.99
Price is dalasis: D499.75
For a savings of about 37.5%

Cost of T-shirt at dusty road-side stand in Basse, The Gambia: D75.
Price in dollars: $3
For a saving of about 90.7% over the highest price and 85% over Marshall’s.

In my economic opinion, you should come to Basse to do your shopping. Think of the money you could save!

I left my friends at the little mart, went and did some more shopping in Basse, and walked past them later. They all rose, and said, “Hi, Friend! University of Illinois! Best university in America!” One dude, his voice rising above the others in what I can only imagine what Gambian angels (Gambiangels, haha) sound like, said, “Oskee-wow-wow”. Illini nation, take notice.