I had a victory moment today. Although I'd tried my hand at waaxale before, I admit I'd relied on my French over my Wolof. Not today. I am proud to say I used French only for the numbers.
I went to buy a kilo of fruit. I'd only bought in small quantities before. I greeted the vendor and asked how much for a kilo of oranges. He told me 1,000CFA (2 dollars US). That wasn't a bad price; I had bought one orange for 200-250 (0.50 US), and you don't always waaxale with fruit. But I was determined. So I said, "men nga wanni ko ndaxte degg laa wolof?" (Can you lower it because I speak wolof?). He laughed and said I could have my 5 oranges for 800 (1.50ish US) and asked where I was from. I said Senegal, and we laughed some more. I said thank you and wished him peace.
Waaxale is a combination of assertion, sass, and confidence. I found after this successful wolof exchange, it was easier to converse with those I walked by.
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