Namanala/Malaraw ( I miss you/Miss you more)

I really wish I would've counted the number of times I heard/said these phrases today. My 15-minute walk to the Baobab Center this morning took well over an hour because everyone along the way stopped me, wanting to catch up and hear about my trip. I was told by my friends that I seemed more confident in my Wolof, which is probably because we had to speak it more over break, or at least I felt that way anyway. Doudou, our friendly tailor, got two stops, one in the morning and one in the evening. My neighbor was incredibly enthusiastic, as were a group of guys I've been hanging out with, including Djibi ( I saw them only briefly though; they were on their way out, but we're going to a birthday get-together tonight). Even the meat and nut vendors and various security personnel seemed glad to see me again. I also hadn't seen Papy because he was out when I got home last night and still asleep when I left in the morning and he greeted me with a huge smile, saying , "Ah, Kate, depuis quand?" (since when, meaning since when had I been home)

It is amazing to me that in a city of 1.5 million people, I can feel like I know so many people. Dakar feels so much like home now, it's crazy. It did before - it felt comfortable and friendly - but now, even more so after having been gone. Having people say they missed me was surprising, because sometimes it feels like I'm just that blonde American they happen to see everyday attempting to speak their language and usually not doing it all that well. It was nice to feel as though I was such a part of their lives that they missed me. It also felt good to be able to genuinely feel that expected response "malaraw". I did miss their daily presence in my life, always ready with a handshake, a smile and a Wolof lesson.

Side note: I totally prefer the Wolof "namanala" to the French "tu me manques". Se manquer is the absolute worst, most confusing French verb that exists. It looks like I'm saying "you miss me", but it's really "I miss you" and I don't understand why. No one does. It's just the way it is, and it's dross. (That's not a typo. Watch this video and you'll understand)