Refreshing

Yesterday I realized why Senegal is so cool. On my way to class I stopped at the regular boutique (small stand which usually sells everything you can ever imagine) for some cafe touba. Btw, cafe touba is probably the thing I'll miss the absolute most about this country. The first time I tried it I thought hmm... this is really strange coffee but now I'm totally addicted. So, I stopped and one of the men began talking to me and said that today he was buying my coffee. I insisted that I really didn't want him to do that but he went on to talk to me for five minutes about how nice I am because I always greet everyone and smile everyday when I walk by or stop. In the end there was no arguing with him because he said I simply wasnt paying.
Would that happen at home? Would someone buy you coffee just because you smiled and said hi everyday? I guess maybe but I feel like it's a rarity. It made up for the fact that on Saturday I angered a group of people by not greeting them. Alex and I were spending the day together at his friend's place and I left to use the restroom which was seperate from the house. There was a group of people who stared at me as I gazed around so I explained to them what I was doing. They told me not very nicely where the bathroom was and as I walked away I heard them all yelling at me about not greeting them. Alex said I have to get better at greeting everyone and apparently he's right because it pays off!
That doesn't compare to the embarrassing moment last week when I felt totally defeated by a little girl. In Senegal there's a lot of poverty so on a daily basis your walking past little hands asking you for change. It's hard and you give and give to them but there are always more. So, I was sitting and reading in the "park" (or shaded area with some benches in the median of the street) ... actually, I was sitting with some chic who came up and sat with me. Alex had told me a few days earlier when we saw her there that she was crazy. Oh well, it was a little uncomfortable at first but we talked and she seemed harmless. Anyway, a little girl about the age of 8 approached me with her pretty little sister at her side. She had her hand out and said "Bonjour". I responded with the automatic, "sorry, I dont have any money" but I did not get the response I was expecting. She said, "what, I didn't say that; I was just saying hello". Talk about feeling guilty.
Korite was so great seeing all the little kids in their new attire. So stinkin' cute you could just go around pinching cheeks all day. Senegalese people are just beautiful. Our group always jokes that men are their last unexploited resource. It's true; they should really send modeling agents here. Okay, time for Wolof...