Za leo?

Greetings are so important here. Most are surprised when I start talking to them and some of them don't answer back because they are surprised. A funny thing happened on the way to the market. I was walking with another Tanzanian and I said shikamoo to an old lady. She didn't respond so the Tanzania told her I said shikamoo..she looked up in surprise..because I knew that word. Yesterday on my way back from town I had many conversations along the way back home. Most of them ask where I am from and where I am teaching. The best conversation was when the security guards at the college started talking to me and trying to teach me Swahili. It was funny because the stuff they were teaching me I already knew but I tried to appease them by listening and pretending that I was learning from them. At the same time it can be time consuming to greet when you have to get somewhere fast. I feel impolite if I don't say hi because in this culture it is the thing to do..to say hi. Or when I need to get an answer fast, then I also have to take time to greet even though I want to ask a question and get a reply immediately. A totally unrelated market incident. I walked into mud so my feet were dirty. At the dala stop the woman selling fruit were so ashamed for me that they wanted to give me water to clean my feet so they offered me water that the fruit was in to wash my feet. It was a funny experience..you had to be there. Such sweet ladies. :)