I have acquaintances (and maybe even friends!)

Lots of times, I'll meet someone (a Malian, to be specific) once, either in my village or at market or at the health center - we'll greet, exchange names and towns, and then we'll go our separate ways. Most of the time, I do not remember them, but they remember me. This can lead to some very awkward situations that usually start out with the person calling out my Malian name (Rokia), and then approaching me to greet( how are you, how's your family? and your health? and the people in your village? and your host family?), and I have to smile and respond and pretend like I know who they are. Sometimes I do a good job pretending, other times my performance is sub par and they catch on that I have NO idea who they are. This can be embarrassing. Fortunately, I'm getting much better at recognizing folks and identifying where I've seen them before, and I'm even starting to remember their names (this is huge because Malian names can be tricky -- Afochatou, Bintou, Diakalia. Can you pronounce those, let alone remember them? Neither could I for the longest time).

In any event, I had a breakthrough in the most inconspicuous of places last week. A friend and I had gone out to get eggs at a small neighborhood market in Bamako, and were walking home when I saw someone on a moto who looked really familiar. This happens often, especially in village, when lots of people are related. I get them all confused all the time. But this guy looked too familiar to be a random guy on a moto in Bamako. And so I slowed down, did a double take, and sure enough -- I DID know him! So I stopped and greeted, in awe that I would actually recognize someone and be able to correctly place them. Turns out he's the brother of a friend who lives wwwaaayy down south in a town near the Mali/Burkina Faso/Cote d'Ivoire border. And he just happened to be in Bamako on business. And we just happened to be in the same place at the same time. This all might sound trivial, but I was thrilled. It was almost like seeing a long lost friend from elementary school on a street corner in New York City. This country is slowly becoming more and more familiar, and for this I am grateful.