Sanu!

This is something i say maybe 237 times each day. it means a number of things in Hausa:
Greetings!
Goodbye!
greetings on your _______ (work, travel, anything really)
various expressions and filler comments
I'm sorry your child died.

most of the 237 times i say "Sanu!" it is with a smile, however, and the beginning of the exchange of greetings that occurs every every day here, with nearly every encounter. it goes something like this:

Greetings! Greetings.
How was the night? the night was good
How is your tiredness? i have no tiredness (regardless)
How's your condition? great!
How's your work? with God's help
[if you're moving on, you leave with "see you later..."]
and this goes on sometimes beyond what i am able to understand...

this exchange happens so that both people are asking and responding to the same questions, almost like a script. it's taken me the whole month to reply and ask the first few appropriately. when i got beyond "sanu" people/patients perked up and were all smiles, saying, "the doctor knows Hausa..." with great pride on their faces.

This has reinforced the importance of greetings to me.
in our casual American culture, we don't value this nearly enough. the above exchange is foundational to the culture here and means that you have to stop and spend a few minutes exchanging the report above. and even though it may not be the real truth - it communicates a value on the person you're greeting - to take time to look in their face and greet them.
Paul the Apostle is every issuing greetings in his letters to the churches, and they take the form of a blessing. that's what i've tried to convey as i greet these dear people in my few words of Hausa:
"i greet you, you have value to me, and i want to know how you are and bless you."
i hope i can continue this attitude upon my return.