muzungu

the little shriek of joy as i ride my bike past some little kid who yells out "ba muzungu!" (a white person!).

it makes me smile and cringe. that i can be labeled so easily seems to contradict my universal american sensibilities. and yet, it's true. and her excitement at my passing can't help but make me want to be nice to her. do i challenge her stereotypes or do i just exist in her world of friendly white people? does it really matter?