Caught on first

Wandering about Ethiopia sometimes feels as though I have been caught in the Abbot and Costello Who's on first ? routine. Quite often when an Ethiopian sees you in the street they simply yell out "You!". Initially I was a little confused by this and did genuinely respond with "Me ?", to clarify whether they were actually referring to me - somebody they had never met before, thought I was the President of China or thought my shaggy hair made me resemble a sheep. To this the response would simply be "You !"

After a while I realised that it was me they were referring to, and that the confusion that I responded with got a few laughs from the speaker, his friends and surrounding viewers and gave me a convenient  exit strategy. I started adding a few pointing gestures trying to demonstrate the difference between you and me, topped with a few bemused looks and most times people were so confused they forgot to even say "Give me money" !

So I often wander about town and have exchanges which go something like

You !
Me ?
You !
Me [point to me], or you [point to you] ?
You !
Me [point to you] or you [point to me] ?
You... [loss of certainty]
You [point at me] or me [point at you] ?
Yo...m...me ?
Oh, me [point at you. Exit stage left]