First glance at cross-culture

Before I go into the main details, I just want to let everyone know I had a great Christmas in Uganda. All of us volunteers in Tororo took a short trip to the next largest town (which is really a small city by Ugandan standards), Mbale. We met up with our friends and had the best time. The city has everything, including a few proper coffee shops with espresso, huge supermarkets and craft stores, luxurious hotels (where we did not stay), delicious Indian food, and a bakery run by an American family. Not to mention there are tons of NGOs and travelers there so no one was staring and Mt. Elgon, the tallest mountain in Uganda, is in the background everywhere you walk. Oh and did I mention my hotel had hot running water!? That was the best part I think.  It was definitely sad being away for the first time, but because of amazing technology I got to talk to a lot of people and even skyped my family for present opening on Christmas morning. Great trip!

In the past couple weeks, I have had the chance to attend a few really cool events in Tororo. My family was invited to an introduction ceremony, where a girl is formerly introduced to her future husband. They had of course already met, but this was a traditional way of the families exchanging gifts and saying thank you to one another. What was different was that the women attending were dressed in very traditional African wear and performed this shrieking sound during the ceremony. However, besides that it really felt like a ceremony you would expect to find back home. Everyone was so excited, the sisters of the girl were taking care of her, people were eager to get in front to take photos, there was a long line for food, and towards the end it broke out into this large singing and dancing arty. Needless to say I had a fantastic time. Next, I brought in the New Year Ugandan style.  My family took me to this Trade Show, sort of like a fair upstate back home, where they were shooting off fireworks. There was a stage with performers and the main artists were a dwarf and a Rastafarian. Other than some more traditional songs and dances (which I will learn) it felt exactly like New Years back home. Tons of excitement, teenagers sneaking alcohol, parents sitting in the back, and the countdown! The only thing I didn’t like was that I was out later than ever, after 1 am…I am an old man now and sleep by 10 haha. Ok last, for New Year ’s Day we went to a nice hotel for lunch and swimming. At the pool I saw everything you see at home, kids splashing each other, dads teaching their kids how to swim, some kids standing arms crossed shivering and not swimming, and teenagers outside the pool doing soccer. Basically, I am saying that it seems so far that people are largely the same everywhere you go! Oh and Happy New Year everyone!

*Keep in mind the following is just from the Uganda I have experienced and the US I have experienced

Some differences:

-Sense of time is very different and urgency isn’t really here

-Cleanliness is relative and subjective

-Food is a very big deal here

-Dress and music

-Greeting one another is very important

-Restrictions and guidelines for hotels and restaurants are non-existent

-All your necessities are cheap

-Those are roads?

-Many eat with their hands

-Different concepts of personal space and no such thing as reaching carrying capacity.

-Vague future planning/foresight

-Life is exercise

-pets are practical, not family

-Gender roles are really strict

-Religion is very important and is a public thing to discuss

-Families are huge; extensive family is always welcome to come over

-Water is sacred and holy

-Electricity is special and rare

-Neighbors always stop in and chat for A WHILE

-Ownership is vague and borrowing often means you don’t get it back for weeks and weeks

-Food is sometimes used as a present

-Polygamy is not rare at all

-No trash or waste management (pit latrines and trash burning)

-They eat at very different hours (dinner is at 10 at night)

Similarities:

-Love of laughter and humor

-Strong immediate family ties

-Dressing smart for work

-Kids love to play games and sports

-Food brings people together

-Big ceremonies are very much like big parties

-School and intelligence is highly valued

-Stealing is a big no-no

-Noticeable gap between rich and power and what luxuries, rights, knowledge, and access they have (I think the gap is a bit larger here)

-Awareness of news and African events

-A ton of national pride

-Love of music and dance

-You can find both conservative/liberal and traditional/modern people

-It is more liberal and open-minded in the cities than in the villages

-A lot of cars (but there are more motorcycles here)

-Loving to dress up and look pretty

-Appreciation and protection of environment (might actually be more here)

-Privacy in the bathroom and bedroom (though only those places)

-Some types of food are the same: rice, beans, onions, tomatoes, salt, corn, bananas, meat..

-Sports are big and people go crazy at the games
-Women work very hard

-Same chores, just done differently (a lot of bending down and reusing water)

-Kids do a lot of the work in house (this is for the not spoiled kids at home)

- Teachers are professionals, but not paid well

-Some kids unfortunately go to school hungry

-Personal gardens abound

-Pictures and posters on the walls in the house
-A lot of furniture, but they also sit on the ground to eat
-Uganda capitalizes on tourism rather similarly
-People love to use the phone/internet to communicate all the time
-Yes, there are proper toilets some places with plumbing
-And of course, the teenage boys sag their pants…jeans, and the girls have dyed weave!