Culture shock

I’m just back in Uganda after a short trip to the US for a friend’s amazing wedding.  Going back is always interesting.  New buildings replace abandoned parking lots, people have babies, prices increase but through all the change there is still a great familiarity when I go back.  I flick the switch from my Ugandan life to my American life.  It’s weird how I can compartmentalize and adjust so quickly.  This is summarized by me getting annoyed and borderline upset over being stuck in traffic for a whole 10 minutes.  In Uganda, my town only has a few vehicles and all are owned by government or NGOs.  No such thing as a traffic jam- maybe because they never fix the roads or have construction zones.  Anyways, I was surprised at myself getting upset over sitting in traffic, my American self shown through. 

Despite the familiarity, I was a bit surprised how culture shocked I was.  Last time I was in the States was over Christmas, when the sun rises late and sets early.  This time around, I was mildly freaked out when it stayed light out past 7 pm.  For the past 2 years, I have lived just off the equator where the sun rises at 6:15 and sets at 6:45- every day, all year.  That took a while to get used to, but it was great to be able to take pictures after dinner, or go for an evening ride on the mini bike. 

I forgot how many beautiful women there are and I was frequently reminded of that in normal every day activities, especially one day walking through downtown Chicago.  Though Ugandan women are beautiful, they sort of all look the same- as terrible as that is to say.  What I mean to say is that I was struck by the diversity of beauty of the ladies in the US.  My first real exposure to the US on this trip came through NYC- a lively and diverse city.  As I sat on the subway heading to catch a train south I sat and observed diversity: colors, race, fashion, lifestyles, etc.  I forgot how diverse the world was, since my world for the past few years has been pretty small and pretty black and white. 

It was great to be comfortable.  No mosquito nets needed, just soft clean cotton sheets.  Smooth roads that didn’t shake your organs like a paint mixer.  Quick food service and nice customer care, plus actually getting what you ordered and not having to wait for the cashier as he/she runs out to the next business to get the necessary small bills to make change.  As nice as it was to be comfortable, it was a bit uncomfortable.  Too quiet, too easy, too functional, too easy to spend money and indulge and too easy to forget about where I came from. 

Time to flick the switch again: slow the speech, use small words, reduce expectations and plan on the plan not working.