Not that the people in Uganda are peculiar, but every culture has quirks unique to them that outsiders find interesting. So this week I will be sharing some of the cultural quirks I have observed about the people in western Uganda.
Eye Language: Ugandan’s answer with their eyes/eyebrows a lot. Instead of actually saying “yes” a lot of times you will get a quick raise of the eyebrows.
Mmmmmm: “Mmmmm” is a speech filler here, and is used a lot when you are listening to someone else speak. I actually really like this and have caught myself adopting it, it’s a really not rude noncommittal reply to use when I can’t understand someone or don’t have any other reply.
Staring: It is not impolite to stare at people here, even people you don’t know…especially people you don’t know.
Greeting: It’s very important to people to greet each other and inquire how they are doing. Even if you have already seen a person earlier that day, it’s just considered polite.
Timeliness: People are always late. Always. Time is viewed much more fluidly, they saying “time is money” would make no sense here. This isn’t really a horrible thing; it just takes getting used to. This same rule applies to food at restaurants.
Hand Holding: Guys hold other guys hands here all the time, talking, walking down the street, it’s just a sign of friendship. Ladies do it sometimes, but not as much as guys do.
