Culture.

I am always amazed at the difference in culture. I mean here in Africa you can literally get a pretty stamp and cross a country border and experience a completely different culture. I experienced a taste of that this weekend when for three days a few of my friends and i jetted off to Uganda for a little R&R. We literally crossed the Rwanda/ Uganda border and felt the difference between the two. The people were a bit different in Uganda then Rwanda.


They treated us as visitors a bit differently too. The scenery, yet still very green, looked just slightly different. The roads were very different. I mean I wouldn't say Rwanda takes a large amount of pride in their roads, but it definitely is a bit smoother in Rwanda then Uganda. One thing I noticed less of in Uganda was the starring. Some times here in Rwanda, people will stare, to the point of even glaring at you. It can pretty intense some times where it makes you not want to make eye contact. Here in Rwanda people tend to be very curious about "white" people. They tend to see us as very different and separate from them. They also tend to think that we have lots and lots of money, which I guess compared to some we do. Yet, since i have lived in Rwanda/ Africa I have also noticed practices and attributes that are similar and universal. For instance, women, unlike in America or most western countries, carry their babies on their back. No strollers here :-).

Also, instead of carrying everything in their hands, people free up their hands and carry almost anything from water, suitcases, wood, bags, bananas, etc. on their heads. It's definitely not every day that you walk the streets of America and see someone carrying something on their head. Maybe we should consider adopting that one, I mean it does free up your hands and works on that bad posture we tend to have. Also, there are a few other cultural differences that I have noticed such as the value of milk. Yes, I said milk. It is very typical for you to walk into a restaurant or a pseudo coffee shop and see a big business man, in a nice suit just drinking a big glass of milk. Milk here is expensive, so only if you have enough money can you buy such a luxury.
It is seen as a rich mans drink and when someone is seen drinking it, it is kind of a status symbol. Something also interesting is that when a couple decides to get married, cows are given to the family of the bride as a dowry. Typically one or two cows are given, but depending on the value of the woman some times more can be given. How many cows are you worth? So many more things to be said, but will leave it at that for today....