England vs Uganda: Where would you choose to live?
I HAVE stayed in this country for two months, and in this short period I have been asked many times by Ugandans, some of whom simply accost me in the Street, if I can help them go to live in England. This got me thinking about the difference between the two countries.
By Sam Wilson
I HAVE stayed in this country for two months, and in this short period I have been asked many times by Ugandans, some of whom simply accost me in the Street, if I can help them go to live in England. This got me thinking about the difference between the two countries.
First, what is so fantastic about Old Blighty that makes so many people want to go and live there? Well, the obvious reasons came to mind. Its roads are better, for starters — you don’t have the feeling that your internal organs are being thoroughly shook up every time you get in a car. Also in London, as opposed to Kampala, you are not constantly choking on exhaust fumes or dust.
And indeed, I will not deny that at the same time, public transport is largely of a better quality than that which exists over here. The famous London bus, capacious and, generally speaking, comfortable, is a far cry from the Kampala matatu, frequently over the fourteen-passenger limit, claustrophobically crowded, and smelly.
On a less frivolous level, we also proudly possess a firmly established multi-party political system. And one in which, I might add, the three main parties vie for superiority, without fear of being accused of being the political wing of a terrorist organisation.
Those are the advantages of the “scepter’d isleâ€, England.
However, I have also considered the advantages of living in Uganda. First, think about the transport here: it is absolutely true that getting about in the UK is not as excruciatingly painful as getting about in Uganda. But do remember that the Brits pay for this service to keep it going. If I were to go home from school by special hire, for example (special hires being the English equivalent of boda bodas), I would spend perhaps £10 for a twenty-minute journey. That is about sh33,000 and is non-negotiable. In Kampala, a boda boda for the same distance would cost perhaps sh2,000 and probably be faster also. So although quality in Uganda may be lacking, remember that this is the case at least partly because of financial constraints.
Likewise, consider the climate in this equatorial land. Here it is eternal summer and spring, always fairly warm or quite hot. In England, though it can be sunny, the weather for a large part of the year consists of depressing, drizzling rain, with dull grey clouds overhead.
This climate then comes out in the temperament of the people. In England we are a notoriously polite, well-spoken race, known for banal conversations about the weather and using “brollies†(umbrellas). This is as opposed to your typical, or perhaps
stereotypical Ugandan, who tends to be friendly, outgoing, and colourful by nature. This difference even manifests itself in how the two different peoples greet each other; here in Uganda, for example, I am often greeted by complete strangers with “hello, how are you?†This would be highly unusual in the UK, where a nod and perhaps a “hello,†is the usual salutation — and even then it could be said to be more of a recognition of the other’s presence than anything else.
So I what I would say, then, is that you should not be too convinced by Shakespeare’s description of my home as an “other Eden, demi-paradiseâ€. The grass might be greener on the other side, but it certainly is not completely free of weeds.
I HAVE stayed in this country for two months, and in this short period I have been asked many times by Ugandans, some of whom simply accost me in the Street, if I can help them go to live in England. This got me thinking about the difference between the two countries.
First, what is so fantastic about Old Blighty that makes so many people want to go and live there? Well, the obvious reasons came to mind. Its roads are better, for starters — you don’t have the feeling that your internal organs are being thoroughly shook up every time you get in a car. Also in London, as opposed to Kampala, you are not constantly choking on exhaust fumes or dust.
And indeed, I will not deny that at the same time, public transport is largely of a better quality than that which exists over here. The famous London bus, capacious and, generally speaking, comfortable, is a far cry from the Kampala matatu, frequently over the fourteen-passenger limit, claustrophobically crowded, and smelly.
On a less frivolous level, we also proudly possess a firmly established multi-party political system. And one in which, I might add, the three main parties vie for superiority, without fear of being accused of being the political wing of a terrorist organisation.
Those are the advantages of the “scepter’d isleâ€, England.
However, I have also considered the advantages of living in Uganda. First, think about the transport here: it is absolutely true that getting about in the UK is not as excruciatingly painful as getting about in Uganda. But do remember that the Brits pay for this service to keep it going. If I were to go home from school by special hire, for example (special hires being the English equivalent of boda bodas), I would spend perhaps £10 for a twenty-minute journey. That is about sh33,000 and is non-negotiable. In Kampala, a boda boda for the same distance would cost perhaps sh2,000 and probably be faster also. So although quality in Uganda may be lacking, remember that this is the case at least partly because of financial constraints.
Likewise, consider the climate in this equatorial land. Here it is eternal summer and spring, always fairly warm or quite hot. In England, though it can be sunny, the weather for a large part of the year consists of depressing, drizzling rain, with dull grey clouds overhead.
This climate then comes out in the temperament of the people. In England we are a notoriously polite, well-spoken race, known for banal conversations about the weather and using “brollies†(umbrellas). This is as opposed to your typical, or perhaps
stereotypical Ugandan, who tends to be friendly, outgoing, and colourful by nature. This difference even manifests itself in how the two different peoples greet each other; here in Uganda, for example, I am often greeted by complete strangers with “hello, how are you?†This would be highly unusual in the UK, where a nod and perhaps a “hello,†is the usual salutation — and even then it could be said to be more of a recognition of the other’s presence than anything else.
So I what I would say, then, is that you should not be too convinced by Shakespeare’s description of my home as an “other Eden, demi-paradiseâ€. The grass might be greener on the other side, but it certainly is not completely free of weeds.