"It's Uganda, chill."

These are the wise words of Lindsey, or as they call her here Kukunda. (People often refer to each other by their surname, but the Brits and the Ugandans seem to struggle with Meyer, so they seem to be sticking with Julie.)


Lindsey moved to Kampala as a teenager and explained to me how amazing it was to be in high school and not worry about bullies, or being teased, or some of the social abuses most go through. What you wear here doesn't matter and you won't be made fun of if you don't have enough money to pay school dues, instead everyone chips in to help.

Lindsey was basically trying to tell me to stop sweating the small stuff because in Uganda the small stuff just doesn't matter. This seems simple enough, but I am not sure what is small and what is not, considering that small stuff in Uganda and small stuff in America must be different.


Even if I am unable to identify the small things, I can confidently say that I can identify the big things that I should worry about, the things Ugandans worry about. Kindness, and security. Respecting those who have earned it. Not wasting, but reusing. Family. And making the most out of the little they have.

So while in Uganda, do as Ugandans do.