For example, it is rude to not greet an elderly person. This is due to the social connectedness of the people. Folks here live in unity and everyone is everyone else’s keeper. I was surprised to see kids say "hi" and wave to me on the streets.
Most of the people here are also very friendly - even to strangers. I remember visiting a local church in Rubindi (a village in Mbarara). After the service, I was invited to a member’s home for lunch, even though she couldn’t speak English. Others from the church also joined and we had a wonderful time. I enjoyed delicious Ugandan cuisine that day. Although I was thousands of miles away from the States, I felt at home.
Also, Ugandans show hospitality through their generosity. As part of my research project, we visit the homes of research participants to conduct interviews. Most of the time, the participants prepare food and drinks for us upon arrival. Once, we tried to decline food that a participant offered to prepare for us. But she responded, “In my tribe, when someone visits us, we do what I’m doing, so don’t stop me.” I was really surprised by her hospitality since we were there for research work and not necessarily for visitation. On some occasions, the participants even offer us gifts when we visit. Some of the gifts we’ve received were a bunch of matoke (bananas), a sack of potatoes, and sugarcane. This speaks to how generous and hospitable the people are.
