I am Back

I Am Back

Nkomyewo. I arrived yesterday morning. My pictures are not yet ready because I left my disposable camera with a friend who will send the photos once she finds someone travelling to Uganda.

As I settle in, I want to share some of my most memorable malooo…kyalooo experiences from my recent trip. These small but striking things stood out for me abroad, and they made me reflect a lot on life back home.

The African Fellowship Abroad

One memorable malooo…kyalooo happened last Sunday when I went to church with some friends. I was so happy to find many Africans there, including Ugandans I already knew. The church had been hosting different African regions to showcase their countries. That particular Sunday was West Africa’s turn, and it was pure excitement.

You should have seen how the Nigerians, Ghanaians and Ivorians boasted about their food, dress and culture. Their video clip even showed famous footballers, and their capital cities looked more organised than our Kampala. I couldn’t help but feel like Uganda had very little to show off in comparison.

Ugandan Food in a Foreign Land

Another unforgettable malooo…kyalooo was on Saturday and Sunday evenings when my hosts took me to their friends’ homes for dinner. These were friends who had grown up with my friend’s husband in Bugolobi flats, and one of them was even my old schoolmate.

Because I am a Gishu, I was glad to discover that some of them were also Gishu or half Gishu. The meals made me feel at home — we ate matooke, kamalewa, tilapia and many other Ugandan dishes. We talked till midnight, moving from the Gishu accent to politics, even reaching as far as Obama.

One story made us laugh until our ribs hurt. A lady with a Gishu accent once said in Luganda that she had forgotten milk in the bus. But in Luganda, the word she used for milk also meant breasts! So it sounded like she was saying she had left her breasts on the bus.

The Blessing of Wheeled Bags

Another malooo…kyalooo was the wheeled travel bag. Whoever invented wheeled bags did us good. It felt so nice not having to lift my heavy suitcases to Heathrow. Even small children were happily rolling their tiny bags, and elderly couples too.

But my joy ended when I reached Uganda. Our rough roads and pavements forced me to lift the bags again, and I ended up getting a special hire from Entebbe to Bukoto just to avoid the lifting. In London, the smooth streets made rolling bags so easy that at Victoria Coach Station I just stood amazed at the sound of dozens of wheeled bags crossing the street. Truly, EVERYONE had one.

Transport the London Way

The last malooo…kyalooo was the transport system. I was amazed every time I used a tube, overground, coach or bus.

In London, buses and trams share one ticketing system, and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is also connected to the Underground. The city is divided into travel zones, so when you buy a travel card, you simply choose how many zones you want to travel in — for example, zones 1–3 or zones 1–6. The price changes depending on the zones.

Buses, however, do not use zones, so one card is enough to take you anywhere within the bus network. That was surprising for me, because in Kampala, each stage has its own fare no matter how near or far.

I was also introduced to the famous Oyster card. The Oyster card is just a plastic card where your transport money is loaded. Instead of using those paper tickets, you only place the card on the machine and the gate opens. It was cheaper and more convenient, especially for people who travel regularly. I malocated at how smooth it was.

Sadly, I lost my Oyster card just before leaving London, and I felt so bad because my host’s wife had put extra money on it and wanted me to post it back to her. Years later, I actually found it again! When I told my host, he just laughed and said I could use it on my next trip.

Final Thoughts

These little malooo…kyalooo moments — from food to transport to wheeled bags — opened my eyes to how different countries organise daily life. They also reminded me of the areas where Uganda still has a long way to go.

Travel isn’t only about sightseeing. It is also about noticing the ordinary things that make life smoother elsewhere and imagining how we could improve them back home.

P.S. Although this post is showing July 2025 as the publishing date, I first wrote it in April 2009.