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.
