“In America, personal space means physical space. Americans
have their ‘bubbles.’ But in Uganda, personal space has nothing to do with
physical space. Personal space means not being forced into social interactions.”
This statement rang with such truth, and yet - how had I
missed it? During our PST, we had been taught that the idea of personal space
was different here than it was in the US. I’ve experienced this many, many
times in the past year and a half. Every time my colleagues and I line up for
lunch in the staff room, there is about six inches between each of us. It makes
me so uncomfortable that I have taken to standing to the side of the line in
order to get some room, much to the amusement of my colleagues.
But we were never given the other piece of the puzzle. In
the past month, I have taken this vital piece of information and applied it to
my observations. Greeting is incredibly important in all cultures, but the way
this plays out is different. In America, if a person is talking to another
person or busy in any way, it is perfectly acceptable not to greet them out of respect
for their busyness. In Uganda, however, not greeting someone, especially
someone you know personally, is incredibly rude. You greet the people who work
at the grocery store, you greet everyone in the staff room regardless of how
busy they are, you greet your friends on the street for 20 minutes because you
have to greet. It has always perplexed me as to why my colleagues will
interrupt my conversation just to say “Hello,” but such is Ugandan culture.
Outside of this, however, people seem intimidated by my busyness. After finding
the other piece of the puzzle, I know they are respecting my personal space by
not engaging me in unwanted social interaction.
Now I’m having a bit of a hard time remembering how America
works these days, but being busy is seen as normal. We Americans are obsessed
with being busy all the time. This is especially true at work. If you’re not busy constantly while at work,
then you’re seen as lazy, one of the worst things to be. Alternately, in
Uganda, relationships are so much more important than being busy. You can
postpone a deadline, you can delay arriving at a function, but you can’t forget
to greet someone, to talk with them, to spend time together. It’s the eternal
paradox of an American living in Uganda. The struggle between boredom from lack
of busyness and being accepted by spending your time with your colleagues even
when you have due dates…. The struggle is real.
For some, this struggle is a challenge to be overcome. For
others, it’s a constant reminder of how much they miss home. For most, it
depends on the day. Difference in personal space is just one aspect of how
difficult it is to live in another culture. But living in another culture is
also a supreme opportunity to learn every day, to change your life. Everything
about it threatens to pop your bubble, in more ways than one.
