I noticed a difference right away upon entering Uganda. The people are very friendly here and aren't pushy when selling you things. They are very polite, so it is important to have good manners. Conversations usually begin with, "Hello, welcome! How are you? How is your day going?" and it is expected that you ask the same questions back. Even if you are walking down the street, strangers will say hello and ask you how you are, and they genuinely care to know. You have to take your time instead of rushing the conversation to ask your question.
It's interesting to learn the differences between what's considered rude in different countries. In Ethiopia, it's actually a bad thing to eat everything on your plate. They believe that it invites famine (when people don't have enough to eat). They have a history of terrible famines where many people lost their lives from starvation. If you eat all of your food, it says that they didn't give you enough, so they think they weren't good enough hosts.
In Kenya and Uganda, however, it is impolite to leave food on your plate. It offends the cook, making it seem like you didn't like their food. In Rwanda, it's impolite to eat or drink in public. They have also seen some very bad days of famine in their past, so they see it as rude to eat in front of someone without sharing. I've made sure to ask when entering a new country, so I know what is expected in each culture. I don't want to offend anyone!
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