For me, going back home to Uganda is like shading off one version of myself and wearing the other one. When I am home, I cease to become Angela, or a wife for that matter; I am simply a daughter that everyone knows as Najore. (A birth name that I worked so hard to erase only a few years ago, because I never liked its meaning – war!) I drop the English language for karamojong, I drop most outfits, I keep my trainers on at all times, and I stop asking guests if they are staying for lunch or not. See in my home, we always cook extra food in case relations, friends, friends of friends, friends of siblings, or the neighbor’s kids show up, and 90% of the time they do. There is always someone either coming in or going out of home, and it’s great – sometimes.
In my village, visitors don’t announce in advance that they intend to come visit on a certain day, so you operate on a probability schedule. They can show up at any time of day: in the morning while you are still sleeping in, mid-morning, afternoon, or late in the night when you are just about ready to retire to bed; and when he, she or they show up, my culture demands you feed them. It doesn’t matter whether you still have hot coal in your stove or if it went out a couple of hours ago, you will need to make that fire again to heat up any left-overs and serve your guest (s) food. A visitor cannot leave your home without being served either a cup of tea or water to drink, unless a family completely has nothing to offer, but even then, the guilt of sending a guest off without serving them some food is enormous.


Yes thanks Angela, so far so good 🙏. Hope you are. My Irish hairdresser always calls me lovely 🙂☘️
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You too lovely. I hope you are doing well, and living every day fully 🙂
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No problem Angela, take care 🙂.
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Dedeng is my family name, yes!
Sorry for the late reply, busy with school 🙂
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Is Dedeng your surname or doesn’t it have anything to do with names? 😣🤩
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👍❤️
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Haha, Angela is fine, dear Margaret.
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Hi,
Hope all is well. All ok here 🙏. Thank you for visiting my recent post.
Just revisiting here and I see I was perhaps identifying more with the similarities of life in Gambia and that of years ago in Ireland.
I missed the most important part regarding your name. What name do you prefer to be called by?
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🙂🍁🍁❤🌺
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That’s so true. Very natural that we just go back to being their kids. I am sure they loved having you visit, Rosie. Thanks for the comment.
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Angela, I think that’s always how it is when we return home.
When my parents were still alive and I visited them, I was always their daughter immediately.
Even though I had grown up a long time and lived my own life in another city.
The visits were always full of memories.
It was always nice to have this loving feeling.
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Really? see!
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Sounds like my mum’s Irish homestead until a few years ago
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😊👍
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You are welcome
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I appreciate the follow, Aletta. Thank you!
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Thank you for checking them out, and I look forward to reading what you put out.
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Thank you for sharing your stories! And for following my blog!
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How true. 🙂
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Yes, It´s not “either or” but both
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Yes, it;s good for them to see and appreciate a different world from what they know.
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Haha 🙂
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Thank you so very much.
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True true🙏
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Try sleeping and they will tell you off “ you have become like them people” 🤪😘
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Very true!!! I enjoy that too especially for my kids
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🙂
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Absolutely… blessings.
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You said it so well, “where we always go back to.” Isn’t that the truth?
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Home is always where we go back to… beautifully done!!
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I am sure you do these kind of things every time without even thinking about it.
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I hope someday I can help someone feel as comfortable in my home as they made me feel there.
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Aww, thank you so much Andi. I bet they were very happy to have you in their home. 🙂
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I love this story! I was a guest in Malawi and never wanted to leave because of how I was treated as a guest. I think I have read this post 3 times because it brings back the memories of being a guest:)
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You are so kind 🙂
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I relate to this. I have different mes everywhere I am!! It’s nice to see put a face to the amazing person I have been talking to.
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Thank you for your comment. Very well said Myraide!
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I love, love your comment. That’s precisely how I see it and I wanted to extend on that and talk about it, but I was too tired and sleepy last night, so I gave a half-baked post.
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But you have the big, big opportunity to switch between two cultures und to see the world from at least two points of view
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But you have the big, big opportunity to switch between to cultures and know the world from at least two points of view
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I don’t mind mid-morning to afternoon visitors, but I am not so sure of the early morning ones and late night when the kitchen has been closed 😦
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Thank you Nadia. Sometimes all I want to do is sleep in 🙂
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Being a visitor in your family home sure sounds like a treat! But hard work for the ones who live there haha
This is lovely thank you for sharing ❤
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Ha ha ha every thing you have said is true. That’s why I miss home big time!
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