Shaking hands and holding on...

Hello Everyone,

So, another interesting story of something I have experienced here. Here in Uganda guys holding hands is OK. In fact it is quite common and no more than a sign of those two being very good friends.... It has none of the connotations it would in the U.S. It is as common as girls walking down the hall or sidewalk in high school and college and linking arms with one another. In fact, here, it seems to be more common that men hold hands than women, and I can't really remember the last time I saw girls holding hands here, or anything of the sort.

I think most of the guys on USP try to avoid it as it is just awkward, but shaking hands is quite common here in greeting and almost inevitably in the handshake the Ugandan you are shaking hands with just won't let go... So, you end up holding hands with them for as long as your conversation lasts... It was awkward the first time it happened to me, but after a few times I have gotten used to it, because in reality, the only people here who might stare are the students on USP and there aren't nearly as many of them as there are Ugandans. Strangely, this difference has been one of the easier ones for me to get used to...

Justin