How about asking you where you are from because of the way you speak English and sound? I get that a lot and I don't live in UK. I have lived in Canad and the USA, it is always the same damm question people wanting to know where you are from. Often I am mistaken to be Jamaican, Ghanian, or coming from somewhere int he Islands. What amazes is that when I explain where I was born they still don't believe me...dahaa!!



So don't feel so bad I think there is alot of people with simiral stories.



Take care

Prossy

Life in the Diaspora is so LONELY....We were brought up with extended families which we don't have in the Dias..Neigbours were part of your family up here it is not the same.



Especially, when you get news of death in your family in Uganda often you are left ALONE!!! you know how that feels that is the time most often you need someone to help you go through the lose..



Anyway I can go on and on, all I can say is that I have tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but still miss HOME IN UGANDA DEARLY.....

kayanzi wrote:

QUOTE:
Years later, am in a place that speaks English as the national language. However, my efforts to express myself in the language I received punishments for were (and are still) met with expressions like; "sorry what was that?" "ohh you mean this," "am not sure I know what you mean," "sorry?" etc. etc.



And the question on my mind. "Am I not speaking English?"



And the classic one. These people did not sound like they were speaking English to me. Any one living in the UK will agree with me especially when it comes to regional accents. I mean that sort of thing that makes you watch TV with subtitles.

There couldn’t be a better way to express this.

As I vividly recall, we had a goat bone tied on a string that was used as a punishment if you were ever caught speaking vernacular! Whoever had this "kigumba",had to try hard to conceal it,so that they find one speaking vernacular, to relieve themselves of this nasty posession!In as much as it was an embarrassing sight amongst friends and schoolmates, it is one such reason we got a good command of the language early on.

When it comes to one uttering statements like "sorry what was that?" "Ohh you mean this," "am not sure I know what you mean," "sorry?" etc, this is purely regional, based on the accents, on the one hand. And on the other hand, its purely ignorance, and lack of knowledge of the Queen's language, that you find others mercilessly murdering it without an ounce of grammar, and these are indigenous "BRITISH" and Americans.Most of these people,in as much as they are born and bred in English speaking lands,they never get to have the quality education we tend to have.

Kale I say we need to enforce and maintain the education foundation we have back home.

Phad, I agree with you,and as I also said earlier on,learning someone else's language is good thing. You will never get it wrong,but the only problem is,some people who are ment to guide others,use their arrogancy and hatered plus tribalism because they know that power is their's.

Thats wrong.If ican remember all the difficulties,trials and T RIBULATIONS we experienced from schools,and compare it to where we are now,you just have to thank those teachers.

Omanyi omudugavu awulila na Mundu, ate abaganda bagamba nti Mpulukuttu za musotta,ziwulila namuggo.Ate akutwaala ekiiro,omusiima bukedde.ne konoweeka,tolinda kusabaana takka.

''WE MUST TEACH OUR CHILDREN ATLEAST 3OTHER FOREIGHN LANGUAGES''

Like Spanish,French,and English BUT not forgetting your language at BIRTH. I LEAVE YOU THERE.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL

READ;ACTS CHAPTER2,VERSE4(Acts 2:4)

I was lucky enough to attend schools where we werent punished for Luganda, but rather rewarded for speaking English. I don't think treating children with brutality is the best teaching. Moreover, I came to a place where some other language, other than English, is spoken. I'd never heard of this language before, but now when I speak it on the telephone, on a good day, the natives can't tell I'm not one of them.