The other day, my running buddy and I were talking about a recent comment I made on my blog, about ‘jogging’; that nobody ‘jogs’ anymore, now that we are in 2010,we are expected to run. We laughed at this because we had just recently saw an advertisement for a new ‘jogging track’ in Kampala. Uganda is also hitting the world-wide headlines because skateboarding has found its way here…apparently, in the rest of the world, the sport hit its peak in popularity in 1963! This, along with the shell-suits, headbands and ring-pulled Mountain Dew cans, is truly another sign that I am living in a time-warp! Play-list in bars here, usually only consist of Abba ‘The Gold Collection’, Michael Jackson and Kenny Rodgers! Even Elvis hasn’t yet made it onto the scene!!
There is this pressure in the Western World to wear the right clothes, listen to the right music and here it is so nice to not worry about such things…sometimes! Ok, I suddenly care when I’m home on holiday and already am panicking about my summer packing…but only a little. I don’t want to be introduced as, “This is Robyn, she lives in Uganda’ and having sympathetic nods as a reply…like that is explaining me! I thought I stayed comparatively ‘up-to-date’ in Kuwait, but when teachers that have just come out from UK start talking, I feel that I have been away a lot longer than 5 years! Who are these people they talk of…does it matter..do I care!!?? When mum was stocking up on magazines for me, I had to ask her to stop buying me ‘celebrity’ magazines as I just don’t have a clue! My life is no poorer for it!
I am happy driving my Prada (o), circa 1980 and wearing the same clothes all year round, no matter what the fashion is. When people, however, start going on about TV shows on Facebook, I suddenly feel very left out! I recently found out that Flash Forward is not a magazine! Then… all this hype about Glee!! Well-I just had to go out and buy a pirate copy on DVD! Oh, but I do know that K’naan has made it to #3 in the African music charts….I love that song! So, when I head back to see you, be it on holiday or to live, all I ask from you is …go easy on me!!
