Below you will find a list of words or expressions that are used
by Ugandans or Brits that mean something very different than what
a Canadian would think:
| Expression |
Translation |
Example |
| Seeing Stars |
Confused |
Sam: How do you solve this calculus problem?
Tom: ???
Tom: I think I am seeing stars!
|
| extend |
move over |
Sam: Tom can you extend, you are in my view of the TV. |
| stubborn |
playful/funny |
After we tried out some of the Luganda we were learning
in the training on the local at the bar she called us stubborn. |
| Were you lost? |
where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. |
Sam: Tom how are you, were you lost?
Tom: Yes I was in Entebbe, but now you have found me.
|
| matatu or taxi |
Toyota bus used to transport people. |
I caught a matatu from Kampala to Lweza. |
| Boda Boda |
A minibike used as a taxi. It got its name from when people
crossed the Uganda/Kenya boarder because when you took the
bus it would drop you 1 km away from the boarder, thus the
guys on the minibikes would scream out "Boda Boda"
or "Boarder Boarder!" |
I took a boda boda from the bottom of the hill to the top
because I was too lazy to walk. |
| Special |
A taxi similar to a taxi at home. Their price starts high,
and is VERY negotiable. |
After a night at the bar we took a special home. |
| Take the piss |
Sounds rude, but taking the piss out of someone is Britspeak
for teasing them. Nothing to do with urinary extraction whatsoever. |
After several hours of taking the piss out of Ali I decided
to give him a break. |
| Kampala |
The capital city of Uganda. Pretty much the Vancouver or
Toronto of Canada. |
I live in Kampala. |
| Lweza |
The town where we spent our first two weeks in training. |
The bar in Lweza is quite small. |
| Kyebando |
The region or neighborhood that I live in, in Kampala. Pronounced:
Chay-band-o |
We took a matatu from downtown Kampala to Kyebando. |
