Skip to main content

Standing in line

The pharmacy had a fragrance of diarrhea and those in line near me were coughing. They were clutching their notebooks which they had carried from the local clinic. Inside each notebook (essentially a patient's chart) was the "prescription" written for the pharmacist to fill. The doctor in me fought the pragmatic mom in me as I knew that I had to step into the crowded pharmacy and get to work on getting Gracie's meds in Gulu. I stepped in and realized that this was going to take awhile... I was NOT willing to stand in line properly so I WAS going to get cut in front of repeatedly. I settled in for the wait.

Proper line-standing-etiquette is deeply ingrained in Americans. You stand a certain distance away from the person in front of you. You stand confidently, avoid eye contact, and shift your weight to keep that place in line. You don't cut in front of someone else - that's a lesson taught to toddlers in the USA.

I have yet to figure out HOW to stand in line in Uganda in a way that makes me comfortable. I have discovered that it raises my ire to be cut in front of in the line. (I feel like a 6 year old as I feel myself getting upset that people are cutting in front of me!)

The reality is that I'm simply not standing in line properly, which means that I am inviting others to step in front of me. I am supposed to stand touching the person in front of me. Yes, literally snuggling the person in front of me in line. This signals that I am in line and that the space in front of me is not open for others to step into. I like my space... but I think I'll have to give up some of my personal space if I want to make it anywhere in line!


Comments

Mom said…
What a great cross-cultural insight! Who would have thought that there is a way to stand in line that is unique to every culture?

Mom
4:58 PM
Rebecca said…
That would be a tough one!

Not to the same degree, but I have felt that same struggle with some European people with the face kissing thing. I'm reserved with kissing my own family members - let alone putting my face on a total strangers!

Is the danger of contagious diseases a stressor for you in those situations? How do you deal with that? How about theft? In the states we're warned to be mindful of close quarters with other people because it's easy for pickpockets to grab your stuff...Is that an issue there at all?
9:38 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Check out this progress!

A year ago, my friend Rachel http://josiecomehome.blogspot.com/ emailed a photo of her beautiful son standing on his own... I've since dreamed of having a photo to post of Gracie doing the same thing. It was always one of those wild-don't-think-it'll-ever-happen kind of dreams, a romantic, fairy tale type of dream. But this week, Gracie made another leap in development and muscle tone. It started when I leaned her up against the wall and planted her feet a shoulder-width apart. For the first time, she didn't lunge for the safety of my arms or hands, but rather, she allowed herself to stand steadily on her own two feet and she kept her center of gravity centered over her feet instead of wildly in front of her or to one side or the other. She even quickly figured out that she couldn't lurch around in excitement while standing on her own two feet with no support but a wall behind her back, but rather had to express her excitement over this new development with a gentl...
4 comments
Read more

Family of Three!

We are in Liberia - the electricity goes in and out because the generator is having trouble keeping up these days! So hopefully it will stay on long enough to post and the internet connection will allow me this luxury! We were united with precious Gracie on Thanksgiving day - I will write more about this later. But, oh! is Gracie a joy! She is so beautiful, so joyfilled, and a bit mischievious. Her physical limitations do not permit her to accomplish much mischief, but we can tell that she is trying to push some limits already. If we were not in love with her already, she is irresitable and such a treasure and blessing from God. In our two days together, she has not cried once. She spends most of her days smiling, she loves to snuggle (good match for us!), and has the most contagious laugh! Life takes more effort for her - her cerebral palsy is moderate and every activity is a challenge and is clearly tiring for her. Meal times (which she loves) take a long time and much patience and d...
6 comments
Read more

Ana Gail Rattin

Ana Gail Rattin (pronounced Ah-nah) Born December 5th, 2007 at 5:35pm at 42 weeks weighing 7lb 8oz, 21 3/4 inches long Some adventures at birth, but everyone's doing great now! Read Luke 2:36-38!
5 comments
Read more