I had an epiphany last week: I am in (East) Africa! I know that this sounds obvious and ridiculous, but it really didn’t hit me until I had left the hustle and bustle of the city and been confronted by baboons and elephants on the road, and was able to watch the sun set over the savannah woodlands that made up the Ugandan landscape. I felt puny, insignificant and in awe.

When you are in the city, it feels like you could be anywhere. Yes, race and culture will come into play, but when a city has a substantial expat population and has bee influenced by the global economy (aka global shrinkage) for long enough, the goods and services available, the city attitude and happenings, and the general pulse of the city seem almost universal. Cities and capitals of developing nations have a similar vibe to them. The real culture of a country is easiest observed in the rural areas.

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