FROM UGANDA TO LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM

A tale of my life-changing move from Uganda to the United States of America. 

It was in the afternoon of October 15^th, 2024, aboard Qatar airways when I left Uganda heading to The United States of America to follow my American dream. It was a moment of mixed feelings; I was excited for my new adventure and at the same time full of sorrow leaving my family and friends behind. I was totally heading to a new world, a new culture with a lot of uncertainty about how life may look in the United States. The fears, however, did not derail my pursuit for my dream. The friends who became family, provided unwavering support from the day they learnt about my dream of coming to America. I remember the first person I informed that I wanted to come to America one day and she encouragingly responded, “You are most welcome, you can stay at my house for a while, I have a spare room where you can sleep.” This fueled my urge to pursue my dream with more urgency. More friends were also later informed of 

my plans, and they were very supportive as we shall see in the subsequent paragraphs. 

To give you a brief rewind of events, I was working as Front Office Manager at Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe in Uganda, the same hotel where my friends were staying during their annual visits to Uganda. It was part of my job role to interact with guests during their stay and it was through this routine that I came to meet with guests who turned into family.  The interactions stretched from n

rmal guest-staff conversations to understanding the good works they were doing in Uganda, that is; The Shalom school and later the Street Business School program which equips local women and men with entrepreneurial and business skills. Through the “Spreading Sunshine” organization, the gospel of empowerment is spread and hope to the employees of the hotel through sharing written literature and one on one interactions. 

The dream becomes reality. 

My American dream started taking shape immediately when I landed to Sky Harbor International Airport – Phoenix. My friends were waiting for me at the airport, they ushered me into the new world where everything was totally new and different. I was treated to a sumptuous lunch and later proceeded to my new home where I am still staying as of today. At home, I was checked into my room and was oriented on different things around the home as most of them were new to me.  

In the subsequent days, my friend and new roommate became my tour guide as she took me to different places around Arizona, to the different beautiful mountains in the desert and various shopping areas, the highlight being Costco where I feasted on all the food samples that were served therein, and the fried chicken at the The Horny Toad Restaurant. We also used this period to get me acclimated to the new environment. I got a new phone with a US number, and I processed my social security number /card. 

America has food! 

By the time of this article, I have dined in more than twenty restaurants around Arizona with my American family. I am now contemplating becoming a food critic because I have tried almost every food the American restaurants have to offer. On my days off, my friends always pick up from home and take me lunch or dinner in the best restaurants around town where I have savored different cuisines from Italian to Mexican, American, Mediterranean among others and my favorite so far being Vittos Italian restaurant, Zips sports bar, The Horny Toad restaurant among others. At my workplace, I am becoming a point of reference when it comes to recommending good restaurants to guests. I do not only recommend restaurants but also advise guests on certain menu items they should try out, I am becoming a food critic soon! 

Making dollar 

The American dream would be incomplete if it does not involve making “Benjamins”.  After settling in well and getting legal requirements for employment, I kickstarted the search for jobs. I sent out applications to hundreds of employers most of which were for hotels and customer service-related jobs. 

Owing to my wealthy experience in hospitality operations, I received numerous calls for interviews from different companies most of which were hotels across Arizona. My friend was so supportive during this period as she drove me to all my interview venues and on a few occasions when her schedule did not permit, she asked our neighbor to drive me. 

The interviews were a blend of exciting interactions, learning sessions and challenges. Some employers found it mind-challenging to accept that someone fresh from Africa can take up a job role and execute it well in the United States while others were amazed by my knowledge, experience and the bold decision I made to come to the US. 

The American recruitment process takes a bit longer compared to Uganda. It took time without getting feedback from the interviews and I started getting a bit frustrated. I continued the search as I waited for that breaking news, and it eventually came through; I got hired by Marriott’s Canyon Villas and started working on December 2^nd, 2024. Within the same period, I received about 7 other job offers from the interviews I had done but I chose to go with Marriott’s Canyon Villas, considering factors like distance from home to work, flexibility of shifts and the salary. I am happy to inform you that by the time of this article, I have been making dollars for five months now. 

Days off, days out 

The beauty of working in America is that we work only five days a week and have two days off as opposed to working 6 days in Uganda, therefore, I have more personal time to rest and meet with friends. They have made these days off fun-filled ones, they take me to church if a day off falls on a Sunday, we go shopping and on outings for lunches and dinners. The most outstanding day off activity is the gun shooting practice at Scottsdale gun club. One of my old friends introduced me to a new friend and gun shooting practice. I had never touched a gun in my life before. They trained me starting from gun safety and my key take away was; “Do not point a gun at something/someone you do not intend to kill”.  It is always exciting to get Monday off as this is when we go for shooting. This is one of the most exciting experiences I have had in the United States. Due to my improving shooting skills, my friend jokingly nicknamed me “Dirty Harry”, a character from a 1971 movie. Shooting evenings are always crowned with a dinner in various restaurants around town, every evening we try out a new restaurant or go to one we have not been to in a while. 

The adventure is still going on as my bucket list is still long and by the look of things, most of the items/activities on the list will be ticked off in the near future.  Life is moving on, almost as I visualized it before coming to America, despite a few challenge like; the hot weather, being home sick sometimes, and absence of reliable public transport as I am currently not driving. Through persistence and with the support of the family and friends I have made along the way, I have managed to stay strong and focused on my goals. I can proudly say that I am living my American dream!