Finding happiness in the smallest things

By Joan Akello

Dorothy Tukamushaba Okoboi, Managing Director Kibira Safaris and Travel speaks to Joan Akello on cutting wedding costs

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Is when your family is healthy, have enough food, you’re productive at work and have a bit of savings in the bank.

When and where were you happiest?

Almost every day; seeing that my children are healthy, going to school, and we are a loving family

What about your wedding day?

I did not want it to be cliché but my wedding day, the day you give birth and carry your baby for the first time are very special moments.

What is your greatest fear?

Not being able to be there for my family, friends and also terminal illness.

Which living person do you most admire?

My two nieces and one in particular Keshubi who at one was 100 plus Kilograms became 65kg. She did it.  Also, when she turned 35, she suddenly quit her job as an electrical engineer to become a full-time blogger.

What is your greatest extravagance?

A unique couch I bought ten years ago from Nina Interiors but recently if I had money, I would have bought a corset of Jewelry priced at Shs3 million.

What is your current state of mind?

I hunger to make Kibira Safaris and Travel a success.

What do you consider overrated in society?

I’m not trying to discredit people’s religious beliefs but there are too many hypocrites who pretend to be saved. A person who lives an honest and simple life is much better than that person who pretends to be saved.

What do you least like about your appearance?

I wish I were a constant size 12. I’m not, I’ve never been.

What quality do you most like in a man?

Honesty and dependability.

What quality do you most like in a woman?

You should be able to depend on your mother, sister or friend.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My husband.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Singing and the gift of making money.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would be taller. I’m obsessed with height.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I’m a nurturer who has educatedfour kids, not biological right from college to my first job as a translator at Tembo International.  I speak French.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be?

I would like to be a woman president of any African country or as a giraffe because it is tall, graceful, and non aggressive.

What is your greatest regret?

If I had applied myself in school I could have become anybody and done anything.

Where would you like to live?

Seychelles, Mauritius, the Caribbean.

What about Kalangala?

It does not have the experience of Creole food with a lot of textures and spices.

What is your most treasured possession?

A set of pearls and pearl necklace my guardians gave me at my wedding.  I’m not shy; I do not hide my head in the sand.

What is your favorite occupation?

I love being a tour operator and the next best thing I want is to be a pilot.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Finding yourself on the street without a family.

What is your most marked characteristic?

I do not sulk and I’m foot loose; adventurous and love going places.

What do you most value in your friends?

Dependability and kindness.

What are your favorite names?

African names that tell of friendship and love such as my children’s names , one is called  Nkundwa meaning love,  Itungo (my treasure)  Ashemeza( makes me happy) and my last born is called Kanywani  meaning my little friend.

Who are your favourite writers?

Agather Christie, Jeffrey Archer, Dan Brown, J. R. R. Tolkien.

Which book do you recommend?

Lord of the Rings; it is a special kind of writing and Tolkien is like the most gifted human being. It took me one and a half weeks to read the three books, I would only stop to bathe, sleep or prepare the quickest meal.

Who is your hero of fiction?

Legolas in Lord of the Rings, so agile, nimble and very good at what he did.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Women that get up in the morning and look after the home with the bare minimum to survive on. They make the world move and make a proper citizen.

How would you like to die?

Die in my sleep in my old age happily, surrounded by my family.

What is your motto?

Be happy. I’m a go lucky get lucky person.

What is your philosophy about life?

Find happiness in the smallest things; you will never need to  chase impossible dreams.

What is it that you must dislike?

Meanness and dirt. I think that if we were less mean in this world and more considerate, we would all be much happier.