DRIVING in Africa

One of the things I swore I would not do is drive here. I mean Philly has some crazy drivers…but it pales compared to here. In Africa, there are some road laws, but not as many as America. One of the best parts about cars here, is that since gas is so expensive, you NEVER see just one person in a car. It is really unheard of. If you are going somewhere, someone else will need a ride. The buses are always packed and frequently you will see trucks with people all squished into the back.

A few of us wanted to go to this one market and had no ride there, so I borrowed a car from school to attempt my first drive. I had to elicit help since I always forget to pull out and go onto the LEFT side of the road. It is very difficult to gauge if you are centered, or going off the road since the car is mostly on your left, not the right. I know that sounds confusing…but imagine keeping that all in mind as you are driving, passing buses that pull out in front of you with no warning, pedestrians, and bikes. Needeless to say it’s a bit nerve racking. But once you get the hang of it, it really quite freeing.

I took a short drive to a local store and back with no problems on Friday night. Then Sunday we tried to take the car to church and then the market, but it won’t drive FORWARD. It is the weirdest thing. It will drive backward, but when you put it in drive, the rear right wheel locks! So I didn’t even make it out of the parking lot. So much for my first trip out on the road…maybe the Lord was giving me a little hint!