First adventures

So it was afternoon time here and Rach and I set out on our first driving endeavor...just the two of us...in Malawi (which has the highest # of traffic fatalities of the world)...map in hand...geared and ready to go.  Walk out the door...head to the car, jabbering away and both simultaneously look down and literally keel over laughing--wrong side of car.  Minor adjustment.  

Rach and i are considered a 'couple' when it comes to the carpooling situation.  Bless her heart--she s stuck driving.  Our British roommate asked me "oh you are a couple, are you?"  (mind you in the British accent)  I said "yes i m not driving."  "Why?" "B/c I cant drive a standard and I m not from a British colony." So the adventure continues...

Get in the car and everything is opposite:  opposite side of the car, using the opposite hand to change gears, blinker is on the opposite side which makes for some really clean windshields around Malawi.  (The Americans confuse the windshield wiper for the blinker...)  

Then there are the infamous round-abouts...all opposite remember.  Whew...You know it s like find a car that is going the direction you want to go and just follow them.  Fortunately this happened for us.

I mean I dont know if I have ever focused so much while in a car...and I was the passenger!  It was quite an adventure, but a fun one.  It was only until we were on the straight-away next to campus that we could truly start to laugh and compliment Rachel on her driving.  Seriously she did really well.  Job well done...we were happy.  Rachel got her fix of candy from the store and I found a diet Coke so all was 'right' again.  I was very proud of Rachel...and relieved to see the ABC gates.  mission accomplished.