Adventure on the Road!


Listen--are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?” (Mary Oliver, poet)

I must have mentioned before that driving in Uganda is an adventure! Ok if I didn’t let me say again, it’s an adventure, no rules, each man for himself and then there’s the police who add to the mix as they stop you sometimes if they see you sneeze loudly whilst driving! (I’m exaggerating but you get my point?)

Well this week the adventure meter went off the scale! Get in the car with her, I am not driving, as usual, driving in the organised chaos of find a space and get to where you need to get! The police come out and motions for the car to stop, but wait, she’s not stopping; I feel the car go into a different level of speed! Wait a hot minute; this woman is driving away from the police at full speed. Well I have now seen it all!

I’m talking to myself now.What’s the lesson here, what is it!!? I remain quiet, is this really happening, maybe I am asleep. I look back and see the police cussing. She now slows down and in the mirror I see police coming on a boda-boda. We pull into the petrol station and the police enter and just as she goes to get her purse to get money the police man opens the door, enters the car and sits! I am saying to myself, this dream real exciting boi!
She sees the police in the car and says something in her language and he responds, you are a very stupid woman, now you are finished! Oh how can I forget, the police has one big arse gun!
But wait, the car is moving! This woman is driving off with a police man with a big arse gun, in the car, well now we are both finished!!!
The police man has a radio on him it’s going off, he keeps saying to her, you are a very stupid woman; I am a police man? You are a very stupid woman, you are finished!
We reach a junction and other police are now there, she stops, gets out the car, I am looking at my seat to see if it is still dry! I must have wet myself, it was still dry, I haven’t said one word yet eh!
She is speaking to the police and then I see her one the phone, then she is walking back to the car, ALONE!!
She gets back into the car and says I called my friend, the Captain, he said what is the charge, what are you being stopped for they couldn’t answer. Let’s get back on the road we’re late and we need petrol!

I said did you just not stop for the police and drove with one in your car  with a big arse gun or was I asleep? She laughed, I don’t stop for those police, I refuse to pay their bribes and no one, no one ever calls me a stupid woman!
She says you’re going to Gulu with me next week Tuesday (this is an 8 hour drive one way with nuff police posts) get used!
I just said a silent prayer
So what did I learn today?
Still figuring it out ok? Bear with me!
Peace!!!

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