Suzanne said I should blog about this.
Feel free to laugh at my expense.
I have passed yet another milestone of someone living in my city. Traffic is crazy though we have yet to see any accidents. Really, everyone just has really good control and depth perception... the number of lanes on any given street is questionable, plus/minus 2 in both directions, and street signs are just suggestions as to who has right-of-way. Foot traffic crosses streets anywhere possible, and often it´s necessary to go one lane at a time.
You are truely local when you´re not afraid to get your feet under the bumper of car. As I was on my way home before F´tour time, I crossed, judging how fast the car in front of me was going so I could walk behind it. I then looked right to make sure no other car would zoom past and kill me.
Meanwhile, because I´m blond, or maybe just because I was there, the car in front of me stopped to call out to me with the three English words they knew. And I walked right into the back of the car.
I hit a car today. On foot. I think I showed that car who was boss.
On another note, Suzanne and I saw a car out the window today that was less than ten years old and clean enough that the paint colour was visible. We were impressed.
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I swear, slowly but surely, you're going to know every bird and plant on every continent! Nature walks and lessons just seem to follow you wherever you go! What's F'tour time? Are the three English words the person knows, "What's up baby?" Way to crush the car. How old are most cars, and are they working old ones, or do they look like patch-work automobiles? Loves!
ReplyDelete~steve
Never ever play chicken with inanimate objects, or stationary objects Laura, hopefully I can save you the trouble of learning that one for yourself... they always win. I'm glad though that it was you that hit the car and not the car that hit you. (Newtonian laws aside)
ReplyDeleteActually, Steve, the cars here are about on par with yours. So they're not patchwork - although the seatbelt thing wouldn't be a problem here. To wear a seatbelt if to insult the driver! Most seatbelts are thus disabled or ripped out.
ReplyDeleteF'tour means breaking of the fast. It's usually at breakfast time, but during Ramadan, it's at dusk after the evening call to prayer. EVERYONE goes home to F'tour with family, so the streets empty after the call to prayer. Then everyone's energetic and they come back out and stay up late.
Fortunately, Ryan, because of the deteriorating state of the cars, they are not as solid as pavement! But I hope to avoid fighting inanimate (and animate) objects in the future. I did drop the H-bomb on the street today: "H'shuma" which means "shame", and is apparently one of the worst things you can say.
I should specify that I yelled h'shuma at a guy who had been following me trying a barrage of languages to approach me for 5 blocks. It wasn't just Arabic turrets.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have good auto insurance when you are in the street. You don't want to dent one of those cars and be liable! How is everything else going? The pics from the other day look amazing. I told Nic I wanted to come visit and she laughed at me for saying no all the time she has wanted to go to Africa!
ReplyDeleteCome visit! Now you have someone to tour you around the city!
ReplyDeleteGood on ya, Laura! Especially that hshuma bit! (Though next time the guys stop to say stuff in their car I think you should just key it...)
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would like to say hello and I'm finally enjoying catching up on what you have been doing. Sounds like you're having fun! You must watch out for cars haha, but I guess you learned that already. I know exactly what you mean about crazy driving, that's what it was like when we were in Cairo. There is no need for lines on the road because no one uses them. You must be brave to cross the street. Enjoy your adventures!
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't know how to get my name there. But this is Taryn (and the previous post)...I'm having computer issues!
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