Learning to drive on the opposite side.....

Learning how to drive here in South Africa has been interesting and a little difficult. The steering wheels are on the right side of the car and they drive on the opposite side of the road. Everything is backwards from what i'm used to.  Tondi, one of the Godparents asked if I would drive her to the market . Since i've been here, I have discovered that a lot of African people don't have their drivers license. The reason many don't is because of the corruption.   I've heard stories of many people failing their driving test up to 15 times before they give up. Getting a license here isn't about being a good driver and passing the test, it's about bribing the person giving you the test. You can be a horrible driver and get your license if you pay enough. On the flip side you can be a great driver and fail because you didn't offer them a bribe.  Many of the Godparents living at Refilwe have a car, they just can't legally drive it.

Driving on the opposite side of the road wasn't so bad,  it sounded a lot harder than it was.  I just  had to constantly think about what I was doing. Luckily I had Tondi in the car to make sure I was on the correct side of the road.:)  I thought I was doing pretty good actually, until I drove into a pot hole causing the tire to become flat. The pot hole jumped out at me somehow :) The roads here are not maintained, bumps and pot holes are everywhere. it's like playing a game of frogger but instead of swerving around cars you're swerving around pot holes!! I'm not sure if they will let me drive again but they were gracious and understanding about the tire. They wouldn't let me pay for the repair because they said it could happen to anyone. Hopefully next time I drive, it will turn out better!!