Differences: Walking and Driving in Africa

Mrs. McGoo and I have blogged countless times about how there are many differences in Africa and America, but two things we haven't discussed is how we are viewed and how the driving is here.

Think of the busiest city you know, say New York, where people are constantly walking in and out of traffic (While I have never been to NYC, I have seen plenty on tv to know that tons of people walk to and from work amidst a ton of traffic). Now take the same amount of people and shrink the city and you have Addis. It's really crazy. However, unlike the melting pot that is NYC, Addis 99.999999% black; meaning, there aren't many white folk walking around here. So, when there are a few walking around, it is a spectacle.
If you are the kind of person that doesn't like people staring at you, the Addis is not the place for you; or at least you might want to work on getting over it. There is no where, and I repeat, NO WHERE I go, that everyone isn't staring at me. If someone were to stare at you in the states, you might think someone has it out for you or your fly is open or something. So naturally, when you see someone stare at you in the states, you're first inclination is to respond, 'What? Got a problem or something?' Here, you kind of have to get use to it, because it happens everywhere you go. Here's another problem...they think you are someone else. I'll let Mrs. McGoo elaborate on her blog what has been going on lately with me, but let's just say that I'm getting called names by people now.
I continue to ask Nega (the Onesimus Director) why everyone stares at me (outside of the obvious, I’m good looking). He tells me that because I am a foreigngie (their word for foreigner) and they wonder why I’m here – what have I come to do? Also, because I’m a bigger guy (and apparently look like someone famous), which is not very common here in Ethiopia. On the negative side of things, they also think we have money, which leads people to beg quite a bit. While it isn’t overwhelming, it is bothersome because inside of you, you want to help someone. The problem is, if you give to one person, it’s over. You’ll get mauled by beggars who all think you’ve got some more to give.

In addition to people staring at you a lot, that isn’t the only strange thing here; the way people drive is another. I've never seen driving like this. I always thought Memphis drivers were horrible, then I went to Dallas, then I went to New Orleans, and Mexico, and so on. None of those places hold a candle to the way driving is here. Again, people are walking everywhere and traffic is so busy here, it is controlled chaos in that, everyone seems to know what they are doing, but it is completely crazy driving. I believe that I have seen ONE traffic light that is working here, but the rest are not. If you come to an intersection, you have to be what I call, ‘cautiously aggressive.’ You cannot stop and let everyone go, otherwise, you’ll get dominated and never will move. However, you cannot completely drive either or you’ll wreck. Speaking of wrecks, I’ve never seen one here and you’d think there would be one every five seconds. Yet, everyone knows what to expect. I actually like it better than in the states some. No one gets their feelings hurt, no one drives angry, and road rage is not an issue. Likewise, no one follows the dotted lines; they just give you a guide for where you need to be. I see people swaying back and forth all the time – no one bats an eye. In the states, you’d be pulled over for reckless driving. Again, the way people drive is expected here and no one gets their panties in a wad if someone flashes their lights at them, honks their horn at them, or passes them. Flashing lights and honking the horn is just their way of letting you know they are there and they don’t want you to get hit.

All that being said, there are two types of driving here: City driving and country driving.

City driving is a lot of how I explained previously. You have to be cautiously aggressive with crossing intersections and on the major roads. If you give someone more than a few feet, they will take it. So it is always a game of inches…or should I say millimeters here internationally. You also have to be cautiously aggressive with pedestrians. There are more people walking, than there are driving and they want a piece of the road as well. Sidewalks here are pretty much useless since vendors are set up on them, people are sleeping on them, or the sidewalk is destroyed. It is not uncommon to drive millimeters next to another car on one side and millimeters next to people on the other. All the while, both are trying to get ahead, in front, or around you. All of it makes for a very interesting ride.

The other type of driving is Country driving. I experienced this first when we took Nega and his wife Emu to Lake Awassa this past weekend. We made our way out of the city and then began to drive on a long stretch of road. Lake Awassa is 270 km north of Addis Ababa and we remembered every bit of the journey. When I think of all the times I’ve left Memphis and headed north to Nashville or Lexington, on a clear day, the worst one may have to encounter are traffic jams and a truck that is slow here or there. The thing you don’t have to account for is driving while large groups of people are walking on the shoulder, a buggy with a horse or donkey is driving in front of you or on the shoulder, or animals are crossing or walking on the shoulder. It makes for a very stressful drive when having to account for all of the other distractions that may be thrown in you path to get to a destination. On top of that, about every 30 mins, you come to a small town or market where it looks like a parade has come and you are the featured guest. You drive through with people and their animals all staring at you and walking around your car.

Now, imagine all of this, and then imagine YOU actually get to drive in it. Yep, I did. I relieved Nega of driving duties about halfway so that he could rest a little and I could get a taste of what it was like to drive. At first, I felt pretty good – nothing much in my way. Then about 45 mins later, I have three goats standing in the middle of the street. Keeping in mind what I saw Nega do earlier (he went through a line of cows and bulls by honking and slowly moving through them, they managed to move), I honked at the goats and slowed down a little. Apparently goats are completely oblivious to loud noises or are just dumber than cows, because they didn’t move. So I started to drift over to the shoulder where I could go around them. Then they started to move…toward the shoulder and our car. I hit the brakes harder and got a few millimeters from the goats and they jumped out of the way and I carried on. Nega, acting like this was nothing new, was talking on his phone and didn’t bat an eye. Emu, sat in the back seat and didn’t say a word. Mrs. McGoo on the other hand, channeled her inner Cindy Wilson and gave me a tongue lashing (Lloyd knows what I’m talking about). I just brushed it off and kept going. I encountered a few more animals along the way, but handled them like a pro – all the while still freaking my lovely wife out.

In conclusion, it’s crazy over here. And I love it