African Bumper Cars

One of the hardest things to get used to here in Africa is the driving. In fact, one man who visited from the States said it was the most interesting thing he experienced here in Burkina. I think he is right. Traffic here is bizarre.

This morning Pam and I were driving to school. Traffic was crazy as usual, and no one wanted to wait their turn as usual. At one busy intersection an “impatient” woman decided she would pass about five cars on the left hand side of the road so she wouldn’t have to wait. However, she ran out of room and was headed straight for the oncoming traffic that was waiting for their light. She then decided she would make a hole and try to make the guy in front of me stop. She ended up hitting him with the passenger side of her car…YES that is right, she rammed him. His car was old and he didn’t seem to care, so he didn’t give an inch. It was a bizarre experience. I guess one could call it African bumper cars.