Best Quote So Far
Margaret, who used to be the manager of a major bank, is the deputy director of Hope Ministries. She is also a tall and wonderfully hilarious woman who has consistently had the best one-liners on every single trip I’ve taken here.
Half the time I feel like she doesn’t even intend to be funny, but somehow, in talking about everything from Zambians’ extraordinary skills at throwing rocks to the much more mundane topics of daily conversation, she never fails to say things that I will never forget.
Today, it happened while we were driving. It’s the rainy season here in Zambia, which means most days there’s at least one huge 20-minute downpour that soaks absolutely everything. This includes the dirt roads that we spend most of our time driving on. The rain plus the lack of upkeep on the roads means there are about a zillion potholes in every short stretch of road.
Drivers here usually meander across boths sides of the street on such roads, avoiding potholes and seriously testing the shocks on their cars. We faced a few doozies today, and Margaret casually mentioned that in Zambia you absolutely have to drive weaving from side to side like this. Then, she deadpanned, “Here, if you drive straight, it means you’re drunk!”
Somehow after four trips and a cumulative three months in this country, I am still tickled and shocked by lessons like this. Alas, great lesson. Noted for the future. 🙂