"Oh, The Lady is Driving!"

Where could the hours have gone? We woke at 5:30, and already it is 9:30pm or more precisely, 21:30hrs, Zambian time. Rand was away, up north in the Copperbelt, on Tues. and Wed. On Monday he was my navigator as I practiced driving from points A to Z so I could drive solo in his absence. I would have to go to DDM on Tues., take three missionaries to get immunizations at the clinic, buy phone time, do the banking, and a little shopping, etc. While thus on our practice drive, I was summoned to pull over by a policewoman. She said I was pulled over for driving straight through the intersection in the middle lane instead of turning. I said that it was not marked as a 'turn only' lane, to which she replied: That is the Municipalities problem! She instructed me to follow her. Rand received a phone call at that point and so he told me he'd be right in. Off I went into the disgustingly dirty police post; paper files piled in every corner, nook and cranny, old muddy tires laying on the floor and a corner-sink full of dirty dishes displaying different stages of mold overgrowth.I sat between two cops on a splintered bench behind a splintered desk, trying to keep my skirt from touching the floor or the desk where I was watching the cockroaches scamper around trying to find whatever it was with that pungent smell. The police staff wandered in and out, curious about the American woman, and dug cups out of the sink, presumably for afternoon tea.The policewoman asked me all my life's details and wrote them down and then asked me how I pled. I said not guilty since there was no marked turn-lane, and she said if I pled not-guilty my car would be impounded and I would be held over. ( Held over what, I wondered; the rotten sink?) If I pled guilty, I would just be fined 270,000kwacha ($600)! I said 'In that case, I guess I'm guilty, and in my country, that is referred to as HIGHWAY ROBBERY!' With 3 policeman hovering over me as I counted out kwacha, I was wondering where my chivalrous husband was--and who should appear but he himself in his dark suit, striking tie and sunglasses, looking like an FBI agent. He said "What is going on in here?" I said that I didn't have enough money to pay the 270,000K fine. He said "WHAT? That is WAY over the top!" The policewoman looked at him and then at me and said, "Well, we will just give you a warning for being so honest!" . . . whatever!! Thanks Rand; the late-entrance-strategy saved the day!
Rand hasn't been well for a week.He was not looking forward to the long drive to the Copperbelt with Pierce. They left 5AM Tues morning at which time I started preparing for District Development Meeting. By nine I was ready to go. First,I drove to the cell phone store, stood in a long que, and bought phone time for all the mission phones. Then, I very methodically drove thru the maze to the church, where, after DDM,I attended to the mail and medications and the other needs and questions of the Elders and Sisters. Next, I drove Sister Simane and Elders Roberts and Bisaso(plus companions) to the clinic for their immunizations. We made quite the conspicuous entourage entering the humble health-care clinic. (Ideally, the church does these missionaries a service in providing their immunizations;I say ideally because I am ill-trained and insecure in this responsibility.The mission president's wife is usually in charge of Elder's health care. I received on-the-job-trainig by searching thru our mission-office file cabinet!
After immunizations, I drove a few Elders to a shopping center to do their grocery shopping. They were amazed, but mostly terrified that I was driving, making them alert back-seat drivers! While they shopped, I looked for Rand's birthday gift in the rare moment that I didn't have him at my side.I've been trying to find him a compass to help with our bearings, but no one in Zambia must care in what direction they are going--there is not one to be found.
At the end of the day, I felt quite triumphant when our guard opened the gate for me to drive through. When he had opened the gate for me to leave that morning, he exclaimed, "Oh, the lady is driving," with wide-eyed surprise. Upon my return, he exclaimed, "Madame, you have driven well!"
That night, the Sisters and I had a sleepover. When the Zone Leaders dropped them off, I was surprised to see them already clad in pajamas and African night caps (pantyhose wrapped tightly around their hair). From the looks on the ZLs faces, they were just as surprised! Oh my! These are the only two sisters in Zambia in the midst of 30 Elders, so they desperately deserve a little girl-time.Sister Akungu from Kenya, and Sister Simane from Botswana,wanted to watch The God's Must Be Crazy. It was filmed in Botswana and Sister Simane was so excited to show us her homeland; the bushmen and their traditions, the clicking language, the landscape, the animals. Her delight was the funnest to watch. I served lasagna; neither had ever had it before. Sister Akungu is a recent orphan and had been the only one working to provide for her 5 siblings. In order to serve a mission, her sister agreed to take over her job and provide for the family in her absence. She has had a hard time being away from her 5 year old sister. Hearing her talking so sweetly to her on Mother's Day was most dear.
Rand flew back from Ndola on Wed. night. His trip had been exasperating and wearisome and he still was not well. The church in the Copperbelt is just a jumbled-up mess and many problems here in Lusaka were waiting to pounce on him. And those might be tales, along with many others, for another day. No more time now.