Last year, after seeing what it takes to reach certain places where Stephanos has sponsor children, I decided it would be wise to get my motorcycle license. Since Stephanos has motorcycles for field workers, it would be a good idea. There is especially one area where we work that my car cannot reach due to the condition of the road. It’s doable with a Toyota Hilux or a Land Cruiser, and although my car is tough and strong for rough dirt roads, it’s not as tough, as high, or as strong as a Hilux or a Land Cruiser. Therefore, a better option is a motorcycle.
Last year somewhere around the end of October, I started the process of getting my license. I thought it wouldn’t take long. I was going to focus on it, and get it done as soon as possible. If you know Malawi, you’re already laughing. How could I think that?
Everything takes long here. Why? I really don’t know. But efficiency doesn’t seem to be the goal. I started in October. That involved going into town for lessons. The lessons were not scheduled. I just said, ok today I have time, and went. That just meant texting the teacher the day before, or just calling ahead of time. Once I had done my 3 in-class sessions learning about the Highway Code for SADC countries, I was ready to book my exam. That meant going to road traffic offices. Here the protocol is that you book your exam the day ahead and exams are only written on Thursdays. So I went to Road Traffic on Wednesday, with a girl from the school. There we sat for hours waiting. Then it was lunch time and everyone went for lunch break (12 – 1:30). So I took that girl with me and we also went for lunch. When it was my time, I told them what was necessary, I paid the fee, and that was that. That part didn’t take long. The next day, I was at Road Traffic by 7:30 prepared again to wait for hours. I think I sat for 1.5 hours only before writing my test, so that wasn’t so bad.
After passing the test (which thankfully can be written in English!), it was time for lessons. This was also the time when I started to be very busy with travelling to different districts of Malawi to get sponsor post ready for the end of the year, etc so I was trying to fit in motorcycle lessons in between all of that. Also, somehow, going to town isn’t just a simple event. It takes up a good chunk of the day just for a 30-45 minute lesson.
These lessons also were not scheduled. And I was green. Let me tell you – I knew absolutely N.O.T.H.I.N.G. about motorcycles. I didn’t know where the clutch was, or the accelerator or how to use it. How to brake, how to shift. Nothing. Honestly, nothing. We began with learning at a small field somewhere so I could just get the feeling of starting, shifting gears and stopping. There were times I was ready to give up. The teacher also didn’t understand why I was having a hard time and so that also put on some pressure. Finally, about half way through my lessons, he figured out my car was an automatic and I wasn’t even really familiar with manual shifting in a car.
Eventually I’m ashamed to admit, I got too busy with work and just let the lessons go. The New Year came and went. January went by, and most of February. Then I started to get serious. I called up the teacher and went the next day for another lesson. He scolded me for taking so long to come back and told me I needed to be serious. So yes, that was my plan. The next time, he told me that I was ready to go on the road. I agreed but inwardly was like, nope. Blantyre is too busy. EEEEK. So I planned to practice on someone else’s motorcycle at Stephanos. I did that a couple of times which helped to build my confidence. Then I went back to the school, swallowed my fear and entered the road with my teacher.
That moved into just taking the motorcycle from school for 30 minutes and driving on the road myself, without the teacher. Finally it was time to go together again. The teacher then told me I was ready for the road test. Another yipes! That meant that the week Esther would arrive, I went to town on Wednesday to book my written exam for Thursday, only to arrive in town and learn that there was no internet at Road Traffic so I couldn’t book my test for Thursday. There went that plan. Then Esther was here and I couldn’t desert her for 3 days to go to town 1. To book the test. 2. To write the written test. 3. To do the road test.
Esther left and I went back to this goal again. That final week, I did nothing but work on this goal of getting my license. That Monday was a holiday. Tuesday I went to town and had a lesson. Wednesday I went to town to practice PLUS go to Road Traffic to book my final written exam which I would write Thursday. Thursday, I went there to write the test. Always, always, always you wait. There are no such things as appointments. No, Thursday is the day you write the test, so you show up as early as possible and hope that things run smoothly. The test was easy, so that was a relief. Finally, it was Friday.
I showed up again at Road Traffic before 8AM that morning. After waiting for 2 hours, it seemed things were starting to move. I put on my elbow pads, my knee pads and my helmet. I was dressed from head to toe for the motorcycle. We learned that we would go two by two for our road test. I told my fellow student that he could go first and I would follow him. I also told him he better do well, because if he made a mistake, so would I! The road test examiners followed behind us in a car. The other guy smoothly entered the road while I made the mistake of stopping behind a bit of a bump, so I jerked and wobbled my way onto the road. Thinking I failed, we continued on. At least I didn’t have to think about the way to go. You know me and directions. All I had to think about was when to stop and doing my hand signals and shifting smoothly. Thankfully, it all went well. On shaking legs, I parked the motorcycle back at road traffic only to go and wait some more. To my surprise, we all passed! The paper license was printed and off I could go – before 12:30pm! Truly, what a relief.
So, I had my license. That meant – now what? I needed a motorcycle. There was a motorcycle here at Stephanos that I had been told I could use. But it hadn’t been driven in more than a year so it needed some work. After a few weeks, that was ready to go, and I was ready to go to work. I arranged with the field worker to go into the field to meet adoption children at the nearest school. (There are multiple schools where our children are placed, so I thought it wise to do the nearest one first. The other one is twice as far, and a mountain road with curves and rocks and bumps and ditches.)
The first day I went, the motorcycle drove well. We arrived safe and sound (though cold) since it was a cooler day! Finally, at the school, we parked the bikes, got off and met our children. Since I drove behind the field worker, I got to eat her dust. We were back to my house by early afternoon. Body sore, covered from head to toe in dust, I finished work for that day, hopped in the shower and threw my clothes immediately in the wash. I must say I rather like driving the bike, but like any new sport, your body takes time to get used to it!
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