When our friends Jolene and Jenanna were here, we went to Jinja for the weekend. It was their tourist activity and a nice break between the two weeks of training. Now, Floyd was really busy at the property, as he's trying to get several things done before he comes to the US in a few weeks. So, after much hesitation, he decided that he could bear with me driving to Jinja. Jenanna, Jolene, and I loaded up with the 3 kids and began our road trip.
We had a great time visiting some friends, watching the monkeys, attending a house church on Sunday, swimming in the Nile, and just relaxing. On Sunday afternoon, we grabbed a snack after church and headed on the road home.
I don't really remember how long we'd been on the road when it happened, but at some point we came upon a more crowded area where the traffic police were present. There were many speed bumps and people were driving a bit crazy. One guy was in front of us and he nearly came to a complete stop to go over each speed bump, so as is common in Uganda, when their were no on-coming cars, I went around him during one of his near stops.
Immediately, a traffic cop waved me to pull over. I thought he was going to question me about my seat belt, because I assumed it wasn't easily visible and couldn't imagine why else he would pull me over.
As soon as I rolled down the passenger side window, he said, "why did you over take in an area that is clearly marked for not overtaking?" (overtaking means passing another vehicle)). Now, I wasn't sure what "clear" markings he was talking about, so I said, "I'm sorry sir, which sign post is the one that says not to overtake?" He began to explain and I realized he was talking about the usual line down the middle of the road - solid means no passing and dotted means you can pass. Now, I know what he's talking about, but I'm confused because I follow that rule - probably more than just about any other person in the country. I look out the window at the road to see if I was crazy or what. Then, I said, "sir, I'm sorry, I don't see any line in the road." He said, "are you trying to defend yourself?" I said, "no, sir, I'm just apologizing for not seeing the line in the road, I don't see it. (while pointing out the window to the road)." He says, "do you want me to show you the line?"
Now, Jolene and Jenanna are praying for me to not get myself in trouble and for the man to have grace for the alleged offense.
This is where my smart mouth nearly got me in trouble. I so badly wanted to say, "yes, please, go into the middle of this busy street to show me the line." But that would probably not be productive because corruption and arrogance are real among police officers in this country. So, instead, I said, "no, sir, I'm just terribly sorry that I did not see the line. I will definitely pay very close attention to the lines in the future. Please forgive me."
He stared at my license for a while and I wondered what part he was having trouble making out because there's not that much info on there (I'm referring to my Texas driver's license and you know there just isn't much info to read). Finally, he looked up and told me I could go but to obey the laws.
Now, my friends, here's the kicker. I took two pictures of the road just to show everyone that I'm not crazy. Do you see the solid line down the middle???
So, again, friends, I ask you, where is the solid line?
Now, perhaps you can imagine why I really wanted to ask that officer to please go out in the middle of the road and show me the line. :)
We had a great time visiting some friends, watching the monkeys, attending a house church on Sunday, swimming in the Nile, and just relaxing. On Sunday afternoon, we grabbed a snack after church and headed on the road home.
I don't really remember how long we'd been on the road when it happened, but at some point we came upon a more crowded area where the traffic police were present. There were many speed bumps and people were driving a bit crazy. One guy was in front of us and he nearly came to a complete stop to go over each speed bump, so as is common in Uganda, when their were no on-coming cars, I went around him during one of his near stops.
Immediately, a traffic cop waved me to pull over. I thought he was going to question me about my seat belt, because I assumed it wasn't easily visible and couldn't imagine why else he would pull me over.
As soon as I rolled down the passenger side window, he said, "why did you over take in an area that is clearly marked for not overtaking?" (overtaking means passing another vehicle)). Now, I wasn't sure what "clear" markings he was talking about, so I said, "I'm sorry sir, which sign post is the one that says not to overtake?" He began to explain and I realized he was talking about the usual line down the middle of the road - solid means no passing and dotted means you can pass. Now, I know what he's talking about, but I'm confused because I follow that rule - probably more than just about any other person in the country. I look out the window at the road to see if I was crazy or what. Then, I said, "sir, I'm sorry, I don't see any line in the road." He said, "are you trying to defend yourself?" I said, "no, sir, I'm just apologizing for not seeing the line in the road, I don't see it. (while pointing out the window to the road)." He says, "do you want me to show you the line?"
Now, Jolene and Jenanna are praying for me to not get myself in trouble and for the man to have grace for the alleged offense.
This is where my smart mouth nearly got me in trouble. I so badly wanted to say, "yes, please, go into the middle of this busy street to show me the line." But that would probably not be productive because corruption and arrogance are real among police officers in this country. So, instead, I said, "no, sir, I'm just terribly sorry that I did not see the line. I will definitely pay very close attention to the lines in the future. Please forgive me."
He stared at my license for a while and I wondered what part he was having trouble making out because there's not that much info on there (I'm referring to my Texas driver's license and you know there just isn't much info to read). Finally, he looked up and told me I could go but to obey the laws.
Now, my friends, here's the kicker. I took two pictures of the road just to show everyone that I'm not crazy. Do you see the solid line down the middle???
 |
| In this photo, there is a mild resemblance of a line that might have been there at some point in the past, or where they joined the two sides together in construction. Of course, who knows what the random dots are. |
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| Now, this picture was a bit further up the road, just to have more evidence. |
Now, perhaps you can imagine why I really wanted to ask that officer to please go out in the middle of the road and show me the line. :)
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