Okay, so it FEELS like I've had that many entries about my road. It is just a silly process to me. Picture my neighborhood coming out to one crossroads- no other way to leave the neighborhood. Picture me at 12:30-ish going home for lunch (done for teaching part of day- onward to a meeting by 1).
The road guys are back. They are digging up all the temporary (badly built!) speed bumps the neighbors on that access road have put down illegally. The guy in charge stops and we talk a minute, as I'm curious how long today they'll be working. He is the engineer in charge (and not just claiming it like the other guys), and even hands me his business card. He says they'll be done by 4 (I read: this is Africa, that means 6 or 7). So after my meeting, I go do errands, drop things at peoples houses who needed some American type snacks I had found at the grocery... hang out at Mayo's, end up eating at Mayo's. Then around 7:30 I figure SURELY the road is ready for me to pass on now.
NOPE. They've parked their construction vehicles at the top of the hill blocking the entrance to the road entirely. I ask a boda/motorcycle guy (who I just saw drive up the hill) if the lower entrance to the access road is open... Nope. In other words, there is NO access except by foot to my neighborhood and house. Hmmm.
So I called Keith Bourne, a WGM missionary and my "closest neighbor" about 1.5 km. away. I asked him to let me leave the car at his place, drive me to the lower access site, and I'd walk in. Which is what I've done.
THEN... (a little after the fact- duh!)... I remember I got the engineer's business card. Although I've given it to Jonathan Mayo, we both ended up calling the engineer who swears there is enough room for a vehicle to pass- at another "new" opening they've been working on, on the other side of the hill. They don't have detour signs pointing to that singular entrance. They just expect you to find it on your own. And I don't trust the situation. It is now well after 8 and dark, and what am I supposed to do- call Keith again and go hiking out to his car, so we can TRY a new entrance that MAY be there or not? And on the other side of the hill that is far and not easy to get to? Last time I saw that spot, the road looked GREAT, except for the 4 foot wide gap (3 feet or more deep!) at the opening- meaning no vehicle could drive across it. So not trusting, I'll just stay camped out in my home tonight, pray it doesn't rain in the a.m., and hike up the hill at 7:30 or so, to then hike down the hill to school (a 15 min. walk maybe once I am on top of the hill). Great. I'll arrive sweaty and nasty with mud caked to my clothes to teach tomorrow. Lovely.
Okay- it really isn't THAT bad- Brent has offered to pick me up for school, and really, there are SO many people (the majority of people) here who walk every day, everywhere. I CAN'T (and better not!) complain. I've got a comparatively cushy life and great access to vehicles 99.9% of the time. Mostly I'm just amazed at the methods of some things here sometimes. It is no big deal to walk to school- for real, and I'm thankful for an opportunity to better understand my neighbors who I normally pass each day as I drive to school. And I'm so thankful to be able to safely leave my car in another property instead of on the road to be stolen/vandalized. I'm also thankful that the neighborhood I live in is pretty safe and I could walk home at 8 at night. :) Another thing to be thankful for is that in the end (whenever that may be) I will have a really nice road to drive down (till the neighbors put up the nasty illegal speed bumps again I suppose). :)