A Paler Shadow of my Blogging Self

Given the frenetic nature of last week, coupled with the equally intense week (of web searches; more web trawls, plus a significant case of m&e on the horizon), I have been seriously driven to distraction in a way I have not been a very long time.

It looks like though nothing will ever surpass the last week, this week, and next, the month of June ought to be a better one for calming the mind to be the best I can be.

Frankly, I have been a paler shadow of myself--and not just in blogging. I need to catch up on reports; report some more; evaluate where I am going on every blessed thing that is important to me, and learn a lot of things more intensely than I had done.

Blogging might be this side of light next week; accept my many apologies!

I seriously will bounce back the first week of June...

Chronicles of a Ghanaian Commuter: In Praise of Walking

Many people believe that middle-class types like those who blog about and in Ghana are all car-drivers. It's like if you can string a couple of sentences together that sound cogent, then you must be so well-educated that your disposable income is bursting at the seams. Syllogically, you must be a driver.

I got news for you: not all "middle-class" bloggers drive; some of us still commute-either because we cannot afford it, or because we chose to!

If you can get past the exclamation mark, you can, I suspect, also accept that one of the wonderful things about being a Ghanaian commuter is the freedom that comes with it.

For example, as I stepped out of the office for lunch this afternoon, I was able to hiss at a taxi that stopped and brought me here to A&C shopping Mall in East Legon. Had I been driving, I would have gone through the whole thing about getting into the car, mirrors, reversing, looking at petrol gauge and all that;-)

Yesterday, as I walked to my office--some twenty-five minutes away--from A&C, I walked with my tongue firmly in cheek: many taxi-drivers were hooting like crazy, expecting that I would concede defeat and hitch a ride. I waved my hand in a manner that indicated I didn't want a ride, and they firmly moved on.

Once I got back to the office, I thought, "yeah, this is good!" Forget that I got exercise and all that--and just think of the fresh air I got from it.

My humble suggestion is to one of these days, park your car, and walk. I know when I get kids, I'll be driving them around more than I expected, so now is my time to enjoy the walks!

Driven to Distraction: Week 3, From Slow & Sure Spintex to Aggressive and Animated Airport

This week has been particularly interesting as far as driving on the road. After five hours, I was given a new instructor, who started last week. A DVLA-trained instructor, it appeared he was instrumental in saving the driving school from being another victim of the mass-closure of DVLA to root out bad and unregulated schools. His stories are not for here, except to say that he's a vivacious and interesting character whom I'd like to see more of to help train me further in my driving.

He wasn't particularly happy with the way I started the car. Though I was able to move with the clutch and accelerator in tow, he lamented my speeding, and the need to curb it.

The Steering wheel is another place he gave me grief for. He felt I held it too tough, as if I was going to war or something, so he's slowly and surely encouraged me to hold it lightly. The lighter I hold it, the more control I can get of the car. It's been my second week with him, and I can see the effects. It enables me concentrate more on the road and anticipate more--something both the folks and Joseph alike have inculcated into me.

On Wednesday, I was able to endure the infamous and legendary Spintex road traffic with a new instructor who stepped in in place of Joseph. The half-clutch/break combination was not easy at all! The more I do it, the better I shall become. On Tuesday, it had rained rather heavily. As such, it was darker than usual for that time of evening (around 6.15pm). The experience was useful in helping me get used to driving in those conditions, what with the potholes and all, and the badly-lit roads.

Monday saw me hitting the airport residential area--not by my own choice. We were to drop off a driving instructor colleague who wanted to meet up with his sister, so we passed through the infamous Tetteh-Quarshie interchange past the Polo Club, past Airport shell and back onto the road from 37 northbound to Tetteh-Quarshie. It would be the first time I ventured that side since I started practicals. The half-clutch was tricky, and the car went off a couple of times. My gear-changing has improved considerably, though Joseph suggested I drive without putting my hand near the gear as it distracts.

No driving today. But better things to come--for sure!!