In the eye of the beholder

Have you ever had someone tell you that you had food on your face? It might be slightly embarrassing, but I'm always grateful for the people who serve as my mirrors and help me out when unaware.

But sometimes the person trying to fix your look gets it wrong. You think there's a story in this? Of course!

After about a month of living on Clove Island, I was walking away from my house toward a teammate's house when a neighbor waved me over to her shop.

This baby has also had black eyebrows drawn on her.

"Come!" she yelled.  Well, that I understood. I came over to her.

"Come closer"  -- uh, okay. I was a little closer to her than I was comfortable with, but it's not like I knew the culture yet, so maybe there was something I needed to learn.

Nope, it was too close alright. Next thing I knew, she was drawing on my face!

"Ah, you're so beautiful!" she exclaimed, and handed me a mirror.

Know what she drew? BLACK EYEBROWS. And then she gifted me with the pencil so I could look pretty all the time.

And then I proceeded to walk through town with my black eyebrows, 'cause I was late and didn't want to go home just to wash my face.

So are you beautiful? Depends on who you ask. Some people might say you need black eyebrows and then you'll be pretty.

A consumer's guide to drivers

 I love driving, but for my 2.5 years on Clove Island I never got behind the wheel of a car. I got to experience a lot of other drivers. So, for your perusal, I present to you a few of the driving types on my African scene:


1) Classic taxi driver: this guy is young, energetic, likes to smoke, and drives fast. Heavy on the accelerator, heavy on the brakes, fuel economy isn't really his thing. What is his thing? Women. Passengers are often delayed as he stops and visits with his various girlfriends along the way.

2) Family man taxi driver: a little older, this guy will double as a "school bus" driver, filling the back of his car with 7 or 8 little kids (in addition to an adult passenger or two) whom he delivers to each of their homes. He can often be seen chewing out small children any time they do something he perceives as unsafe (hands out the window, moving around too much, exiting the car into traffic...).

3) Private car owner type 1: this person cares about their car, so they drive carefully. (alternate read-- they barely know how to drive.) I can often walk faster than this person drives, especially any time there is an oncoming car.

4) Private car owner type 2: this person is a confident driver, but often careless. They'll talk on the phone while driving, text, watch music videos, and honk at people who don't move out of the way for them. On the plus side, they're more likely to offer free rides to random people who need them.

5) Motorcyclist: motos have the fortune of not getting caught in traffic as easily as cars... but on the flip side motorcyclists tend to weave in and out of traffic quite a bit. And goats in the road are a little problematic for them. Upside: speed. Downside: rain.

6) Cairo taxi drivers: I only spent 20 hours in Cairo, but that was plenty for getting a taste of the road systems. The Cairo taxi driver is a product of his environment. He creates his own lane in traffic, merging with other lanes any time there's a clear spot ahead. He drives fast, tailgates often, and uses his horn for great advantage. PTL for taxi drivers there, because that's one place I never want to be behind the wheel.