Sunday, July 31, 2016

Sunday Drives

Sundays are about the only time of the week the whole family rides in the car together. When we moved to Africa we sold our spacious 12 passenger mega van and bought a land cruiser here that has seat belts to safely carry 8 people. (I say that because I am sure we have carried up to 12 people in the car on several occasions, simply because we needed to give other people a ride.) Gone were the days of each child having enough space between them and the other kid in the car. AT least a whole empty seat in the middle, or leg room to climb into the back seats and sit comfortably and be able to have your whole set up; which consisted of the activity bag, snacks, drinks, books, coloring, dvd players for those cross country drives, wet wipes, sanitizer, extra changes of clothes in the back of the car “just in case”, etc etc. 

Over the years as the kids have grown the car has gotten squishier and squishier. 3 teenagers sitting in the middle row with no leg room and water bottles, bibles and notebooks piled up high on their laps makes for some “close” times together. Add to that no air conditioning in the car the last couple of months and things can get a little ‘heated.’ 

But sometimes amidst the noise and irritations, he’s touching me, tell her to stop talking...there are sweet times together. Singing, listening to each other tell jokes, pointing out funny signs on the back of the mini-buses and around town, and playing “corners” (the British equivalent of sliding over and squishing the person next to you when you turn the corner.) I’m certain there is a different name for that in the States. I think in the South its called a COD curve - come over darling!  

So the kids have come up with a new game. Similar to the “punch buggy”- When you see a VW bug driving around then you punch the person next to you in the car. Remember that?! 

It’s called Cracker Slap.  
Yep. You heard right. 

The kids see a white person walking when we are driving and they all shout out cracker slap and slap each other. 
And it is hilarious! 

I don't know if this came out of the "if you can't beat them join them mentality" -as everywhere we go muzungu, muzungu is shouted out (white person, white person). But, after a few initial tries of Grace trying to slap everyone else in the car the kids had to update the rules that it doesn’t apply to each other. 


It reminds me of the fact that you gotta not take yourself so seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself. :)  

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