Sometimes when you are living in another culture it is hard to figure out “how things work”. Take driving lessons, for example. In the UK, when I learned to drive, I had to book lessons with a driving instructor. We arranged a date and time, and I knew I could expect him to turn up outside my house with the driving school car at that date and time, and take me out for an hour's drive.
Here things were already complicated slightly by my already knowing how to drive … in Europe! So I had no problem knowing how to use the car, I just felt I needed to know more about specifically driving in Benin, and of course needed to be familiar with the Highway Code of Benin.
At the driving school I was told first of all, “No problem, no problem, you know how to drive! We'll just send you out with a monitor once to see the route of the exam.” “Er yes, and could I have a copy of the Highway Code?” “Oh, you don't need to worry about that!” “No really, I'd like to!” “Ok, we can sell you a copy.”
What I bought turned out not to be the Highway Code, but the learner's manual, which is actually a collection of multiple choice questions (and answers!) that could turn up in the exam. All 600 of them!
I went in to sign up in mid-July and they tried to persuade me to take the test at the end of the month. I insisted that I'd rather have more time to revise, and would prefer the end of August. I went back again mid-August and found that the director of the driving school was still very laidback, whereas his secretary was saying, “You've left it a bit late!” It turned out she didn't realise I'd lived in France and was used to driving on the right, but she still thought I should be getting some practice in.
My problem though, was knowing how to get myself a lesson. When I asked them if I should book, they said, “No, no! Just turn up, we work with the client's availability!” Having in my head the British system of going out with an instructor, I didn't quite see how this would work, but decided I'd just have to go along with it. (That said, I had seen driving school cars out with 4 learners in them, each one being driven around by someone else before having their turn, and I hoped they wouldn't make me go through that!)
But last week I turned up one afternoon, to be told by the secretary, “Hmm, they were doing theory this morning, I don't know if they're doing driving practice this afternoon...” … which kind of confirmed my idea that it wasn't as simple as they made it seem! She called the director on his mobile phone, had a conversation in which the only part in French was, “La Blanche est venue pour aller sur le terrain,” (“the white woman has come to go out driving”) and then said to me, “Ok, sit down, he's coming to take you out.”
Before the director arrived, two more learners had also turned up, one of whom was bawled out by the secretary for not being able to come to theory classes in the morning (so much for working with the client's availability!). As we left, another learner turned up on his motorbike, and so he and one of the other learners left on the motorbike, while the director said to me, “You behind the wheel!” and I drove him and the other learner to the practice ground. The only thing he told me off for was driving too fast (40km/h, so well under 30mph, on a clear road!) saying in a good-natured way, “Oh, you Europeans, you always want to do everything quickly!” He also told me that in town there is no point changing up out of second gear!
At the practice ground I soon figured out that the practical part of the driving test consists of driving the car around a (very) small circuit. There is a three-point turn, a reverse around a corner, a parallel park and a reverse park, and one of the other learners told me, “As long as you don't knock down any of the markers, you'll pass!” So in fact, it is possible to pass the test without using anything other than first gear and reverse! After spending over an hour watching 7 or 8 others practise, I knew the circuit pretty well, and so did it fine when it was my turn. But the director told me he'd still like me to come back for another afternoon to make sure that I know it well enough.
The second time was quicker, as there were fewer of us, but when I thought I'd take a taxi-moto home, the director of the driving school said, “Where do you live? … Oh, we will be driving near there, we can drop you off!” I wasn't sure how much of a favour it was to be driven home by a learner, and when the director told her to take a dirt track instead of the main road my fears were confirmed! But I did get home safe and sound, so I shouldn't complain!
I also went in twice to take past papers. Both times I got 15/20 (you need 14 to pass) and the first time I should have got 17, but for two of them I mistakenly put down the answers from my learner's manual … which apparently were wrong!! This does not fill me with confidence regarding tomorrow's exam! All the 20 questions are multiple choice, but it isn't just answers A, B, C, D or E, it can also be A and B – A and C – A and D – A, B and C – A, C and D … and so on! And they are purposely worded so that you have to think very hard about it!
Ah well. I will do my best. I am also handicapped by not being overly sure about the “priorité à droite” rule, which if I was French I ought to know very well … it is basically that in the absence of markings, the vehicle coming from the right has priority … except at roundabouts of course. And in reality, here on the road it actually seems to be that the biggest vehicle has the priority! There are also things I honestly didn't know about driving here – like that it is actually in the Highway Code that you should beep before overtaking!
If nothing else, the experience will have done me good as it's got me out of the bubble of missionary life and has also pushed me to use the taxi-motos. Not something I'm very excited about, given the number of motorbike accidents on the roads here (10 days ago we actually witnessed two accidents in the space of five minutes!), but it is good for me to do something that requires being a bit brave :o) I did obey the Highway Code and wear a helmet … unlike the majority of people on motorbikes!
Now I'm praying for non-trick and non-ambiguous questions tomorrow morning!
Oh, and last time I forgot to share two other lovely questions from my manual:
Q.346 If you have a flat tyre when you're alone in your car and don't have a jack, you can:
a. Make a hole in the road to enable you to change the wheel
b. Lift the car up to change the wheel
c. Wait for a passer-by to get help
Q.352 To help children who are waiting to cross the road
a. I stop and wave them over
b. I slow down and get ready to brake if they decide to cross suddenly
c. I don't stop if other cars are coming towards me
d. I get out of my car to help them across the road
Strangely, the correct answers to 352 are given as c and d … which leaves me a little confused (what's wrong with b?), though I do like the idea that stopping to help them is given as a correct answer!
Here things were already complicated slightly by my already knowing how to drive … in Europe! So I had no problem knowing how to use the car, I just felt I needed to know more about specifically driving in Benin, and of course needed to be familiar with the Highway Code of Benin.
At the driving school I was told first of all, “No problem, no problem, you know how to drive! We'll just send you out with a monitor once to see the route of the exam.” “Er yes, and could I have a copy of the Highway Code?” “Oh, you don't need to worry about that!” “No really, I'd like to!” “Ok, we can sell you a copy.”
What I bought turned out not to be the Highway Code, but the learner's manual, which is actually a collection of multiple choice questions (and answers!) that could turn up in the exam. All 600 of them!
I went in to sign up in mid-July and they tried to persuade me to take the test at the end of the month. I insisted that I'd rather have more time to revise, and would prefer the end of August. I went back again mid-August and found that the director of the driving school was still very laidback, whereas his secretary was saying, “You've left it a bit late!” It turned out she didn't realise I'd lived in France and was used to driving on the right, but she still thought I should be getting some practice in.
My problem though, was knowing how to get myself a lesson. When I asked them if I should book, they said, “No, no! Just turn up, we work with the client's availability!” Having in my head the British system of going out with an instructor, I didn't quite see how this would work, but decided I'd just have to go along with it. (That said, I had seen driving school cars out with 4 learners in them, each one being driven around by someone else before having their turn, and I hoped they wouldn't make me go through that!)
But last week I turned up one afternoon, to be told by the secretary, “Hmm, they were doing theory this morning, I don't know if they're doing driving practice this afternoon...” … which kind of confirmed my idea that it wasn't as simple as they made it seem! She called the director on his mobile phone, had a conversation in which the only part in French was, “La Blanche est venue pour aller sur le terrain,” (“the white woman has come to go out driving”) and then said to me, “Ok, sit down, he's coming to take you out.”
Before the director arrived, two more learners had also turned up, one of whom was bawled out by the secretary for not being able to come to theory classes in the morning (so much for working with the client's availability!). As we left, another learner turned up on his motorbike, and so he and one of the other learners left on the motorbike, while the director said to me, “You behind the wheel!” and I drove him and the other learner to the practice ground. The only thing he told me off for was driving too fast (40km/h, so well under 30mph, on a clear road!) saying in a good-natured way, “Oh, you Europeans, you always want to do everything quickly!” He also told me that in town there is no point changing up out of second gear!
At the practice ground I soon figured out that the practical part of the driving test consists of driving the car around a (very) small circuit. There is a three-point turn, a reverse around a corner, a parallel park and a reverse park, and one of the other learners told me, “As long as you don't knock down any of the markers, you'll pass!” So in fact, it is possible to pass the test without using anything other than first gear and reverse! After spending over an hour watching 7 or 8 others practise, I knew the circuit pretty well, and so did it fine when it was my turn. But the director told me he'd still like me to come back for another afternoon to make sure that I know it well enough.
The second time was quicker, as there were fewer of us, but when I thought I'd take a taxi-moto home, the director of the driving school said, “Where do you live? … Oh, we will be driving near there, we can drop you off!” I wasn't sure how much of a favour it was to be driven home by a learner, and when the director told her to take a dirt track instead of the main road my fears were confirmed! But I did get home safe and sound, so I shouldn't complain!
I also went in twice to take past papers. Both times I got 15/20 (you need 14 to pass) and the first time I should have got 17, but for two of them I mistakenly put down the answers from my learner's manual … which apparently were wrong!! This does not fill me with confidence regarding tomorrow's exam! All the 20 questions are multiple choice, but it isn't just answers A, B, C, D or E, it can also be A and B – A and C – A and D – A, B and C – A, C and D … and so on! And they are purposely worded so that you have to think very hard about it!
Ah well. I will do my best. I am also handicapped by not being overly sure about the “priorité à droite” rule, which if I was French I ought to know very well … it is basically that in the absence of markings, the vehicle coming from the right has priority … except at roundabouts of course. And in reality, here on the road it actually seems to be that the biggest vehicle has the priority! There are also things I honestly didn't know about driving here – like that it is actually in the Highway Code that you should beep before overtaking!
If nothing else, the experience will have done me good as it's got me out of the bubble of missionary life and has also pushed me to use the taxi-motos. Not something I'm very excited about, given the number of motorbike accidents on the roads here (10 days ago we actually witnessed two accidents in the space of five minutes!), but it is good for me to do something that requires being a bit brave :o) I did obey the Highway Code and wear a helmet … unlike the majority of people on motorbikes!
Now I'm praying for non-trick and non-ambiguous questions tomorrow morning!
Oh, and last time I forgot to share two other lovely questions from my manual:
Q.346 If you have a flat tyre when you're alone in your car and don't have a jack, you can:
a. Make a hole in the road to enable you to change the wheel
b. Lift the car up to change the wheel
c. Wait for a passer-by to get help
Q.352 To help children who are waiting to cross the road
a. I stop and wave them over
b. I slow down and get ready to brake if they decide to cross suddenly
c. I don't stop if other cars are coming towards me
d. I get out of my car to help them across the road
Strangely, the correct answers to 352 are given as c and d … which leaves me a little confused (what's wrong with b?), though I do like the idea that stopping to help them is given as a correct answer!
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