Freedom -Driving in Buja

Looking over my blog I realize that I haven't updated you on many things that have happened lately.
As soon as Stephanie left I was informed that I was not to travel outside the walls alone. This was a difficult instruction to swallow. I might be living in Africa and follow cultural norms pretty well but I'm still an American girl who likes her freedom and rights.
The driver that I now must take instead of the bus is a great man in his 40s. He reminds me a lot of my dad. He's a sweet man who I just feel comfortable being around. We try to talk but it's hard because he knows as much English as I know Kirundi, which isn't much.
The first time he took me out he asked me if I drove in America. Then he asked why I didn't drive here in Buja. I told him I was scared. I asked him to teach me. I was super excited.
The next time he took me out I looked at him and asked who was driving, "me or you?" He passed me the keys. There were two passengers. One American, my friend, and then a Burundian. He chatted with the Burundian and I chatted with the American. :)
I hadn't driven in 5 months and now I was driving a manual transmission, mini van down the crowded streets of Buja. At first my heart was beating like crazy. My friend told me that it was because of all the people walking and biking on the road. He told me to calm down, it helped.
There were only a few times that the driver grimaced or told me to speed up.
We were waiting in a line of traffic behind a big truck that was unloading in the middle of the street. The driver looked at me and told me to turn right. There was no road, I was confused. You want me to drive up on the sidewalk and pass this truck on the right? There are all sorts of people on that side walk. I thought. He was crazy but I gunned it and hopped the wheels of the van onto the sidewalk. I weaved through the people making their was down the side walk. It was only about 30 feet that I was on the side walk but it seemed a lot longer. We made it back down onto the road. I was glad.
When I pulled into the school the driver looked at me and told me that next time I drive he will just take a nap in the passenger's seat. I was happy for that mark of approval.
I was scared to tell the person that told me not to go out alone. But the driver let her know.
That was a few weeks ago. Yesterday she handed me the key to the van to give to the driver today. I joked with her that I was going to take the van for a drive. She said, "do you feel comfortable driving?" I said yes. She then said that it's fine if I want to drive around. WHAT! I thought she was joking. I asked for clarification. She wasn't. She said that if I wanted to take the van out I could. I looked at my friend from America, who was sitting in my living room and said, "Did you hear that, let's go!"
I was so excited to not only have my freedom back but to have wheels to take me where I want to go when I want to go there!!!
Thank you Lord!!!
I was reading an email from a pastor friend of mine today. He asked me how I was doing with the "trapped" feeling. He said that he had been praying for my situation. Thank you Lord that you heard Pastor Dan's prayers. I was happy to tell him that I now had my "freedom" back. :)