My Learning Experience

I'm sorry for my absence, i am back. Alot has happened to me in the past week and i just haven't been able to blog or do a lot of other things for that matter and i'll share them now.So solomonsydelle and afrobabe, here's the update

Learning is a different experience for different people. This week, i have had some experiences which i'm trying to come to terms with or i've just gotten to accept. I started learning to drive properly in recent times since i have been very lazy about it. I used to leave the car at home and go out in cabs but has proved very inconvenient in recent times, i just hate the haggling and so on so i summoned courage and got hubby's permission to start taking the car. I arranged with one of my colleagues to be riding with me,and voila we were good to go. I had driven round my area for a while so i was gettng confident.

First day i drove to work, the car told me 'check coolant', meaning there was no water in the radiator, we put water and it started leaking, so i called the mechanic to meet me at home, only for us to drive a few metres and the car stopped. We waited there for over an hour, the guy came, attended to it and the car started. I was like so upset, considering i wanted to speand the rest of my afternoon writing after resting a bit. I closed from work at 1:30 and didn't get to my house till like past 4:00. It's only about 20 minutes journey. Hubby and i talked on the phone and we joked about it as part of driving experience, i felt better

The following day, i drove to work and back and there was no issue, so i begged my colleague that i needed fuel for our generator and also some for the car. We drove to the filling station and bought the fuel. I dropped my friend at his place, our houses are just about 5 minutes apart, was driving home jejelly (gently) and was entering a corner, when this car suddenly appeared in front of me, i didn't know what to do, i panicked, next thing our cars had kissed and then i remembered the brake...it was too late! Next thing i know i'm out of my car and shaking like a leaf! I called hubby and said, i have wrecked the front of the car and he was like 'oh my god!'. He wasn't around so he told me to call the mechanic. I called my colleague, i was on autopilot, i gave my car key to a guy i didn't know to help me move it off the road until some lady nudged me to enter the car, the guy could have been a thief! I got into it!

The guy in the car came to meet me asking what he would do now, apparently, he was a driver. i didn't even fully understand yet, my colleague came, the guy said his oga said we should come and meet him in his hospital since he's a doctor. We drove there. The owner of the car refused to come out to talk to use, he sent for his mechanic. We went back to the accident venue, the mechanic exclaimed hwen he saw the car. The left fender was damaged and the headlight was broken etc etc. He was able to drive it, then the owner came out to examine it, he was an Indian, he didn't even acknowledge my presence. He sent for his panel beater and then i was hearing i would need to buy him a new windscreen, new headlamps, new bumper, etc, i was like what? Was this guy waiting for someone to solve all the problems on his car? I'm not a racially prejudiced person but i've heard Indians are very harsh people, it was being confirmed to me live by this guy who was not even willing to hear that i had the L plate on and his driver was not smart enough to swerve for me, only stopped in front making me panic.

The banter went on with my two friends negotiating with them on what i would fix and not fix, and then he wanted me to use his panel beater, it was all getting too much so i decided to go have a talk to him and see if we could reach an agreement. I had spent almost 2 hours with him and i had not even started solving the problem of our own car with its expensive parts. I tried reasoning with him then he told me he treats his car like his patient and if there's a minor damage somewhere, then i would replace it. I flipped, here i was, three hours after leaving work, and tackling unexpected issues, the guy was not even willing to compromise, i could have gone to my house, but out of being a nice person i followed his malo (hausa) driver to meet him. I flipped and started raking for the guy who just entered into his office. i told him if he wanted his panel beater, then he should be prepared to solve the problem himself. I was raking like a mad woman, it was suddenly too much....

We took his car to the panel beater's and my mechanic took our away...i forgot the house keys in the car, the mechanic had to come back with it. Once i entered my house, i broke down, tears that i didn't know were there rose to the surface. It had been a really horibble day, hubby was not around to cry on his shoulders...Everyone kept telling me it was part of learning the ropes. Well hubby wasn't upset about it, he was trying his best to comfort me and even told me i have becoem an international driver. He's such a sweet guy. I cried and felt better

I thought about the whole situation and i decided i'm not buying any windscreen, i paid for the panel beating and will buy the lights, that's all i'm going to do. Thank God he doesn't have my phone number or house address, the guy was just too mean. Or what do you guys think i should do? Will appreciate your suggestions.

Car is being fixed now and life is going on, so that's what i've been up to my peeps!