Sometime my e-mails from SPG correspondants in Burundi
are just too fun and must be shared.

My former fellow house guest, Derek "Longshot" Lamson
is about to leave the country.
When I left he inherited the phone and the Toyota Sprinter.

He has had all the adventures you would expect.
He has totally racked up points for
"Most Ticketed Muzungu."

He also had the battery give out,
yet continued to drive
for a week without a battery
(this is not a miracle - just a fact of life in a country
where there is always willing help to push start a car.)

When he told me earlier this week that he had been ticketed
for bad insurance docs at a check-point I had to ask
if he had been forced the ask the check-point cops to help him push-start
the car - fortunately the battery had been installed that morning!

Now, his last e-mail before he ships his laptop home and continues
on his travels and this one has yet another car adventure.
For your reading enjoyment:
(slightly edited for public consumption)


Flat tire on the Toyota this morning.
I am not making this up.
I was to take Madame to an early morning and then
go find all of my packing supplies for the laptop, etc.,
and SURE AS S*** it was flat.
So Bukuru and Gillie
and Yoyo to help talk
and we're all how do we do this.
So I'm going, yeah there's a spare,
and Bukuru is, no no no there is no spare.
Oui, but there's a jack and a lugnut wrench.
Eego, but there's no spare. So around we go...

Madame, we have a situation,
and this is how we intend on resolving it.
No, I don't know when.
Yes, Gilbert has good information about tire repair locally.
Oui, we will keep you apprised.
Let us call a taxi now,
and they can take you where you need to go
and they can take Gilbert et moi to the tire store.

OK, gentilhommes, are you sure there's no spare under that vinyl ... ?
What about... ?
Oh and SURE AS ***
it was in a keeper frame thing under the car.
Yep, Bukuru, mon frere, ici!

We change the tire.
We make our way into the city.
I request prayers all around, please: Feli, Wayo, James.
It has been battery, insurance, flat tire, three in a row.
Please pray we make it into town and back in good order. Amen.
"A little prayer," I said.
"There are no little prayers," said Feli.