Drive FAST, Just Don't FAST and Drive!

Yes, that would be my PSA to the Kingdom of Bahrain! Look folks, I love and appreciate the idea of fasting. As Christians we fast during the time of Lent for similar reasons but unlike our Muslim friends we don't abstain from all food and drink during the hours of daylight. When Ramadan falls in the Summer months temperatures exceed 120 degrees and fasting could last from 3:30Am to 6:30PM each day for 30 or so days.

Why all the talk about fasting you ask?

Good question.

I was in a pretty bad accident, an exhausted looking man who had been fasting since 3:00AM rear-ended me on Thursday evening. I was on my way home from work and stopped at a light. The man rammed into me from behind. Of course he was driving a SUV, he cracked and left a hole in my bumper, the collision popped my trunk open and now we can't close it... but that's the least of my concerns.

Last Friday I spent 4 hours in the ER, had X-rays and both IV and injected pain meds and anti-inflamatories. All I could do was lay around for 4 days. AND to make matters worse, I was look'n dead sexy in a neck brace. Reason 489,658,724,365,891,475 why people shouldn't fast and drive, for goodness sake hire a driver or take the bus. It's just so dangerous to mix exhaustion, dehydration, hunger and temperatures exceeding 115 degrees with the operation of a vehicle. However, he acted like it was no big deal, like he gets in accidents every day. His response to me was "The light turned green so I goed". Yup he "goed" alright. Right into my back side. Seriously?

Things are so different here, in the states we would have waited for the police to come and look at the scene of the accident and fill out a report. BUT NOOOOO, in Bahrain you have to drive yourself to the police station and then the police fill out the report. So I of course have no idea where the police station is and I had to follow him to the police station which turned out to be about a fifteen minute drive around greater downtown Muharraq (my local readers are laughing right about now). At this time the headache of a lifetime is forming in the front of my head and now looking back at the experience - I'm pretty sure I was in shock. For the record, I shouldn't have been driving. I called Paul who met me at the police station in what must have been record time! The gentleman spoke to the police officer in Arabic, handed him BD10 (about $25) grabs his yellow paper and leaves. The the police officer asks me for BD6 (about $15) WHAT?!?!?! This dude hits me and I have to pay money?!?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! Yup, I have to pay BD6 to obtain the police report. OK?!?!?!

Oh! Have I mentioned that NOBODY has said a word to me thus far. Nobody asked me what happened? Nobody asked who was at fault. NOTHING. How does someone fill out an entire police report without asking questions and/or looking at the vehicles involved? So I try to find out what's going on here and he says in broken english "The man said accident his fault, here report". REALLY?!?!? "HERE REPORT?" You've got to be kidding me. Thank God he didn't tell the officer it was MY FAULT! So he hands me the report like I know what to do with it. Did I mention the report is completely written in ABARIC? Just incase you don't know me: I DON'T SPEEK ARABIC, NO LESS READ ARABIC!!!!!!!!!!! Paul and I had to ask the officer what to do and where to go, etc. He too is fasting, grumpy and TOTALLY OVER dealing with me... All I wanted to do was go home. Go home and cry. Go home and take some Ibuprofen and sleep. Sleep glorious sleep. Then came the pain... so there's the gist of the story.

For days my neck and lower back were in a great deal of pain. I was on a slew of meds: Pain relievers, Anti-inflamatories, analgesic cream and the LOVELY neck brace I spoke of earlier in this blog post. Thank goodness Paul was not deployed because I don't know what I would have done if the boys had been in the car with me OR if I had to care for them by myself after the accident. Paul was amazing, he took over and really let me get some much needed rest and healing time. As it is today is day 9 after the accident and I still have difficulty bending over and I can't lift anything that weighs more than my purse. Basically, I've been pretty useless. BUT, I'm on the mend. Each day I feel a little better than the day before and for that I am so very thankful.

The boys were very empathetic and tried to comfort Mommy with snuggles, snacks, kisses and handmade colored pictures. Gavin was very concerned about Mommy's "Boo-Boo" and one day he came out with the fence from his Fisher Price Little People Farm around his neck. He's quite clever because he was trying to make it look like my neck brace and it really did look just like it! See for yourself, Paul was quick to snap a photo of the precious moment so I could share it with you. Laugh till it hurts!