Helmet Safety

Be it known I always laugh at Adam when he shows up at my house in his silver helmet. As my counterpart Johnathan says, "You look like a cyborg!" Which was tripply funny because...how in the world did this man who struggles with english learn the word cyborg???

Anyway, Adam lives in the mountains so its very prudent to wear his helmet all the time. He is always falling off his bike, going to fast down steep slopes or skidding in muddy pathways. One time I was sitting with his counterpat, Daria at her house. We were visiting her for lunch, she was going to make us millet nsima. Adam was going to bring the relish but he forgot and dashed off to the market. When he got their they were out of meat so he bought eggs. As Daria and I sit, I'm feeling a bit awkward (I did not really know her yet) and kept wondering what was taking him so long. Well he was rushing and went too fast down a hill. It curved at the bottom and crossed a small stream. So apparently he went flying over the handlebars, allowing himself to go limp and prevent injury. He told me he distinctly remembered thinking, "I probably broke at least half the eggs." He landed and rolled into the stream, crushing most of the eggs and getting yoke juice all oer himself and his pack. So when he showed up sporting torn and bloody knees, cakes muddy hair, and a coating of dust and dirt we were more than a bit shocked. I always felt a little guilty because i knew he was rushign for me, knew I was feeling awkward getting left at Daria's house.

Sometime later I'm visiting Adam again. We hiked up mafinga Mountain. Origionally we were supposed to be looking for a waterfall, which we did not find and ended up bushwacking up false peaks and Mafinga itself. (Later Adam boasted he found four waterfalls after I left...Super, just super.) Its ironic that Adam has a habbit of saying, "Oh if we don't find/ do ____ then we will just ahve a nice leisurly stroll. Riiight. Thats normally when he turns on the jets and scales an embankment into the scrub or blazed a trail up a random slope. Normally he doesnt think twice, but once in a while he will look back and say "Oh, I said I wouldn't do this right?"
After climbing down the mountain we decide to hold off lunch even though we are both starving in favor of getting food at the market before its too late. We bike around 8 k to Bugalira, Adam's market. Its monday and market day, so the road is fairly crowded with people. Before we set out we stop to chat with one of Adam's village friends. He waves me off and tells me he will catch up. The villager makes an offhanded comment about out helmets. Adam replied with "No, this one is never wearing her helmet." Even though I am wearing my hemlemt (I am in the mountains after all) I remeber clearly thinking, 'Great now i'm going to fall off my bike.' Keep in mind I had just hiked a mountain ok? So Adam keeps stopping and sends me ahead. By the way we had just serviced our bikes which included my front break, located on the right. I'm right handed...relexivly if something happens...We also oiled our chains

I have a tendancy to bike 'crazy' down slope. This is possibly to make up for the fact that I am snail-slow going up hill. Anyway, I'm over halfway to Bugalira and I don't have the road memorized like Adam, I have only been their three times. Also, it was rainy season so creeks and streams were swollen. I am coming down a hill. I see the rains have flooded the road. The curve is very sandy. I remebered thinking,'Oh crap, going this fast I will get wet.' So reflexivly I squeeze my both my breaks. A slight wobble later I'm flying over the handles bars to the left. I'm fairly sure I managed to say "sshh-shit!" somewhere between squeezing the break and hitting the ground. I skinned both palms in a super man dive. My left knee banged first, hard enough for a quarter sized goose egg. I proceeded to rool to my left shoulder, rolling over my bag and continued onto my stomach before my momentum slowed enough and my bag rocked me back to my side. This took maybe 30 seconds total. I remeber thinking 3 things. "Ow" (actually said it out loud too), Karma is a bitch and Adam is going to laugh at me and the amazing fact that the stretch of road I was on was completly deserted. Malawian's noramally come out of the wood work even on tiny backwoods trails. This is could be my dirty little secret.

I'm just outside the market. I get up and push my bike across the flooded section of road. I start to push it up a hill as a matola passes, people come into view ahead, Adam rounds the corner beind and catches up...Then blazes right by me. Hey, not like I was WAITING FOR YOU or anything.As if my walking my bike covered in dirt is not a dead give away. Also, my chain was popped. With a sigh I fix my chain and catch up to him, knee protesting. We don't speak. Eventually I say, "I fell." And he did what? Laughed. Called it. Belatedly he asks, "Is that why you were walking back there?" Then, "You ok?" Priorities man...

I may have made a joke about helmets. I did remeber thinking 'good thing I had a helmet on.' Later, walking through the market he looks over and asks me if all the dirt on my grey/black jeans was because i fell. Yes, Yes it is.