Man X Machine

This is a picture of my car after the accident. Can you imagine a pedestrian made all this damage? i could not believe he was alive after that, but he is, and he is not even in intensive care.

He drunk, hit my car and is recovering well. Super man?

Got it?


Ok. Today I went back to the traffic division.
- Accident with injury ( i said it because I learn with my experiences)
- Accident with injury?
- Yes.
- Building 2


My car need to be checked, so I joined the queue, waited and when my turn came, the guy asked:

- Accident with injury?
- Yes.
- Building 3

So I went to the other building. Waited on the queue, and when my turn came:

- Accident with injury?
- Yes.
- hmmmm

long silence and stare

- registration
- here it is

he goes out, brings another man. they look, look, look...

- Problem?
- What color is your car?
- Green.
- See? It is wrong. registration says silver...

They talk a little longer, smile at me, say

- Ok. Go building 4 and pay 5 bd ( 12.5 US$)

At the building, the person in charge was having breakfast, when he arrived:

- You Ahmed? ( HE ASKED ME!!!)
- Nope.
- Where registration?
- With man checking car ( AHA! I know pidgen English too)
- Get it

I went back...

- I need registration back
- why?
- man asked
- Where you from?
- Brazil.
- I saw flag in car
- Yes.
- Rico - good football player in bahrain. he Brazilian.
- Yes.
- He your brother?
- No.
- He change team, we no like him anymore.
- sad.
- He fat now.
- hummmm
- He speaks arabic. he here many years.
- Hummmm
- He your brother?
- no
- you look like he
- Am I fat?
- NOOOO. You pretty.
- You said he is fat and I look like him.
- NOOO. You pretty. He fat.
- hummmmm
- You make favour for me?
- What favour?
- Write my name in Brazilian?

I did. Funny enough, it is exactly like the English version, but he seems happy and gives me my registration. I go back to the other building...

- see? the write number wrong. This number, car belong Ahmed. You Ahmed?
- Do I look like Ahmed ( loosing my patience already)
- No. You pretty.
- So I am NOT Ahmed.
- I know. Your registration right. He write number wrong.
- What now?
- all good. You go to main building and get paperwork for insurance

as I am leaving the place I hear:

- hey! Hey! Brazilian...
- Yes?
- Take this paper. Go and change registration colour. No charge
- Thank you!

In a second I got a brand new registration from a guy who barely looked at me. Thank God. Then I had to go back to the same man I met yesterday. the one who amde me go back today.
As I arrive, his colleague calls him:

- SHE here.

And theya sk me to go to a room, on the back of the office. There I sit for over an hour while he reviews the file,a sks me the same questions he asked yesterday and several of his friends come to see me. some just stop at the door and stare at my face, others sit next to em and stare.

- Man better?
- Don't know.
- Where man?
- salmanya hospital.

he calls the hospital:

- man was drunk, no can give paper.
- you told me to come back today
- no can. come back tomorrow
- Sorry - I can't. very busy. Need paper today.

He kept me there for another hour, just to tell me he could not give me the insurance papers and I would really have to come back tomorrow.

- Because man was drunk. if no drunk, ok. but drunk.
- man drunk I don't know. My driver no drunk. My car good condition. My car not speeding. We do all good - why make problem?  ( I am getting better and better at pidgin English)
- Tomorrow come.
- Sorry, I can't I will send my husband tomorrow. I am busy.
- So no come. I call you when ready, you come or send husband. or driver. Ok. No come.

And I left, knowing he would make me go back ten times if I let him...
The car is damaged, without the paperwork I can not do anything, and they do not release the darn paperwork, even though we were the inocent part.

Welcome to Bahrain