Fast and Furious

Honda Scoopy

I have to ride my scooter to the clinic from my house. The road is busy with scooters, cars and trucks and it is not a pleasant walk. I could make my way through the rice fields but I want to get to the clinic in the morning without muddy feet and a wet skirt, so I decided to rent a scooter.

I've been driving a car since I was sixteen and I am confident driving anything with four or more wheels. But this was a new experience! The balance is different - with a car you just sit there. On a scooter you are balanced on two wheels. You feel more vulnerable on the road too - even though the drivers in Bali are the most courteous I've seen.

But I get on my bike in the morning and I think about the women I will be caring for, some of whom travel for an hour or two on the back of a scooter to come to the clinic in labor. I think about the young mothers who are starting the journey towards motherhood for the first time, or the ones who had their first baby by cesarean section, or the ones who lost a child. I imagine the fears they are facing when they come to the clinic to give birth, and I think about the risks inherent in just being alive in a small village here.

And I think to myself - ride your bike...keep your head held high and don't be afraid, even when a large truck full of pigs or bamboo posts passes you too close on that narrow road. I know its a small hurdle compared to the daily hurdles that the women I attend jump over, but it has helped me to put things in perspective.

Can't you see me on a Harley???