Tales From Under The Moon Roof: Stories by a Globe-Trotting Uber Driver

After retiring from a career in public health and medicine, I saw an employment ad for Uber drivers in Atlanta. In April 2014, #uberdriver1 hit the streets. The job started as an extra source of income. However, I quickly learned that Uber passengers want more than just a ride in a clean car. Most want to have a conversation or to have some fun. I never know who's going to sit down in my car. It might be a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company, a bartender going to work, a college student going to the grocery store, a foreign tourist, or someone who's just gotten bad news. Not only do I make sure they get to their destination safely, I try to offer witty conversation and bottles of water. What most long-term Uber drivers find is that their passengers provide a unique window of opportunity to learn about new things or experiences. I am amazed at the stories I hear and the links I find to my own life. Coming from a family of storytellers (or tellers of tall tales), I always ask questions. Sitting in a car for a few minutes with someone you will likely not meet again is like speed-dating. I want to find that "one thing" that makes someone more than just another passenger-what is their story? After a couple of months, I started writing about my experiences and created a blog. My husband and I love to travel and I approach the countries we visit in the same way as I do Uber passengers. In the last few years, we've been to Italy, Russia, England, France, and Monaco. As we go from place to place, I want to find the one thing that could form the basis for an interesting story. Who did I meet? What did they say? How can I get off the "tourist trek?" This year, we went to the Grand Prix of Monaco. We thoroughly enjoyed it and I've included a story in the book, but one can watch the race on television. In France, while visiting medieval villages, I noticed that condom dispensers are affixed to outdoor walls, rather than in a "pharmacie" or "toilette." Why is that, I wondered. I wrote about that rather than a lengthy travelogue about medieval cities in the hills above Nice. I also write about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congressman John Lewis, former President Jimmy Carter, and issues facing the world today. I'm interested in North and South Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, and other African countries, particularly as I meet people working on disease elimination projects there. I met someone from Saudi Arabia that started a two part-story on gun violence and gender inequities. I see the potential for a story in almost every interaction. As my friend, and writer, KT, says, "A stranger is just your next door neighbor that you haven't met yet." I like to write about my neighbors I've just met.