African Jumper Cables

Rita and Dottie have been managing pretty well so far.  There has not been any major accidents or medical concerns since they've arrived and hopefully it stays that way.  They rented a car so that we could get around a little easier and not be at the mercy of the mini-bus association of Malawi.  I am not lisenced to drive so Dottie has taken it upon herself.  Luckily we got a car with an automatic transmission so she can focus all of her attention on staying on the left side of the road.  We took a trip to Nsanama to visit Kateri and were given a tour of her nutrition center.  After that the car sat for a few days and when we went to start it for a trip to the market, the battery was dead.  We were ready to search the Sister's garage for jumper cables but decided to contact the car rental service number and they actaully sent someone over the same day.  I was shocked.  Anyways, they brought another car battery and a pair of wrenches, and I thought they might just switch batteries, but the one they brought was way too big.  The man in charge of the operation then asked me to help out by starting the car when he signaled so I got behind the wheel and waited.  Through the space under the open hood, I saw him lean his battery forward and connect the terminals of the batteries together with the wrenches in each of his hand.  A few Westerner safety bells and whistles went off in my head.  I have been well trained for the situations so I was able to brush them aside easily and turned the key.  There were some sparks but not much engine activity.  After I stopped, he took a closer look at the battery and I heard a faint "Is that positive?" (More bells and whistles).  He reconnected the batteries with the wrenches and asked me to try again.  (Bells and whistles brushed aside) I turned the key and after a few seconds and more sparks the engine started.  I am wondering if it was not as dangerous as it seemed at the time and maybe I am thinking too safe.