I'm a driver!

I did an amazing thing yesterday….drive by myself! I have lived in several American cities, driving in all kinds of conditions (California highways, Atlanta traffic, Boston attitude), but none was like the sheer terror of taking your life into your own hands behind the wheel like it is here in Santo Domingo. The best I can describe it is like a cross between the video game Frogger where you wait on the curb to make your move as the cars come speeding by, and all of those race car driving games where you have to drive slow to make the turns and as a result all of the other race cars come speeding around you from behind passing you on both sides all at once. Yikes! Now you see why this is such a feat to accomplish.

Eric has been giving me driving lessons every now and then. It started out on a quiet Sunday morning when there was little traffic on the road and I got behind the wheel to drive to church. Then, the other day after running some errands he suggested we take a test drive from our house to his office so we (he) could make sure I knew how to get there. Getting to his office requires several main roads with a lot of traffic and TWO traffic circles. Nobody follows the rules of the road and defensive driving techniques are a necessity. So, off we go and on the way he is literally telling me things like, “You need to stay in this lane, because the public cars and buses are stopping in this lane over here and the lane we are in has fewer potholes.” (well they are more like open cavities in the asphalt as opposed to potholes) “OK, now when you get to this traffic circle you need to be in this lane because these cars on the left are going to cut you off to go to the right, but you need to be ready to veer off to the right watching for the incoming traffic from the right as you turn onto the street.” Talk about gripping the wheel at “ten” and “two” like they told you in driving school!! All this while you are keeping your eyes open for cars running red lights and stop signs from your right and left, and dodging fruit carts and stalled cars. I am not exaggerating!

Well, I guess I passed the test, so yesterday we decided I would take him to work after lunch and take the car.

He throws me the keys, we buckle Little Eric in, I put on my sunglasses, say a silent prayer, take a deep breath and back out of the parking spot. I got him to work alright, dropped him off, relished the feeling of freedom I had at the same time feeling slightly weighed down by the fact that my child’s life was literally in my hands and off we went. Good music on the CD player, seatbelts fastened, mirrors checked for a second time, off to find the playground. Well, it was a perfect afternoon with no problems, except for the near death experience I had as I was waiting for the gate to our apartment to open and a truck was headed straight for me until the driver who had been looking down swerved to miss us (BTW… I didn’t mention that one to Eric, so don’t tell.) Ericito and I found the playground we’ve been to a few times and he slid down the slide about 243 times before we headed to the grocery store. We didn’t get lost and we only got honked at one time, which I consider a success.

Not in any way to overspiritualize our outing, but really to have a laugh I was thinking about the experience and had a few thoughts about how driving here can illustrate a few life lessons:

1. It’s best to be neither too timid, nor too aggressive when driving. This seems like a metaphor for life. If you are too timid you miss out on opportunities. If you are too aggressive you don’t enjoy the journey because you are too focused on getting ahead. In driving you have to just put your foot on the peddle and get out there or you’ll be stuck waiting for too long. Eric kept telling me over and over again not to slow down too much when trying to change lanes.

2. Treat each other as you would like to be treated. The golden rule applies if you want to stay safe and not enter “road rage” territory. I have learned that if a car is moving into your lane, cutting you off, trying to race past them to let them in behind you is a dumb idea and one that will get you hit. Just let them in. If they want to run a stop sign, let them go on their merry way. It is not my job to correct wrong behavior, although that’s often what I want to do when a car is muscling their way in front of me at a stoplight. In a small way I consider it a polite act of service when I let someone go ahead of me.

3. Keep your eyes on the goal and you will get there. Staying focused is the only sure way to arrive at your destination in one piece. One of the country’s ironies is that while it is illegal to run a red light you will most assuredly not ever be stopped for doing so, even though it endangers others. However, if you are caught talking on your cell phone, you will be promptly pulled over to the side of the road and given a ticket. Huh? Well, it’s better not to be talking on the phone because you can keep your eyes focused on the road for stalled cars, potholes, oddly placed speed bumps and cars cutting you off from all directions. But, I think there is also a pretty good reason there is a law against running red lights, too. I guess the authorities don’t agree.

4. The car least afraid of getting hit wins…all the time. This is not really a great life lesson I want to teach my kid, but there is some truth to it. And, it is especially true with driving here. If you look like you are not in the least bit afraid of getting hit, you will probably be able to make that left turn from the right lane crossing incoming traffic at a red light. If you drive a big SUV with your lights on and haul booty down a two lane street with parked cars on each side making it a one lane street, you will find me pulling over to the side immediately and letting the monster truck pass.

I have much to learn about defensive driving that I never knew I had to learn. I am the timid one out there waiting to pull out into oncoming traffic longer than the person behind me wishes because I am cautious and don’t trust the cars rushing by won’t slam into my rear end when I pull out. But, I really don’t care. It’s much better to be safe than sorry or as I say it’s much better to be alive than dead! Well, I am proud of myself for facing my fears and passing Dr. Eric’s driving test and it’s a step in the right direction of getting out there and assimilating myself into the culture. Can you just imagine what kind of driver I am going to be when I get back?

This is a typical view from your car while driving.And, this one is just too funny. I had to show it because there is nothing about what is happening that suprises me one bit!