Jeff and his family sold it all and moved to another country in obedience to Jesus. Here is part of an email he wrote about driving in his new country of residence. It is an very accurate (and funny) picture of the struggles one goes through when adjusting to a new culture.
I think I speak for all of us when I say that my greatest concern in living here isn’t the possibility of quakes and tsunamis, it isn’t fear of dengue or malaria, and it isn’t the potential of civil war or extremist violence. Don’t get me wrong. We aren’t reckless in our approach to all of those threats. We take precautions, but we won’t be frozen in fear of them. No, the thing I most worry about, most obsess about, and am most challenged by is…driving.
In training, you are always reminded not to impose your own cultural expectations on that of the culture you join. This can be hard at first, but you learn to be flexible (as a guy, I have to admit that letting go of certain hygiene and politeness norms were probably easier for me than for the ladies).
However, driving is different. I can handle driving on the opposite side of the road and now it is second nature to go left on red or circumnavigate traffic circles in a counter-clockwise direction. However, it is the practices of those with whom I share the road that totally get under my skin.
Motorbikes outnumber cars and trucks by a ratio of about 10 to 1…probably greater. Stop at a red light (which apparently is very optional) and every empty space between you, the curb, and the other drivers is immediately filled by someone on a bike. No space is too small. I get nervous just standing still. Once the light turns green, you have to wait for the swarm to begin to flow and pick an empty spot and head for it.
While there is an age restriction on licenses here, the cultural expectation is that nearly anyone of any age can (and will) drive on the road. The first 20 times I was passed (at a high rate of speed) by a motorbike piloted by a child that couldn’t have been older than 10 years old, I was shocked. Now I don’t even blink…I can’t afford to.
I owned a motorcycle when I was in junior/high school. I know how fun they can be…especially doing the “s” swerve maneuver. However that little maneuver is standard practice here. You know what I’m talking about – the biker is following you close to your bumper in the left lane, he abruptly swerves to the right lane, passes you, and just as he clears your front bumper, he swerves back to the left lane. Any slight miscalculation can be deadly.
There is a helmet law here. I’ve seen the signs. However, compliance follows an odd if/then pattern: If someone has a helmet, then it is usually the driver. The passengers (generally your wife/girlfriend and/or children – up to 3 others on the same bike) go without one. If someone is wearing a helmet, then it is generally a small plastic one — the kind I used to wear while playing Army in my yard as a kid. Generally helmets aren’t fastened and I’ve literally seen them blown off of people’s heads by the wind.
When new, all motorbikes come with two mirrors – one on either side. However, the first customization a rider here makes to his bike is to remove either left one or both. Evidently, if your bike has both mirrors on it, the locals ridicule you and ask “is your bike praying?” (The posture for prayer here is to have your hands raised with your palms up.) Frankly, more folks need to be praying while driving here…I do.
I guess it is ok not to have mirrors because no one would use them anyway. The rule of the road appears to be, you only concern yourself with what is directly in front of you. This means that the rest of us have our heads on constant swivel…anticipating that someone will come out of nowhere.
Something as simple as a turn signal can have an entirely different meaning. I’ve been behind people that signal for a right turn and then pull over and stop on the left shoulder. I’ve finally realized that they are signaling so that I know it is ok to PASS them on the right…not that they wanted to turn right. It is hard enough to learn one new language…
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