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September 17, 2005
Loose on the streets of Zhenjiang
It reminded me of my teen driving years, with more honking and less turn signaling.
Tonight I had dinner at a student’s house. That itself isn’t a very common occasion, but a couple other things conspired to make it downright extraordinary. First of all, I taught this girl’s class for the very first time yesterday morning. Second of all, she drove me home.
Private cars in China are coveted and controversial items. They are a status symbol, a mark of China’s development, they make life a little more convenient; but they blast (leaded) exhaust fumes into the already smoggy skies. I’ve been in a few of them in the past year and a half – a student’s cousin, a random friend, a friend’s dad’s friend, etc. – and from my students’ reports about their summer vacations I gathered that learning to drive was a popular (though quite expensive) summer activity. But I hadn’t been in a private car with one of my students driving.
I would not want to drive in China. It’s America with four times the population density and one fortieth of the people obeying traffic laws. A few hundred people die from traffic accidents every day here. It takes guts, audacity, stupidity or all three to get behind the wheel.
Fortunately, her dad came with us to coach her – and try to make conversation with me, with his daughter as the translator. She drove slowly, cautiously, swerving now and then; and it must’ve felt similar to my driving at 17 or 18 except every couple minutes she’d honk (repeatedly) at a cyclist, truck, or motorbike. The honking must be a learned skill.
I survived; I understood a few things her dad said, and as we passed the orphanage in the city, where I’d spent an hour or so playing with the kids this morning, he told me at the end of this year he’s planning to get a 300,000 RMB (almost $40,000) Japanese car.
| By huzzlecoo | 11:50 PM
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Comments
Your recounting of your ride with the Chinese student reminded me of when we lived in Iran. Upon arriving over there I knew I would NEVER drive a car! Just what you described of the way people drive. I rode with Iranian drivers and that was a very scarey experience to say the least! But we survived!!
Posted by: Mary Belle Timm at September 23, 2005 07:05 AM
