Desensitized

I was told the other day that my blog entries are getting fewer. This is true actually. I was writing about adventures at least once a week when I moved here. This year, you are lucky to get one a month. Desensitized? Most likely. What I thought was really interesting two years ago, maybe even just one, now, not so much. They are everyday occurrences now. And while my relatives in Germany or my friends in Switzerland get to galavant all over Europe, we are pretty much homebodies. So in an effort to entertain you, I have decided to write today about something I have written many times about, driving.

I know, that topic again? Well it is the most interesting one at the moment. I do have another on the docket (can you believe I actually had to look up the spelling of that word?), but you will have to wait for that. I will need a topic for next week right?

I have friends here that have drivers. I feel very sorry for them. Not because they get to sit back and relax and play with their iPod while someone else lugs them all over creation and back. No, it is because they cannot experience the euphoria of driving in Sao Paulo. They do not get to experience buses from one far lane wanting to turn right, across 4 lanes of traffic. They don't get to be that person who has to stop and wave to others so that they can turn left from the far right lane. No avoiding potholes or missing manhole covers. Sometimes this is all the entertainment you can get in a day.

For example, like today. One son was with friends, one was sick, and my husband is traveling for work. What is mom going to do today after church? Nothing. So the only interesting part of the day was the drive to and from church. Three fun things stand out in my mind for today. One; I was about two minutes out from my complex on the major frontage road when I had to change lanes. The reason? Someone missed their turn and instead of going the long way around, they decided to go in reverse about 100 yards so they could turn right. I and several other cars had to avoid hitting them. Two; I am in line to turn right to get onto the bridge to get onto the highway. There was a car stopped in front of the lanes. He needed to make a u-turn. So he parked his car lengthwise in front of us until our light turned green so he could u-turn. And finally three; I had to slalom on the way home. That is the ski thing right? Where you weave in and out of the flags? Well, instead of flags it was cars. I was driving along and then someone going 20 kph slower than me (I was actually doing the speed limit, they were not) decided he liked my lane better to drive in than his, so he switched in front of me. Thank you! And no, there was no one in his lane in front of him. Just wanted to be in my lane. So weave around him, then there was another, then another. I think since my husband's car is so dirty someone must have written in the hood "Please cut in front of me." That is really the only explanation I can think of.

You see? All of the fun you could have behind the wheel. And to think, some people never get to experience it.