On the Road- For Real

I drove to the US Embassy today.  Young Harold needed his final rabies vaccine, so I had to take him to the embassy health unit.  That might not sound like much to write about, but for a foreigner like me, driving in the center of Beijing is more than a little intimidating.  Even though we lived here for before, for three years, I have never driven downtown.  In fact, I was so intimidated by the crazy driving in Beijing, I hired a driver from 2006-09.  Now, though, the cost of a diver is prohibitively higher, and today I found myself on the road with 1000s of other drivers, making my way through the crazy roads and busy expressway.  I borrowed a friend’s GPS, so I felt less than completely panicked about finding the embassy itself.  I remained pretty worried about finding the right entrance, and getting into the well guarded gates, though.

Thanks to the GPS, and guidance from Horatio and several friends, I made it with barely a bump along the way.

Before I left our house, I told Xiao Lu that I was a bit scared because it was my first time driving the car to the embassy.  She reassured me, told me to not be nervous (at least that’s what I think she said,) and implored me to go “slow.”  She said it in Mandarin AND English.  The only other word I ever heard her say in English is the command, “sit,” to Westley, the Three Legged Wonder Dog.  So, I figured it must be important advice.  She was right.  By driving slowly, I could watch my surroundings and drive defensively against all the chaos around me.

I feel as if I’ve conquered another fear, and while I remain cautious, I’m ready to get out there again and get myself wherever I need to go.  I just hope I don’t ever get stuck in one of the infamous Chinese traffic jams like this one: