Driving in America

[tsap seui]

 

.....

 

Finally, we get out of there. We "just" need to mail them a copy of the green card when we get back to Austin.

 

No, it doesn't end....

Did I mention the construction, and the confused gps ?

My wife wants to drive, so we head out. The gps has determined we need to drive 2.5 hours to San Antonio before we go to Austin.

WHAT ? Wife is tired of my co-pilot driving instructions so it looks like were going to see San Antonio today TOO!

Finally I see a sign that says Austin, and wife heads in that direction for an hour.

The gps tells us to get off that road and go to another highway 20 minutes east (keep in mind we drove 40 minutes west earlier).

 

Finally I turn on both our cell phone maps, and the gps, and figure a way to get to Austin.

We drive I dunno HOW long, and finally get home.

 

THAT was our "quick" trip to the embassy in Houston.

You know what though? After all that I'd go back AGAIN for more of that Chinese food!!

 

Now that's my kinda story, Credz. Your story is sorta like this movie we saw yesterday, Expendibles 2. Lots of gunfire, fast driving action, a purty Chinese girl who can kick a guy in the bag, slice and dice him, and knows her way around how to persuade people.

 

And those folks who went down at the last moment to get their visas. We used to have a saying for that sort of lunacy....called it the "four P's". Piss Poor Prior Planning.

 

Glad to see everything worked out for you guys, and what an exciting action tale, buddy. Just like th emovie I hollered during the actions scenes in your story, laughed as the bad guys lost, and cheered the purty Chinese girl's triumph. YAAAAAAWHOOOOOOO

 

tsap seui

[antryg]

Why did you have to tell the story about your wife demanding to drive? Mine is already talking about me teaching her to drive and she hasn't even gotten to the US yet.

[dnoblett]

Why did you have to tell the story about your wife demanding to drive? Mine is already talking about me teaching her to drive and she hasn't even gotten to the US yet.

LOL! That will be one of the joys of this, having to break her of all the BAD driving habits from China.

[credzba]

Why did you have to tell the story about your wife demanding to drive? Mine is already talking about me teaching her to drive and she hasn't even gotten to the US yet.

 

Even with my complaining I believe learning to drive in America is more important than learning to speak English (and learning English is critical).

When our spouses get here, they have given up the independence they had as adults in China for a life where they control almost nothing.

 

They don't know where anything is, the signs make no sense, they don't have their own house and income.. In general they are pretty well trapped.

For some, that guilded cage might be good, but my wife was going crazy in about 2 weeks.

 

I had her an electric bicycle, and a gps when she arrived, and that helped some, but she quickly figured out that in America, even an electric bike isn't gonna work.

Within 2 months she had her drivers license.

My riding with her driving was as close as we ever came to divorce. I think a husband teaching their wife to drive is the most difficult thing in the world.

1) Husband is scared to death, literally.

2) Husband cannot say in chinese what the wife needs to do, wife needs time to translate english, and cars are all moving simultaneously. (even when I knew the chinese to say, my mouth wouldn't do it when it was really critical).

3) Wife is not a child, and doesn't like being told what to do, even if it is for your own safety.

4) Wife has no concept of driving rules.

5) Wife can't read the english signs fast enough to know what is coming up.

6) Both wife and husband are nervous.

 

Still, I believe, at least in Texas, not being able to drive is akin to being trapped and isolated.

No matter the pain, it is good she can drive... and honestly she drives pretty good. My issues when we drive are more about MY loss of control than her dangerous driving. In 4 years she has only had 2 accidents, and they were both other people hit her.

[warpedbored]

Why did you have to tell the story about your wife demanding to drive? Mine is already talking about me teaching her to drive and she hasn't even gotten to the US yet.

I very strongly recommend that you send your wife to a driving school rather than teach her yourself. Try to find one with a Chinese speaker. Spouses shouldn't teach spouses to drive.

[Mick]

I echo Carl's recommendation about the driving school. That is what eventually worked best for Li and it saved a lot of wear and tear on my nerves.

[NickF]

ChunMei's back in China until 6 November, and was planning on having her brother give her some in-car instruction while she was there. I've tried to discourage this for a couple of reasons. First, I really don't want her picking up any bad habits related to the Chinese approach to motor vehicle operation. Second, her brother's driving scares the crap out of me! If he isn't the worst drive in China he's at least in competition. Last year we drove from Nanning to Mong Ca for the day and he spent most of the trip watching pop music DVD's on the center-concole display. Ehile he drove.

 

I did some basic instruction and practice here, and there was always a delay while she processed my English directions into Chinese. So when she gets back there's a driving school here in Denver that's owned and operated by a Chinese lady who uses Chinese language instructors. They'll work with her intil she passes the written and driving tests, for a fixed price.

[dnoblett]

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad334/dnoblett/Misc%20Junk%20for%20posting/578568_285149061597283_1439175370_n_zpsa6b9587b.jpg

 

Rich Chinese Lady Driver?

[chilton747]

ChunMei's back in China until 6 November, and was planning on having her brother give her some in-car instruction while she was there. I've tried to discourage this for a couple of reasons. First, I really don't want her picking up any bad habits related to the Chinese approach to motor vehicle operation. Second, her brother's driving scares the crap out of me! If he isn't the worst drive in China he's at least in competition. Last year we drove from Nanning to Mong Ca for the day and he spent most of the trip watching pop music DVD's on the center-concole display. Ehile he drove.

 

I did some basic instruction and practice here, and there was always a delay while she processed my English directions into Chinese. So when she gets back there's a driving school here in Denver that's owned and operated by a Chinese lady who uses Chinese language instructors. They'll work with her intil she passes the written and driving tests, for a fixed price.

 

There was a Chinese man here that, for a fixed price, would work with my wife until she passed the written and driving tests. Problem is that's all he would do. It wasn't about teaching her how to drive but only to pass the tests. He said it would only take a couple of days.

[Dan R]

No bad habits, just that under communism laws don't mean the same as under a Republic. We must follow the law or pay the consequences. There laws that don't tell you what you can say are only suggestions. Like driving on one side of the street. Silly Americans.

 

Why did you have to tell the story about your wife demanding to drive? Mine is already talking about me teaching her to drive and she hasn't even gotten to the US yet.

LOL! That will be one of the joys of this, having to break her of all the BAD driving habits from China.

[steveandrong]

welllll....hmmm...where do I start. Maybe first I should just say that I'm happy to be alive today. Teaching my wife to drive was a piece of cake. She had never driven anything before, so no bad habits to break. Got her liscence on first try and does really well. Her daughter has also never driven anything...cannot even ride a bicycle and just turned 21. maybe that should have been the first clue. Have been trying to teach step daughter to drive for two years now. Is now on her 2nd learners permit. Last tuesday she was giving me a ride home. Just needed to cross a state highway to be back on a township blacktop. road was clear, but she chose to wait for two cars coming from a 1/2 mile to the south. After they cleared the intersection, she went. Don't know if she didn't look or maybe the view was obscured by the passing two cars, but we got hit big time. Pickup to the right front fender area which spun us and the back of our car to the side of the pickup. Thankfully everyone is ok, but both vehicles were totaled.

[chilton747]

welllll....hmmm...where do I start. Maybe first I should just say that I'm happy to be alive today. Teaching my wife to drive was a piece of cake. She had never driven anything before, so no bad habits to break. Got her liscence on first try and does really well. Her daughter has also never driven anything...cannot even ride a bicycle and just turned 21. maybe that should have been the first clue. Have been trying to teach step daughter to drive for two years now. Is now on her 2nd learners permit. Last tuesday she was giving me a ride home. Just needed to cross a state highway to be back on a township blacktop. road was clear, but she chose to wait for two cars coming from a 1/2 mile to the south. After they cleared the intersection, she went. Don't know if she didn't look or maybe the view was obscured by the passing two cars, but we got hit big time. Pickup to the right front fender area which spun us and the back of our car to the side of the pickup. Thankfully everyone is ok, but both vehicles were totaled.

 

Wow Steve, glad to hear that everyone is alright!!

[tsap seui]

I wuz okay with volunteerin' to go fly a bulls eye with a rotor on top of it in Vietnam, letting 50,000 North Vietnamese regulars take their best shots at me, and I wuz okay with fightin' a war with the State Department for dang near 5 years to git this here lil' Brer Rabbit over to America....but... I did NOT sign up to give any gal'derned driving lessons to NO BODY.

 

You will not find a paper I signed that states I will sit in the terror seat of a vehicle and teach somebody to drive. I no longer run in the mornings singin' "I want to be an Air Borne Ranger, live a life of death and danger"

 

No sir, you kin color me a wuss....I don't care. I know my limitations and I love my wife but I have strapped myself into the last "terror seat" I will ever consciously strap myself into....and that was many years ago.

 

 

Glad you are okay Steve. You should get a medal for your valor, buddy.

 

tsap seui

[warpedbored]

Damn Steve, that would be a scary scene. Glad to hear everyone is OK. Perhaps you should put your step daughter in a driving school and let the professionals blood pressure spike.

[Highlander 08 09 10 11 12]

I wuz okay with volunteerin' to go fly a bulls eye with a rotor on top of it in Vietnam, letting 50,000 North Vietnamese regulars take their best shots at me, and I wuz okay with fightin' a war with the State Department for dang near 5 years to git this here lil' Brer Rabbit over to America....but... I did NOT sign up to give any gal'derned driving lessons to NO BODY.

 

You will not find a paper I signed that states I will sit in the terror seat of a vehicle and teach somebody to drive. I no longer run in the mornings singin' "I want to be an Air Borne Ranger, live a life of death and danger"

 

No sir, you kin color me a wuss....I don't care. I know my limitations and I love my wife but I have strapped myself into the last "terror seat" I will ever consciously strap myself into....and that was many years ago.

 

 

Glad you are okay Steve. You should get a medal for your valor, buddy.

 

tsap seui

 

 

Since "water boarding" is not to be used now, this "strap a person in the passenger seat" could be a good replacement

for "in terror gation" of prisoners.....