I am not going to talk about my driving experience because I have not and will not, for awhile, drive in Brasil. But here are my observations about driving. I guess it is natural to contrast new things against what is familiar. The thing that is similar is that people use cars to go somewhere. The differences are:
• Most of the cars are small. But, there are also large trucks and buses sharing the road.
• The roads are narrow. What we would use as a single lane is a double, a street we would use as a double they squeeze in three. If someone has parked on the curb the traffic would go from three lanes to two lanes to three.
• Traffic signs, such as Para, (stop), are really just suggestions, especially after 7pm. It seems there are no rules after that.
• There are few patrol cars as we know them. In town, speed is controlled by large speed bumps. Large, bottom scraping speed bumps. On the highways speed is controlled by cameras that are hooked up to a radar gun. You go by too fast, it takes your picture as you drive down the road, and they mail you a ticket. Get too many tickets and you lose your license.
• Order of importance in the US is pedestrian, car, motorcycle. Here it is car, motorcycle, and then pedestrian. Here, cars are in control, well trucks, buses, then cars, then motorcycles, followed by the invisible pedestrian. There are many, many motorcycles and they just do their own thing, going between and around the cars. You don’t worry about the motorcycle, it worries about you. Pedestrians are invisible.
• Many roads here are made of rock. The rocks are small, about the size of a brick, but they are rocks, and are a little bumpy. Patches in the road are numerous and uneven. I think they are uneven or bumpy because the people who fix the roads are in a hurry because they are invisible.
I am still piecing together the theory of how to drive in Campinas. That will come later.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Back to School
To find our way, BGC Missionary Steve Rowe is going to ride the bus with us to the language school. The school is around 10 to 15 miles from where we are living. That morning we find out Steve has never ridden the bus in Campinas. It was years ago when he lived in Sao Paulo that he last took the bus. Fortunately, a couple of nights earlier Rebecca and I spent some time with Alex & Krista, Steve & Debra’s daughter and son-in-law, going over the route and where and when to get on and off. Steve is grateful for the map, but has decided not to follow the instructions.
Monday morning, with Steve:
Like all missionaries, Steve is late. Sunday night he told us not to worry if he was late, but we did. We arrived at the bus stop bench to wait for the bus and met a nice fellow who we were to learn was an angel from God. We had to wait awhile for the bus, but it finally came. We got on a fairly empty bus and head out. Steve explained that at the end of the trip, we will be going downhill and then the bus turn right onto the major street. We wanted to get off there, before it turns right. As we went downhill we saw this ESSO gas station at the end and decided when we saw the gas station we would pull the cord that tells the driver we want off. It all worked well and we found our way to the school after a five to ten minute walk. After two hours of school we left to find the bus stop that we would use to return “home”. We finally found it after a 10 to 15 minute walk. This bus was really crowded, and we had to stand for the 25 minute trip. It is really a wild ride and you have to hold on for dear life. When Steve pulled the cord to stop at the next stop the driver stopped right away instead of going to the next stop. We got off anyway, and looked around and wondered where we were. We, (Steve), finally figured it out, and after a very long walk we got home. Missed lunch! But of course Silvia cooked another one.
Tuesday Morning, Solo:
Rebecca and I felt real good because we took off at the right time. Found the bus stop and said Bom Dia to our guardian angel. We tried to find out how to say receipt in Portuguese, but he couldn’t understand what we were saying. The bus came, but this time the bus was packed with people, and we had to stand once again. We have these large school binders on shoulder straps swinging from our shoulders, and as we go on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, they are swinging around hitting the people sitting. Rebecca can’t help herself and laughs about this and about almost falling over. I had to point out that no one else is laughing. But we’re going and we’re on the right bus. We find out that it is very hard to see where you’re going when you are standing up. You can’t crunch down to look because this bus is packed. But I thought it will be alright because I can still see around 30 yards in front of the bus looking for the ESSO gas station. Then we simply pull the cord to tell the bus driver we want to get off. We start going down the hill into the down town area and come up behind another bus. I can now only see the bus in front of us. How am I going to see the ESSO station? I start getting a little concerned. Then Rebecca informs me there is no cord to pull to alert the bus driver we want to get off. I start watching what the other people are doing. They’re doing nothing. Now I’m really concerned. We were down town, in a very busy down town I might add, and had no idea where we were. It must have been obvious because our Angel sort of asks or mimes if we know where we want to get off. We said yes because even if we couldn’t see it, we knew where to get off. After a couple of minutes of motioning to him that there is no cord to pull, he showed us the buttons on the rail poles to push. Rebecca now says she thinks she remembers that Honda dealership we just passed and we could be close. The bus came to a stop and the doors opened up. We were close to the doors and I just felt this incredible urge to jump, so I told Rebecca, “let’s get off now”. Well the bus drove away and there on the other side of the street was the ESSO station. Just like in a movie.
We got back with no problems, other than our binders swinging around. We went to the store to buy back packs to hold our binders. Rebecca said she didn’t want one and I had to remind her it was her binder doing the most damage. Now we’re back packed up and ready for day three.
Monday morning, with Steve:
Like all missionaries, Steve is late. Sunday night he told us not to worry if he was late, but we did. We arrived at the bus stop bench to wait for the bus and met a nice fellow who we were to learn was an angel from God. We had to wait awhile for the bus, but it finally came. We got on a fairly empty bus and head out. Steve explained that at the end of the trip, we will be going downhill and then the bus turn right onto the major street. We wanted to get off there, before it turns right. As we went downhill we saw this ESSO gas station at the end and decided when we saw the gas station we would pull the cord that tells the driver we want off. It all worked well and we found our way to the school after a five to ten minute walk. After two hours of school we left to find the bus stop that we would use to return “home”. We finally found it after a 10 to 15 minute walk. This bus was really crowded, and we had to stand for the 25 minute trip. It is really a wild ride and you have to hold on for dear life. When Steve pulled the cord to stop at the next stop the driver stopped right away instead of going to the next stop. We got off anyway, and looked around and wondered where we were. We, (Steve), finally figured it out, and after a very long walk we got home. Missed lunch! But of course Silvia cooked another one.
Tuesday Morning, Solo:
Rebecca and I felt real good because we took off at the right time. Found the bus stop and said Bom Dia to our guardian angel. We tried to find out how to say receipt in Portuguese, but he couldn’t understand what we were saying. The bus came, but this time the bus was packed with people, and we had to stand once again. We have these large school binders on shoulder straps swinging from our shoulders, and as we go on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, they are swinging around hitting the people sitting. Rebecca can’t help herself and laughs about this and about almost falling over. I had to point out that no one else is laughing. But we’re going and we’re on the right bus. We find out that it is very hard to see where you’re going when you are standing up. You can’t crunch down to look because this bus is packed. But I thought it will be alright because I can still see around 30 yards in front of the bus looking for the ESSO gas station. Then we simply pull the cord to tell the bus driver we want to get off. We start going down the hill into the down town area and come up behind another bus. I can now only see the bus in front of us. How am I going to see the ESSO station? I start getting a little concerned. Then Rebecca informs me there is no cord to pull to alert the bus driver we want to get off. I start watching what the other people are doing. They’re doing nothing. Now I’m really concerned. We were down town, in a very busy down town I might add, and had no idea where we were. It must have been obvious because our Angel sort of asks or mimes if we know where we want to get off. We said yes because even if we couldn’t see it, we knew where to get off. After a couple of minutes of motioning to him that there is no cord to pull, he showed us the buttons on the rail poles to push. Rebecca now says she thinks she remembers that Honda dealership we just passed and we could be close. The bus came to a stop and the doors opened up. We were close to the doors and I just felt this incredible urge to jump, so I told Rebecca, “let’s get off now”. Well the bus drove away and there on the other side of the street was the ESSO station. Just like in a movie.
We got back with no problems, other than our binders swinging around. We went to the store to buy back packs to hold our binders. Rebecca said she didn’t want one and I had to remind her it was her binder doing the most damage. Now we’re back packed up and ready for day three.
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