Driving

Do you see that dark blue car, nearest the road? It`s mine! It`s called a [Mitsubishi?] Carol, that I bought off of the ALT before me. And, boy, is it small!

I was really nervous about driving when I got here, knowing that the Japanese drive on the left side of the road. So even though I had the car the whole time, I only drove it twice in the first month of being in Japan. Not so good for practice. But it seemed to work out well in the end. During that time, I was somehow stripped of my right-side-of-the-roadedness. Now I`m able to drive quite comfortably, and no longer flick on the windshield wipers every time I try to turn. The only remains of American driving I have left in me, it seems, is an inability to remember to stop at railroad crossings, and the unconscious tendency to approach the left side of the car to get in.

Little Carol has served me excellently on rainy days, when my bike tire was popped, and on the weekly 40 km excursions to the Agricultural school. It will also enable me to go on those mountain climbing trips I`d like to attempt! However, there are a lot of extra expenses that come with car ownership. There is gas, repairs (I need to get the oil changed and tires checked soon), a monthly insurance bill - extra high because of my young age - and Shakken. Shakken is a [biannual?] check to certify that the car is in working order, and costs somewhere in the ballpark of $1000. Not looking forward to renewing it next year. >.<