Driving

I know I haven't written in this for a long long time, but I thought I would give this blog thing another try. Because, unlike last time, where I was just writing about anything that may come to mind, I'm going to dedicate a specific topic this time. Driving. and cars. and anything related for that matter.

I grew up all over Asia, never staying in one place for more than a few years. At least not until middle school. Through these times, my dad has had a quite a few different cars. I remember sitting in my mom's lab riding shot gun in Japan while my dad drove. Yes, it was a little dangerous, but people in Japan didn't really drive that fast back in the days. I even remember this one car he had that would chime a warning bell if you went above 100km/h (60 mph). Then there's the numerous times I was squeezed in a car with various furnitures as we moved. In the back of a van. In the middle of a uHaul truck. I even had a little blanketed sleeping nest in the back of our Honda civic hatchback as we moved from MN to NJ on a 3 day journey. So I've had many trips in cars. My dad doing all of the driving. But driving was what took us to my first time seeing snow. Driving took us to my first skiing experience. These were the trips that I actually remember enjoying in my childhood.

Then as I started going to high school, my time to actually drive came. The first time I was behind a wheel, I was 15 (or maybe 14? its hard to remember now. But the age limit for driving was much younger back then). It was right after I had gotten my driving permit. No practice in an empty parking lot or anything. My dad just pulls over on the side of the road and goes "wanna try?" So in the middle of an empty downtown street, I get behind the wheel. and slowly inches forward. It was scary to say the least. But it was also liberating.

Because in that small town where I went to middle school and high school, there were no public transportation. no taxis you can hail, no way to get around without your own car. I guess you could call your friends for a ride, but that just wasn't the same. So learning how to drive for the very first time wasn't just learning how to drive. It was our first steps toward independence. No more waiting for our parents to drop us off at school. No more waiting in the school parking lot, wondering when our parents would come. (I waited for my dad to pick me up for 2 hours once, because he was stuck in traffic.) No more being dropped off at a bowling alley just so we could have a little fun on a Friday night. No, it was the beginning of our growing up.

But it wasn't just about independence. It was also about responsibilities. Having a car was necessary, but it was also a huge deal. I've known people that died in high school because they were being reckless or irresponsible while driving. So I was careful. I didn't drive fast or anything. No crazy stunts. Although, that was partly because my car wasn't really capable of going that fast...

And that responsibility was lost on me after driving for 10 years. As we grow up, other responsibilities crept into our lives. Studying, work, school applications...I had forgotten what driving really meant to me as it did back when I started out driving. We didn't have time anymore to just go cruise down the road. not driving to anywhere in particular, but driving just for the sake of driving. no, I had forgotten to appreciate that sense of independence until I came to Boston, where I couldn't have my own car for two years. But that's a story for another time. For now, I just want to remember my first time driving. What it felt like to finally be free. Free of waiting, free of relying on someone else for a ride. Free to go wherever I wanted, whenever I pleased.