For the past month, I've been serving as my sister's driver, helping her get around and I even took her to her radiation treatment today (driving on Saw Mill Parkway rocks!). I originally expected to be terrified to death of seriously driving here, especially since traffic rules here are obeyed like crazy, a far cry from Manila where everyone knows that traffic rules are meant as mere suggestions. My first time driving in the U.S. took place three years ago, and that was highway driving, which I found a lot easier than driving on smaller roads. So weeks ago, when we ventured out with me at the wheel, I uttered quite a few...utterances:

"What is this thing known as 'road courtesy'?!"

"Ah, so that's three-way stop."

"Come on, sure the light's red, but no one's coming anyway, I might as well go ahead!"

"May kotseng papalapit, pero gusto ko nang lumiko eh. Kaya yaaaan!"

"What is this practice of stopping at a stop sign!?"

Of course I meant all those in jest. I just found it so overwhelming to actually pay heed to traffic rules, especially after years of driving like a maniac in Manila. Not that I'm one of them troublebreedin' drivers, it's just that to endure the crazy streets of Manila, one has to honk and shove in order to keep buses and jeepneys from eating her alive.

I'm having a lot of fun driving here, though, and it makes me think how much easier plying the streets of Manila would be if people would just stick to their lanes, if there were properly designated spots for buses and jeepneys, and if someone would get rid of those damn U-turn slots and revive the concept of intersections.