Events in Texas

[Bear]

First of all I'd like to apologize to the people of Texas, especially those of cities of Houston, South Houston, Pasadena and Clear Lake.

Honey practised driving for the first time in over 4 years.

The Bear Family

[piglett]

First of all I'd like to apologize to the people of Texas, especially those of cities of Houston, South Houston, Pasadena and Clear Lake.
Honey practised driving for the first time in over 4 years.
The Bear Family

well how many did she maim of kill on her little outing??

[piglett]

BTW is her parking better or worse than this??


piglett

[michaelb]

There used to be a poster here, I can't remember his board name......wait I just did remember it, but since he isn't here to defend himself, I won't say it.  Anyway, he posted pictures similar to this a few years back, except it really was his house and it really was the brand new Honda he had bought for his wife to learn to drive in. She didn't quite have one car on top of the other, his house had a two car attached garage with twin doors. She drove right through the door frame between the two doors. Luckily she wasn't injured.   

[robert angel]

I think there's some sort of chromosome difference in Filipinas that makes parallel parking incredibly diffcult, if not impossible. My asawa amazingly passed her driving test the first time, but 4 years later, still refuses to drive anywhere herself that requires parallel parking.

I hear that when learning to drive in the USA, some Filipinas tend to prefer to drive in the middle of the road or others on the side of the road--they just feel safer. My wife was a middle of the roader and I couldn't help but scream "LOOK OUT FOR THAT TRUCK!!" which only rattled her more. I think I lost a couple coats of tooth enamel 'teaching' her how to drive...

She used to drive so frightfully slow that it drove me crazy until I drilled into her that they can ticket you for 'too slow for conditions' or 'driving below minimum posted speed limits'.  She'd point out that she was close to the speed limit, but most people run 15 to 25 MPH over. She still almost always has to remind me to buckle up--because the plastic Jesus hanging from the mirror can't. Thanks goodness when they did the painting ALL Filipinos MUST have "The Last Supper"--they didn't have cars and a version of "The Last Drive"--or else I'd HAVE to have one in each of our cars. Never mind that everyone else is doing 15 to 25 MPH faster than us, riding our rear bumper, giving us dirty looks or showing us certain hand signals having nothing to do with making turns--she drives ssslllooowww still and asks me to never beep or look at other drivers, even if they're doing 20 MPH in a 70 MPH zone while using their cell phones and putting on makeup...

My wife can spot a cop car's emergency lights from ten miles away and her nerves and blood pressure then go into crisis mode--even though she's never doing anything remotely wrong! Maybe she thinks the cops will pull us over and have a trial right there and collect the fine on the road side -- just like back home. We don't smoke or drink and I drive a lot better when she's in the car, but the way she reacts when there's any kind of twirling lights anywhere near, you'd think we had no working lights and a trunk full of shabu.


I had her take driving classes back in Davao before coming to the states, but that was about as useful as seeing a foot doctor for a brain tumor once she got here--lost in translation.

One thing that fascinates me is that in the busiest cities in the Philippines--where traffic is actually denser and crazier than in Mexico--or Chicago/NYC, there's basically no road rage, even as people swerve in and out and cut each other off. Here in the USA--people feeling personally removed from the other drivers (they're not other drivers/'people' they're alien a--holes to them) basically many USA drivers feel like their car's a 5000 pound bullet and they often want to do (or imagine) awful things happening to the 'offenders'. Psychologists have found that USA citizens have the most homicidal thoughts while driving alone in their cars in heavy traffic and feel insulted and under pressure.

Perhaps the most frightened I've been is taking buses in remote mountain areas of Mindanao, where even when there's a good amount of traffic, the driver would pass slower vehicles on sharp, blind curves, way up high in the hills--with NO guard rails! At least I suddenly remembered all those old prayers the priests drilled into me way back when...

In Manila, Cebu and Davao--it seemed so ironic that the traffic would be insanely dense, with few if any traffic signs or lights. The taxi driver would be weaving in and out, occasionally giving his horn a little (hey I'm on your tail beep) to let the other guy know he was 'there'. Meanwhile, he'd be serene and relaxed, cool as a cucumber, smoking a cigarette, talking about Pacman's next fight, smiling and mellowing out as he text messaged while the cassette player played the Carpenter's sappy old song "Close to you"--what a different mindset than in the USA!

I grew up driving in NYC, Detroit and Chicago and obviously our styles are very different than most overseas countries--I don't want seem 'holier than thou' and If I sound too big for my britches, guys--feel free to call me out for it. I know I sometimes sound overly proud of my wife--maybe even full of myself as well. A sad fact is that I have even sometimes thought of getting one of those bumper stickers for my Honda that reads "Don't like my driving?--Call 1-800-CRY-BABY!" But my wife's a real rule follower on the road, has very moral driving values and knows her limitations!

[Bear]

Honey's driving was actually good for the family!!  We all remembered to pray a lot which was good for a Sunday!! 

Honey is under the impression that she doesn't have to parallel park anymore which I'll check this week.  My criteria was simply that she drive from our house to my office and back (just under 20 miles round trip) and she did so just fine.  She has really been afraid for some reason and had lost her confidence but I had a bad case of heartburn that we were afraid might have been a heart attack so she drove us home.  After that proved to be bad chinese food I was able to get her to drive yesterday.  Now I'll get her to repeat it this weekend and take the test Friday after next.  I always thought she was a good driver just lacked confidence.

The Bear Family

[piglett]

There used to be a poster here, I can't remember his board name......wait I just did remember it, but since he isn't here to defend himself, I won't say it.  Anyway, he posted pictures similar to this a few years back, except it really was his house and it really was the brand new Honda he had bought for his wife to learn to drive in. She didn't quite have one car on top of the other, his house had a two car attached garage with twin doors. She drove right through the door frame between the two doors. Luckily she wasn't injured.   

OK here's the question
why wouldn't you buy your wife a used , safe , but cheep car??
after all you just know that the 1st one will get screwed up one way or another.......rite?


piglett

[Jeff S]

Yep - Best to start her out like Don did: http://www.planet-love.com/smf/index.php/topic,265.0.html

[michaelb]

OK here's the question
why wouldn't you buy your wife a used , safe , but cheep car??
after all you just know that the 1st one will get screwed up one way or another.......rite?


piglett

I don't know, I didn't buy it for her. Some people don't hold with buying used cars, even those you and I would consider safe and reliable. Myself, I wonder why anybody would buy an SUV or anything with a automatic transmission, but a lot of people do, guess it's their money and their choice.

[Dave H]

The last Spanish garrison in the Philippines was pulled out in 1899. The first automobile arrived in the Philippines the following year in 1900. Yet, Filipinos drive exactly like Hispanics!  They even have the same road rules which supersede all written traffic laws! Maybe some of remaining Spanish opened up driving schools here. 

Dave

[stevjulietb]

Thanks Dave for clearing that up,,,,I didn't know there were rules!

Steveb

[piglett]

I don't know, I didn't buy it for her. Some people don't hold with buying used cars, even those you and I would consider safe and reliable. Myself, I wonder why anybody would buy an SUV or anything with a automatic transmission, but a lot of people do, guess it's their money and their choice.

as compared to the cars that were produced just 20 or 30 years ago what we have now so much better......well at least in most cases. no more points or carburetors or biased ply tires. there are quite a few company's that are producing cars & trucks that will run 300,000 miles or more. So how could a car that only has 100k on it be unsafe?  
9 years ago I layed out $3500 of my hard earned cash for a good used Toyota pickup.
I still drive it to work everyday & it still runs as well as the day i brought it home.hell even the A/C still blows cold enough to hang meat inside the cab (if i decided to do so)
it has a little over 171k on the odometer & it has yet to show any sign that i need to replace it so i guess I'll run er till the wheels fall off.
Oh BTW michaelb it is not a stinking automatic either it's actually has a 4 speed manual transmission.


piglett

[robert angel]

I think for most people, "SUV" should stand for "Stupid Useless Vehicle". Seems like 95% of the time I see one, there's 1 to 3 people inside and it's never been put into 4 wheel drive where we live in the southern USA--outside of the snow belt.

 A couple years back, we hired 46 school teachers for our school system from the Philippines and almost all of them who've bought cars insisted on buying brand new Japanese cars. We helped get most of these people settled into life in the states and tried to tell them that buying a well maintained, mechanically checked out gently used car would save thousands. Still, they seemed fixated on buying  'new' instead, which seemed very strange to me, especially given the fact that most of them were making well under 40K a year, living frugally while paying off the placement agency back home and sending money home to family.

Most of these teachers came from the Manila area and had money in the family already (how else could most Filipinos come up with $11,000 US equivalent to pay an agency--$5500 upfront) and perhaps they were used to 'new' and equated that with 'good'.

Five years ago, I got my Filipina wife a 1997 Camry and it's been practically bullet proof-and as for anyone's first car, I think a safe used car is best. It has antilock brakes, air bags and is reliable and we don't freak out when a shopping cart is magically attracted to it  at Walmart. It's actually our car of choice when we travel.

It looks nice and yet the wife always has refused to send home pictures or post pics of her driving her first car online--she just doesn't want to seem overly proud, although she's happy with it and loves the freedom of driving. Sometimes, she almost pinches herself as she can't believe she's really out driving in cities and on interstates!

Looking back at the cars I wrecked, especially in my early years and my disasters with my boats--I can see why God didn't see fit to allow me to have a Porsche or a 30 foot Boston Whaler early on. Oddly enough--although maybe I could afford one now--well maybe a lightly used one--I wouldn't over indulge in such an extravagance today--I just don't feel the need for such things. I guess my last vices are travel and nice cameras--and my wife tries to keep those from getting ridiculous as well!

[Dave H]

Used car prices in the Philippines are ridiculously high when compared to US prices. Our throwaway cars in the US run several thousand dollars here. A 15 year old Kia Sportage can easily run $5000 in the Philippines. I turned down 2 free ones while living in the US.  They must be the vehicle of choice (at least outside Manila) here since they are everywhere. On the bright side, they are diesel and mechanic will work all day for you for $4. I am more of a late 80's Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero) man myself.  Maybe I will have an old  Pajero converted into a Hummer. 

Dave

[Dave H]

A couple years back, we hired 46 school teachers for our school system from the Philippines and almost all of them who've bought cars insisted on buying brand new Japanese cars.

Most of these teachers came from the Manila area and had money in the family already (how else could most Filipinos come up with $11,000 US equivalent to pay an agency--$5500 upfront) and perhaps they were used to 'new' and equated that with 'good'.

Hey Robert,

The lifestyle, culture, and values of the wealthy Manilans is quite different from that of the poor masses (many of whom are from the provinces) trying to scratch out a living in Manila. As Ninoy Aquino once said, "Manila is as alien to the Philippines as Hong Kong."

Did the women also buy new cars? Almost all of the Filipina nurses on work visas that I knew in the 1970's - 90's lived very simple lives; 4-6 per 1 bedroom apartment, walked or rode the bus, ate mostly of rice and noodles, etc. They also were supporting family members back home and probably repaying loans.

Very likely some of the teachers borrowed money from everyone they knew.   Many Filipinos seem to spend money as fast as they make it, not saving for a rainy day. Some appear to  be trying to "keep up with Imelda Marcos."  For them, image seems to be everything. We have had very well off Filipinos ask to borrow money (no interest) from us to pay some debt that they neglected or unexpected "illness" of a family member. I should have gotten into the "5-6" loansharking business!   Repayment was usually not a priority for them. Because of their careers and community status, I was not worried. But to recoup the funds, we often had to elude to exposing the loan. They had all begged for absolute secrecy! Being half way around the world from their lenders, loan repayment by the Filipino teachers was not likely a priority either. We no longer "loan" money!

Even if you have read it a half dozen times, Culture Shock! Philippines (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) by the Roces is a great book! I am actually rereading parts of it today. Just when I think I know Philippine culture, I learn something new and have to start all over from the ground up.  

Dave