Getting Back on the (Metaphorical) Horse

When it gets hot in Minnesota, everyone heads up to the lake for some boating. My family did not have a boat, but we would be invited to go out boating by our friends the Hogans. For us kids, the best part of boating was always going tubing. We would all pile up on inner tubes that were connected to the boat by a rope. We would get pulled along until one of us fell off. There were different hand signals to give the driver. A thumbs up meant go faster and a thumbs down went to slow down. Although there were five of us kids, I was always in charge of doing the hand signals. Even though I was not the youngest. I got this job because while my brother was a daredevil, I was always the most cautious. This is something that has continued for me when there is the potential for bodily harm. I have passed up opportunities to sky dive and bungee jump in my travels because I am not a risk taker when in comes to potential broken bones or injury. 

As previously mentioned, scooting is the preferred method of traveling for people in Taiwan. At first I did not think that I would scoot at all. Drivers are crazy. They very frequently will run red lights. Honking in Taiwan means watch out I'm about to do something stupid and dangerous. Scooters go in between cars and are very close together. I grew up where everyone puts a buffer seat between people when sitting down, gives enough room for Martin Luther/the Holy Ghost to go in-between two people when dancing, and gives at least a car length of space in between cars. There is nothing between you and other people and cars. I was decidedly against it. There was too much risk. Then, I doubled with someone on a scooter and after a couple of times found it not as scary as I first thought. One of the other teachers, Tyler, gave me a scooter lesson in areas that there were no cars. It was fun. I wanted a scooter of my own. 

Doubling with Tyler on my first scooter ride. 

While he went home for the month of July, Tyler let me have his scooter. We rode to school together and then he walked home so that I could drive back on my own. I was a little flustered because I did not fully know the way back home. While I felt that I had decent control when practicing, I suddenly did not feel very balanced or in control. I turned down a street and found that the street I wanted to go on was a one-way in the wrong direction. I went to turn, did not turn tight enough and I ran into the side of a car that was turning the same way. No one was hurt, but the car was scratched. The driver got out of the car and started speaking to me in Chinese. I wasn't sure what to do. I messaged Tyler and my roommate Josilin, who told me to go back to the school to get someone to translate. Thankfully, I still was close to the school so I got one of the Taiwanese staff who came out with me and spoke to the driver. They traded contact information and I agreed to pay to fix the damages. Have I mentioned yet how helpful everyone is in Taiwan? The Taiwanese staff at the school is especially wonderful. I ended up taking a taxi home. I was determined to work my way up to scooting home by the end of the month. 

Marcie, one of the Taiwanese teachers I work with, came to my apartment and showed me how to take the bus. The first week of school went by and I did not scoot at all.I checked once to make sure the scooter was still there. Week two I was determined to actually practice. I went to school on my day off to practice. I struggled with even getting the central kickstand up so I could drive. I practiced in the alley behind the school for about 20 minutes and then I had had enough. I was determined to practice more little by little. Meanwhile, other new teachers already seemed like experts. How come it was so easy for others and not for me?

I'm not the only one who has troubles scooting.

That weekend, the teacher who had helped me with the accident messaged me with an estimate of what the damages would cost. It was expensive, way more than I was expecting for just a scratch. She said she tried to negotiate, but that was as low as they were willing to go. If we did not pay that amount they would go to the police station to fill out an accident report and the damage expenses would be even more expensive. I was incredibly discouraged, vowing that I would just relegate myself to biking or the bus. It was a night when I was tired, hot, and very itchy from bug bites. For the first time in Taiwan I was unhappy. I didn't wish that I was still living in the U.S., but I realized that some things were definitely harder here. I went to bed early, hoping I would wake up with a more positive outlook. 

I Facetimed with my parents and told them the estimate. While they acknowledged that it was not a small amount, they said minor car accidents can cost thousands of dollars. I was just used to things in Taiwan being so cheap. It calmed me down. Still, I did not practice scooting for the whole next week. When I came back from the wedding, I had a slight problem. Tyler would be back on Friday. The scooter was still at school. I needed to find a way to get it home. I was talking to another Teacher Jill, another Taiwanese teacher that I work with. She told me scooting wasn't that hard and that it was just like riding a bicycle. I didn't tell her that my parents didn't teach me how to ride a bike until third grade because they didn't think I was coordinated enough. She told me it would be very inconvenient to be without a scooter, especially when all of the other teachers have one.  Teacher Jill told me that I could come to school on Friday to practice and then I could follow her home. 

Inaccurate portrayal of scooting.  You led me astray Roman Holiday.

I was very nervous on Friday. While on the bus to school though, I saw something wonderful. A woman was riding her scooter with her legs on the sides so that she could put her feet down if she needed to stop. I went to school and tried it. It made scooting much easier and I felt more comfortable. I could stop when I needed to and it helped with my balance. I circled the block a couple of times and then told Teacher Jill I was ready. We went very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that at the stopped light another teacher asked Jill if something was wrong with her scooter. I made it though and it was okay. 

The next day Tyler came back, so I assumed he would want his scooter back right away. Instead we went to breakfast and I again drove the scooter. This time I felt comfortable putting my feet up on the scooter once I got going. I think slowly I will get more and more comfortable on the scooter. Driving felt okay.  I will probably get a scooter eventually, but I am in no rush. As Teacher Marcie says, "In Taiwan, if you don't have a scooter, you don't have your feet." I got teased a little bit for going so slowly. But it reminded me of the quote "stay in your own lane. There is less traffic there." I stayed to the right in mostly my own lane while other passed me by. There was still traffic, but I could go at my own pace. It was also a good reminder that I shouldn't compare myself and get discouraged by the progress of other teacher's scooting. After all, they are in a completely different lane.