driving in france

I have been here for nearly two months, and have been very indecisive about transportation. My options are 1) live without one 2) lease a brand-new car or 3) buy a used one. The first option is very environmentally and financially appealing, but I have discovered the many inconveniences of living in rural France without a vehicle. It doesn't help that everyone I meet insists I must have a car. And while everyone is quite generous about driving me places, I can't rely on friends for everything. The second option is quite attractive - a brand-new shiny Renault or Peugeot with insurance - but very expensive. The third option is probably the way I will end up going. In fact, I'm supposed to go look at a car on Wednesday. Philip has really been working hard to find me one, and I feel I owe it to him to at least look...even if it is an *gasp* American car!

My friend Chantal offered to loan me one of her cars while I make up my mind about what to do. After work on Monday, I hitched a ride with Emmanuelle to Amiens. She dropped me off at the Rectorat, where I met Chantal. Because Emmanuelle and I got stuck in traffic, I didn't have much time for car instructions from Chantal, but I managed to make it back to Poix safely. Except that I couldn't figure out how to put the car in reverse. I was able to let it roll back a bit from the big gate so I could make the sharp turn and park next to the house. Once parked, I probably spent 5 minutes trying to get it into reverse. First, second, third, fourth, fifth...no problem. But why was reverse so elusive? I felt so helpless! Finally, I found the car manual and discovered that there is a ring around the gear shift that you have to pull up in order to go backwards. Silly French cars!

To prepare myself to navigate the streets of France, I've been studying the Code de la Route. Granted, the book is from about 1992 when Nathalie got her license, but I think it's for the most part still valid. A friend told me that I shouldn't be worried about driving in France; that they have the most traffic signs. He's definitely right - but I almost feel there are too many! So many things to have to read, not to mention the priorité à droite that I have yet to master. And we mustn't forget the roundabouts that are everywhere. No matter how many times I've been around the one traffic circle in Oklahoma City, they still make me nervous. To my credit, the one in OKC rarely has more than one car in it at a time, so it really can't count as practice, can it?