Before I write anything about this experience, I would like to inform all of you that I drive an automatic 2007 Jeep Liberty when I am back home. No prior experience operating a stick shift.

I recently accepted the position to work in the surf department, at the hostel/surf shop I have been working for. When they asked me if I could drive I van, I tell them yes. That’s a pretty silly question, if ya ask me. Little did I know, almost all of the vans in Taiwan were manual. Yikes, so that is a negative; I do not know how to drive a van. I remember an ex-boyfriend of mine, trying to teach me to drive his jeep and it never worked out. I stalled every other time I tried to drive that dang thing.

Driving the van is a crucial part of working in the surf department because we transport people and their boards to the beach all throughout the day. It is pretty much the main responsibility of working in that department. 

Instead of moving me back to the hostel department, they were gonna teach me to drive the surf van. Nail biter, am I right?

I secretly always knew this day would come, but I refused to prepare for it. Would of been nice if I did. I look at the van, the big old school surf hippie van that is in front of me. Did I mention how big it is? 
Yong Yi, my manager, asks if I am ready. Am I ready? Are you kidding me? This is like some crazy, super advanced version of Mario Kart. Think rainbow road, but a more rice field, palm tree infused Taiwanese version. But, I guess I am as ready as I ever will be.

After a couple of short laps around town watching Yong Yi drive and a quick briefing on how this big ole hoopty works, it is my turn to give it a whirl. Mark, the owner of the surf shop, and Yong Yi squeeze together in the front seat. They must have had at least some faith in me, for both of them to be sitting in the seat together.

Clutch. 1st gear. Little gas. 

Yong Yi is directing me what to do, and I follow like a puppet. I slowly let off the clutch and accelerate the gas. Hot damn! What do ya know? We are driving and I am running this thing.

The engine starts to whistle, it’s time to change gears. I absolutely hate this part because I feel like I am being chased by something and have to change gears at a very specific time. 

Clutch. 2nd gear. Little gas.

Oh God, oh God! I am really doing it. We all rolling down the main road, maybe  a little slower than need be, but whatever. I look over at Mark and Yong Yi, they don’t think I am doing as good as I think I am. Both of them are trying to share the “oh shit handle.” Haha!

Clutch. 3rd gear. Little gas. 

Woah! I like this gear, I have no idea why but it feels good. Maybe, I am just getting the hang of it. I get to the road where I need to turn. Here we go, from the big safe main road to the narrow road through the rice fields. I push the clutch and the break. 

The game changes completely when we get on the tiny rice field roads. I am talking “only one car fits but two go anyway” kind of roads. Everything below my waist is completely numb at this point. The road is so narrow and winding like a snake. Another car is coming from the opposite direction. I let out a big “ahhhh!”

“Clutch! Break! Gas! Turn to the left! Neutral!” Anything and everything was being yelled out to me by Mark and Yong Yi. Both of them were saying different things; we were all freaking out. What fun would it have been if we stayed calm the whole time?

The roads in the rice fields aren’t only sketchy because they are narrow. There are several other factors that play into this. First, it’s not just a flat rice field next to the road. It is a pretty decent drop off of the cement road into the rice field; there’s no getting out if you fall in. Not to mention, there are parts of the road that are so narrow that you have to reverse in order for another car to fit. There are tiny little pieces of concrete, that I think were made for this purpose. I have zero clue why they wouldn’t just add some extra cement on the sides of the road to make it wider.

Second, the roads are terrifying because the people on the scooters whip around the corners thinking they own the road (I was guilty until today; I promise I’ll never do it again from now on). I swear I was so close to running over some scooters when I was going no more than 15 mph.

Third, there are so many dogs just wondering the road. And these aren’t like my dogs at my dad’s house that wander around the beach, smart enough to get out of the way when the car starts moving. They do not move here, literally. I thought I hit a dog the other day on a scooter. I didn’t, but it was so close. They just stand there no matter how many times you hit the horn or try to swerve. 

After a couple (more than desired) close calls, and a handful of “oh shits,” we managed to make it to the beach in one piece. Side note: I didn’t stall out once. We get out of the car, all exclaiming how we needed a shot or twelve, to check the surf. We then decide to head back. I was trying to prolong that as long as I could. Here we go again…

I drove the whole way back, around every curve and over every bump. I did have one hiccup going home though. I kinda, maybe, almost fell off the road when I stopped on the hill. I just starting rolling backwards, uncontrollably. Nobody told me that was gonna happen. I have this fancy gadget in my car back home that stops me, and they stop me really good. All I gotta do is push down on my brakes really hard, and I won’t roll backwards. I’ve always loved having that in my car; it made me feel like I had some high-tech top of the line ’07 snazz-mobile.

I actually did pretty well for driving a manual, if I do say so myself. Especially considering the crazy conditions I was dealing with. It isn’t quite my favorite thing in the world, just yet, but I am glad I had the opportunity. I never in a million years thought I would learn in Taiwan, but I did it. Check that off the life long to-do list.

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