Today I had to go to the dentist for a cleaning/ check-up. I was told that removing plaque from my teeth would help ensure not having to see a dentist in a third world country. My dentist has a nice, little, yellow office just on the south side of the Rio Grande.
My mom loves field trips to Matamoros. Naturally, she seized the opportunity make an entire morning out of my dental visit. She made plans for us to go grocery shopping at Soriana,* eat barbacoa tacos on the street, and then go to the dentist. This itinerary meant that we would be all over the city. This itinerary meant lots of driving.
My mom never lets anyone else drive when we go across the border. I think she thinks we* are going to smash her van into another car, and then sell it for parts. Today was a special day; my brother had taken her van to school, so we were driving my car. This meant I had the keys, this meant I was behind the wheel, this meant my mom and I were yelling at each other because I almost killed us a hundred times in the first five minutes.*
How I almost killed us: I stopped at stop signs- when you abruptly stop, the car behind you is likely to find a home in your back seat.
I proceeded through a green light without making sure that the cars perpendicular to me were stopped.
Here is the key to driving in Mexico: you can’t trust traffic signals and road signs; instead you have to be alert and instinctive like a cat. It’s not about what you’re supposed to do; it’s about what you should do.
The longer I drove, the more in tune with my instincts I became. By the time we were done with the barbacoa, I was no longer scared of the lack the road regulations.
My driving became exciting, I felt alive like Speed Racer, and more importantly my mom got back into the car with me.
As the dentist chipped away at my plaque, I stared off at the yellow walls thinking: I live my life the way I drive. I prefer to do things like
I’m supposed too. Go when the light says go, stop when the sign says stop. But maybe instead of relying on the rules, I’m supposed to live recklessly, trusting God. So I’m starting to think, that it might be a little more exciting to start living instinctively in tune to the Spirit of God. Who knows it might even be safer.*Soriana: A large grocery store, similar to a Super Wal-Mart, but with more food and less
other stuff.*Maybe five times in five minutes.
