I took Eamon to gym this afternoon at a nearby mall. According to Google, it's about 1.8km in a direct line from our house to the mall, or 4.8km and 12 minutes by road. It took us 26 minutes, 6 lane changes and 2 U-turns to get there - traffic wasn't too heavy. The way home was even better - about 20 minutes and a pretty straight run.
In contrast to our usual trips in Jakarta, I drove today. A bit over a week ago our driver of 18 months quit. No notice was given, nor were we offered a reason, he just texted Kieran, asked for his pay and left. In a country where good jobs are hard to find and poor jobs pay barely enough to survive, I am left to wonder at what long term planning would encourage leaving behind a 15 year career at the drop of a hat. I can only hope he had given a better offer - although it would have been nice to know. So now we are in that inconvenient phase of hunting for a new driver, of having to taxi for school drop-offs and pickups and restricting any excursions to places I am happy to drive.
What tickled my mind this afternoon, however, was that after 21 months in Jakarta, I am becoming accustomed to the driving style. So much so, that I actually feel fairly comfortable venturing out alone with the kids for the local mall run (I drove it twice today!). I no longer sit tensely at the steering wheel, squeezing my sides in as the motorbikes zip past on both sides of our car, or wait amidst the blaring horns until a gap appears before inching my way out of an intersection. Instead, I have mastered the art of pulling out into a stream of busy traffic - the confidence in the act ensuring that others will stop to make room. I can find the third lane - the one between those marked on the road, and navigate it with aplomb, and when it disappears, I can nudge my nose into the non-existent gap between the cars beside me, forcing the driver alongside to back off and let me in. In short, I can survive, for short distances, on the roads around me, and while I may still not be brave enough to attempt the school run, with its 5.5 km and multitude of turns, I have hope that my new found confidence will stand me in good stead the next time I have to embrace the terrors of Sydney driving!
