Greek Traffic

I, being a woman, am a notoriously horrible driver. However, being a woman, I think that I am the greatest driver on the road and that all other cars must give into my authority. At first this seems to be the mentality of all Greek drivers. Instead of the defensive driving we are taught in America with right of ways and common courtesy rules, the Greeks drive very offensively, with lots of shouting and hand gestures. It isn't road rage type yelling, and they aren't obscene hand gestures, but at first they seem to be rude because we're so used to them being used rudely in America. However, the more you watch, the more you understand that the chaos is organized. The screaming isn't a sign of road rage, but rather a way to communicate to other drivers, kind of like using a blinker. They aren't shouting profanity, they are simply communicating. They are also much more generous than they seem. For instance, we were once on a bus that wanted to park along the side of the road, so one of the drivers who was getting out of her car got back in to move up for us. Did she have to do that? No. But she did it anyway. I don't think I would ever see that happen in America. In America, we're always looking out for ourselves, and we're always in too much of a hurry to think of how our actions can affect or help others. Not only are the Greeks generous drivers, but they are skilled drivers. All of our bus drivers manage to maneuver the huge vehicle through narrow, winding roads with cars parked everywhere and people walking about on them (walking on or across the road at any time is no big deal here, as long as you make sure you don't get squished when crossing a two lane street). They have all done an awesome job so far. Another thing is that basically all of the cars in Greece are stick shift, which I have never been particularly good at. All in all, I've got a few major things working against my driving around in Greece: my selfish American tendencies, my inability to learn what I'm not interested in, and my fear of being run over. It's amazing I haven't been hit by a car yet. Thank God for the metro and buses.