Argentina: The one about driving

When my family came to visit in 2019, one conclusion they drew about the Argentinian way of life is that nobody ever seems to be in a hurry except when they're driving. The average (stereotypical?) Minnesotan will sit at a 4-way stop for ages, insisting with a friendly wave that the other person proceed first, so understandably, the more assertive/aggressive driving culture here came as a bit of a shock.

I recently studied the Argentinian traffic laws in preparation for my driver's test (more on that in a bit). One difference to note while driving here (or basically anywhere outside the U.S.) regards the measurements: kilometers, kilometers per hour, and kilometers per liter...converting that last measurement to miles per gallon for reference is a fun workout for the brain. Another difference: no right turns allowed on a red light and no left turns at stoplights unless there is a green arrow signaling that it's allowed. I also learned that if someone is trying to pass you on a two-lane highway, you're apparently supposed to use your right blinker to give them the go-ahead or your left blinker to let them know that there's oncoming traffic (I haven't witnessed this one in the wild, and there's debate on the street about which blinker means what). One more difference when it comes to driving here is that the majority of vehicles are manual transmission, whereas the norm in the U.S. is automatic all the way.

A month ago I went to the Argentinian equivalent of the DMV to get a driver's license. Driving with a foreign license here is fine for tourists, but as a resident the right thing to do is to get an Argentinian license. Procuring that document involves passing three tests: an eye exam/medical check, a written exam, and a parallel parking test. After setting up an appointment, getting a medical certificate for my blood type (a requirement because your blood type gets printed on your license), having studied the national laws, and dusting off my parallel parking skills, I made my way to the DMV ready to show off my knowledge and skills. "Is this your first driver's license?" asked the check-in lady. I told her it would be my first Argentinian one, but that I had a foreign one already. She clicked some buttons on her computer and made me fill out a form with my information, then sent me up the stairs for my medical check. I passed the eye exam, then went back down the stairs to proceed with the next step: the written exam.

The next guy asked to see my papers and ID, and he also asked me if this was my first license. I gave him the same story that I gave the first lady and showed him my Minnesotan license. He admired it for a jolly second (that loon watermark is impressive, you do have to admit), and then asked me questions related to anything and everything but driving (Why do you live here? How long have you been here? What do you like about living here? etc. etc.) As we chatted, I noticed that he started to check off boxes on my exam sheet. Written exam: 100%. Then he asked me the color, make, and model of the car that I was going to use for the parking test, and as he jotted that information down, he checked off the parallel parking box. So I guess that meant I passed. He handed me my papers and told me to go see the next guy who would take my picture and hand me my license in a matter of minutes.

I walked out of the DMV slightly disappointed that I didn't get to show off my skills and knowledge, but content nonetheless that I had "passed." My father-in-law asked me if they planned on throwing a car into the package of freebies that they had just handed me. Now that'd be the day. Since there was no free car involved in the deal after all, we had to buy one for ourselves. We ended up with a 2012 Ford Ecosport, and as fate would have it: it's a manual transmission. 

 

My first go at driving a stick.

Every tutorial that I have seen for driving a stick shift starts off by saying, "To learn how to drive, you'll first want to find a big, open parking lot. Secondly, you'll want to be patient with yourself and accept the fact that you will be bad at first." With those things in mind, we made our way to the city's big soccer stadium parking lot. There were four or five other drivers already there doing the same thing, as it is apparently the city's hot spot to practice driving. Emi said my first go at it was actually pretty good. I'm no expert yet, but I'll get the hang of it. My left foot is also thrilled at the opportunity to be involved in the driving process after all this time of leaving everything up to the right one. 

There are road trips in our future...