**Extreme Driving**

Let me say that I LOVE DRIVING IN DUBAI. It is like driving in DC when there are only tourists and people from Maryland on the roads.... but with no rules or blinkers. The only rule is that if you make eye contact with anyone, that is the signal for them to merge. So, you continue to drive with blinders and expect everyone to cut you off with no warning and lots and lots of honking. In addition, safety is NON EXISTENT. There are no seat belt rules and all children stand in the back of their parents cars as they talk on their cell phones and chain smoke. I don't even know if they know what a car seat is! Its madness!!

Now that I have set the scene, I must say that I was much better when I was driving the beater car. Yes, it smelled and there was some sort of stick on tinting on the back window that rendered it useless, but with the new car, I am a little too scared to be as aggressive. I got this Focus with 77km on the odometer. Being American, I have no idea how much that is but I have never had a car under 100 anything. Hell, I don't think I have had anything under 20,000 anything.

Since the most common question I have received since I got the car has been: What are you going to do when you get caught *fill in with speeding or any number of driving offenses.* Well, I would like to remind everyone that I am a very good driver. Despite Dubai not understanding the traffic circle or the use of speed bumps, they have the speeding under control. They have cameras everywhere. Actually, they have camera boxes everywhere. Only some of them have cameras and during the day, they won't flash either way, so you generally only speed if you can afford the fines. The fines accumulate and you pay once a year when you renew your registration. There are no points unless you do something to actually make the police pull you over. I don't know what that would consist of but my manager was able to do it and land a nice "driving recklessly" ticket. Mad props there!!

I am sure with the new wheels - y'all can expect a whole bunch of road stories. I am so much trouble!