don't look

you can observe a lot about a culture by the traffic. in the US, i can be at a red light at 3 am, without a soul around, and i will stop, and wait for the light to turn green. it could be five whole minutes, and i would still wait it out. 

traffic in georgia is a joke. the lines on the road , if they exist, are a mere rough guideline for where the cars might belong. lanes, however, mean nothing. if there is room to fit four cars in two lanes, there will be four cars, haphazardly scattered in those two lanes. the shoulder is merely another lane. i haven't seen one car stay inside the lanes, whatsoever.

the roads inside the city are potholed to the max. i will definitely need a chiropractic adjustment when i return home. some of the streets are old brick cobblestone, and the rest are just patches of concrete, asphalt, and whatever else they might have had handy.

traffic lights and signs mean about as much as the lanes do. not a thing. pedestrians do not have the right of way, and the cars will hit you. it is common for cars to jump the curb when turning a corner. jaywalking is necessary if you want to get anywhere. crosswalks are scarce, and are usually faded beyond recognition.

passing is a game. normally, if you see a car coming from you in the opposite direction, you wait to pass the car in front of you, right? in Georgia, you simply honk very loudly to let everyone know you are coming. the opposing car moves into the shoulder, the car you are passing moves over into the other shoulder, and you go straight through the center. i now have decided to ride everywhere with a blindfold. it is literally like playing Russian roulette every time i get into a car.

the cars range from newer mercedes (lots of mbs in this city) to soviet era bombers. air conditioning is rare. rolling down the window ensures you will suck down lungs full of exhaust. it seems as though bumpers and fenders are luxury items. i can actually see some sort of fluid tank hanging out of the front of nino's car. she has neither a front or rear bumper, but somehow she does have an AUTOMATIC ALARM. something is wrong with the steering wheel. she can't seem to turn the car without breaking into a sweat. i think it died in the middle of traffic about six or seven times today. that was an improvement from yesterday.