Greatest Fear
Normally when God calls someone to another culture to serve as a missionary, their first fears are “Am I going to miss my family?” or “Will I be able to survive the elements?” My fear came in the question of “Oh God, please don’t make me buy one of those really small cars?!?!” You see, I’m not exactly a small guy. I stand 6 ft tall (1.83 meters) and over 200 lbs or over 91 kg (way over). My first vehicle that I drove was a 1979 GMC Suburban with a 454 engine in it. That equates to something like a 7.2 liter engine. I once had 15 people in there. (this was before seat belt laws) Once a VW bus rear-ended it only to total the bus and there wasn’t even a scratch on the Suburban. It helped that the Suburban had a dual ball hitch on the back that went into the engine block of the VW.
But the vehicles that came to mind when I thought about moving to Europe (especially with a heart for Eastern Europe) were the old Soviet made vehicles that you could dent by hand (and subsequently pop out the dent by hand too). These vehicles have two cylinder engines in them which are smaller than some of the motorcycles found in the US. I have a weird fear that I am going to be in one of these things, be in an accident, and have a permanent suit of armor around me.
Well, now because of the increase of gas prices in the US, the Smart Car is coming. Not until 2008 but that may be because it only has a 60 HP engine and it’s a long drive from Europe. You see, most of the world has been dealing with high gas prices for a while and so they have learned to minimize their vehicles but not here in the US where a Hummer is considered the next minivan. Why even the “mini”-van is no longer even remotely small. But now with the over $3/gallon prices (which is really nothing to the over $7/gallon in Europe), the US is starting to see smaller can be better.
I am now resigned to the fact that the Smart car would be a fun car to drive. I hear they get special permission to be “creative” in their parking.
I’ve actually been in one of those two-seater Smart cars, and they’re pretty roomy on the inside due to the shape of the cabin.
They seem kind of scary, but those things are actually pretty good in a crash. Check out this video clip from a British TV show called Fifth Gear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ao_C89CgR8
Not to worry. People in this part of Europe drive relatively big cars, since the roads are much wider. It’s those old cities like Rome where you have to zip around in the tiny cars.
Oh yes, seeing the video of a Smart car ramming a concrete barricade at 70 mph made me feel so much better. Thanks.