I would like to make a confession related to my previous post Driving in the Netherlands: the photo I used was not taken here but in the US. I’m sorry but at that time I wanted to show something nice about driving like sunny skies and wide roads and I couldn’t find one good photo easily or maybe I was just too lazy. But ok, I admit my guilt and this is the true picture of driving here on most days:

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Another confession I want to make is that I quit my driving lessons! I realized I am just throwing too much money (my instructor charges me 67 Euros for 1.5 hours of lessons). In my previous driving lessons I found out also that the new tests involve me having to navigate my way from point A to point B and they expect me to know or memorize the directions beforehand. The instructor may or may not allow me to use a GPS navigator!

MrC and I had planned on leaving the country within a few months so there you go I just announced it now. This is still dependent on our forthcoming visit to the Philippines which will happen in August. As of now there is a 50-50 chance (maybe higher) that this would push through if we both have a good feeling about it. The whole story behind it is in my other blog I’d like to leave it to you to figure out which blog it is. So anyways, I found it pretty pointless to spend time, effort and money on something which I will not really need in the long run. I guess it’s all just about my priorities for now.

However, the past few weeks there have been bus strikes that in order to get to work and back I would need to have MrC bring me by car or me having to share a ride with my colleague or depend on the scheduled transportation provided by the company. It just frustrates me that I have to actually depend on others to get to work. Driving and having your own car to me is not really some kind of status symbol or some form of materialism but to me it is FREEDOM in its basic sense. No need for explanation I think especially for American readers but this is just how I feel.

Roads are part of our everyday life. They lead us to where we want to go. Without roads there is no progress. Roads connect us to the world.

Country roads, city roads, muddy roads. I like them all.

• Note: These photos were taken during our recent road trip in the West Coast of USA, and some were from a visit to Canada, the rest are from here locally (Netherlands).