i have to say, at the very moment, i don’t find driving to be that much fun anymore. after the very hot sunday that we just had, yesterday and today… crappy weather. snow, snow, snow. yesterday wasn’t exactly that bad, just a bit of snow every now and then. this morning, on the other hand…. it felt like winter again. it’s been snowing kind of heavily and we are now left with this slippery, compact, ice-like layer of snow on the road. the kind that you can skate on even with proper winter shoes on. it is hell to drive on, almost as bad as driving on ice.
driving in norway is an experience in itself because the roads go up and down and up and down and they’re quite narrow. where we live, heaps of sharp bends. we also have the water on one side and mountain on the other. for me, driving here takes 200 per cent concentration. what with the road condition, the weather, the crazy maniacs, the round-abouts. oh, and the exits. one in particular is the exit to get off the highway to the area where we live. not fun. i have learnt to really slow down before getting off the highway and so far, i have managed it okay. until today.
today, i lost control of the car. i was doing around 35 (MOH said max 50 km/hr to be safe) and lost control of the car. it was a good thing i was really slow otherwise i would’ve hit not just that thing in the middle of the road… you now… the thing to divide the lane.. well, if i was any faster i would’ve hit two of those and a car. bloody good thing i was driving extra slow. i know that when it’s slippery you’re not supposed to break and turn at the same time because that’s how you slip but i wasn’t breaking. i was done breaking before i exited the highway, i was already down to only around 30-35 but once the car got to the snowy part of the road… hooooly crap!!!!the car just wouldn’t go the way i steered it to, instead it just went straight. the ‘go right, go right, go right!!!’ yell in my head didn’t help. luckily for me i was so slow that the car came to a stop right before it went up the lane divider thingy. pheeeww…
the most amazing part was that i didn’t panic. didn’t lose my cool at all. i did went ‘oh shit’ but i didn’t freeze. i am so proud of myself for not breaking down and cry like a big cry baby that i am. so i just gathered myself, checked if it was clear to reverse, did so and drove my way.
but i can’t believe i almost had an accident because of slippery road in april! how psycho is this norwegian weather? second april here, second time experiencing snowy april. even in the middle of the winter we just had, back when i had absolutely no experience in driving, never mind driving in thick snow, i never lost control of the car. but then again, the car was a champ. it’s a different story altogheter now because i’m driving a smaller, lighter car. i have to admit that i don’t feel as safe in this car as i was in the other car. maybe i’m just not used to the car yet but i wish i could be driving that giant of a car that is MOH’s.
oh… it’s snowing again.
crazy/beautiful - my life as it is 