pride comes before the fall (literally)

Man, if I got a dollar for every time I have made a fool of myself while here in Vietnam…I would be one rich girl. Last week was no exception. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I recently got a motorbike!!! Well I have been driving and practicing a lot on said motorbike over the past week. Its like learning anything new…riding a bike, driving a car…its awkward at first but improves with practice.

One of the things that is taking me the longest to get used to is the weight of the bike. It is so heavy!!! Once I am on it I am ok, but the weight difference between moving a bicycle versus a motorbike is quite substantial :)

So, the other day Christa and I were out and about. I was starting to think “Wow, look at me-I’ve got the hang of this motorbike thing!” Mistake number one…I was starting to get cocky. Mistake number two…as I was backing the bike out (while I was on foot-not while on the bike) of the parking area I somehow lost my balance and allowed the bike to fall over and subsequently followed. Don’t worry, I didn’t sustain any other physical injuries other than some pretty bruises on my legs…emotional bruises though, well…they sustained a little bit more damage. No, I am kidding, I am being melodramatic but I did manage to allow the bike to topple down for an audience of about 20 Vietnamese guys, cool. Yes folks, if the blond hair didn’t give it away-the motorbike handling skills surely did- I am a foreigner! :)

Later that day I was reflecting on what happened and a few things occurred to me. First…yes, pride comes before the fall. I was getting a little bit too confident in my driving skills-not that confidence is bad, but more confidence than skill warrants is just not a good idea. Second of all, I had to laugh at my reaction. Seven months ago if I were to make a spectacle of myself like I did, I would have just about died of mortification. Instead, yes…I felt somewhat sheepish but was over it within a minute’s time.

You see, like I said earlier-the incident last week is but one in a very long string of events where I have made a fool of myself here. I thinks it just a part of living in a different country, different culture, language, etc. I have learned to not take myself so seriously. Learned to laugh more when things don’t go as planned. Learned to not care so much what I look like. Learned to be more comfortable with who I am-flaws and all.

Yes, its a bit painful at times but mostly... its freeing.

Grace and peace and the third way,

Kait