When doing a cultural exchange program, one would expect to learn the language spoken in that country. Before i left for Peru i thought i might improve my Spanish skills and maybe even pick up a few words in Quecha. However, something surprising has happend! i have discovered a whole new language entirely. This is the very sophisticated art of horn honking. WARNING: Any parents of the GSE team reading this, may want to stop now.
Our experiences riding in cars during our time here has been a test in bravery and valore. There are little to no rules for driving, hence the neccesity for this new language. During our studies we have distinguished the following types of horn honking, each recognizable by the loudness and length of honk
1. The ¨I´m about to pass you on this very narrow road while someone else is coming the opposite direction¨ honk.
2. The ¨I am about to ignore all traffic signs and drive through this intersection without looking¨ honk. (fair warning)¨
3. The ¨Pretty white girl¨ honk.
4. The ¨would you like a taxi?¨ honk.
5. The ¨your door is open in my lane¨ honk
6. The ¨completely useless honk¨ (in a traffic jam or other situation where honking will make no difference.)
7. The ¨the road is in complete chaos¨ honk.
8. The ¨I´m about to pull back out onto a busy road without really looking¨ honk.
9. The ¨someone in front of me (or near me) is on a bicycle or motortaxi¨ honk.
10. The ¨ I heard someone else honking¨ honk.
11. The ¨I haven´t honked in 30 seconds¨ honk.
GSE TEAM--If i have forgotten any or you would like to make any additions, please feel free.
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Nicole, is Katie with you?? HONK
ReplyDelete12. The "there's a chicken/ llama/ cow/ pig/ burro/ dog/ small child in my way" honk.
ReplyDelete13. The "I'm not going to stop at this stop sign, so I'm going to honk to let other drivers know I'm coming through the intersection" honk.
14. The "I see you, mototaxi, I see you two blocks away and I KNOW you're going to cut me off, so this is a pre-emptive honk to let you know I see you two blocks away" honk.
15. The "shock and awe" honk.*
*Some private cars here have, for their honk, a replica of the sound that a police cruiser makes. This scared the **** out of me the first time this horn was sounded, I believe for reasons (3), (4), and/ or (7). After that, I nicknamed it the "shock and awe" honk for its sheer ridiculousness.
16. The GSE parent "Where are you? You get right home!" honk.
ReplyDelete