So DJ had a hard time getting home the other night when the mini died in the middle of the highway. He called me in a panic and after I had calmed him down, a cop showed up and gave him a jump. He later said that he spent the first few minutes pointing and saying, “battery” and “jump?” until the cop figured out what was wrong with the clueless American guy’s car. DJ got the car started and began to pull away when it died again. They jumped it again and he just barely made it home. And then it became my problem. I decided that since it started when I put the key in that I would try to make it to the repair shop before it died. And then they would quickly fix it, by replacing the battery, and I would spend the rest of the day shopping and cooking dinner. Well, I made it about five miles. Thankfully I got through the 2km long tunnel, but soon after I felt a put put put and she soon died. I called the auto hobby shop on base and thankfully they were available to come get me (it has to be a flatbed tow truck because the mini is too weird to be hauled the normal way and it’s EXPENSIVE to get the Japanese to do it). Last time I needed a tow it cost me $180. So, $35 and a couple of hours later I dropped off the car. They kept it overnight to make sure the alternator was ok (it wasn’t).

Now it’s $500 later, but we have a car. I will be very glad when we leave and can dump this thing. DJ LOVES it, but I suppose it’s easier for him to love it because he doesn’t usually have to deal with it when it breaks. He also doesn’t have to shop in it often (there really is no trunk so all of my stuff has to fit in the backseat and get past the seat that you lift up and forward). And he doesn’t mind hitting a very tiny hole in the road and having your head hurt because you just made a new dent in the roof. Not to mention that now that I’m used to the car, I realize that I’m really just driving a tin can. There are no airbags, no cupholders or an AC outlet and the whole car rattles when at a stop light. But, I will admit that it is great for parking and driving in a country that expects two cars driving in opposite directions to fit on a road that normal American drivers would recognize as one way.