Misadventure in America

After reading Kikey Loo’s Life in the United States, I feel the urge to share my own experience. (I am now back in Malaysia.)

The United States in different from the rest of the world. There, distance is measured in miles, not kilometers; temperature in Fahrenheit, not Celsius, and car engine capacity in house power, not liter. One thing which bothered me most was the central locking of vehicles.

In Malaysia, we activate central locking with our car key. In the US, it is activated by pressing a button on the inside of the car door.

A few weeks after I arrived at California, I drove to have my lunch in restaurant. After parking my car, I pressed the central locking button and slapped the door. Only then I realized: the key was still inside the car, and the engine was still running

Frantically, I contacted Hertz, the car rental company. The agent who answered my call was not helpful at all. I then called Patrick, my soft-spoken American colleague. He advised me to seek help from a locksmith, which I did.

Half an hour later, the locksmith arrived. Within 5 minutes he unlocked the car. The damage: seventy bucks!!! I had only been in America for a few weeks, and hadn’t made enough money yet. My heart ached when I handed over the greenbacks to the locksmith. I did not even tip him.

Incidentally, I wasn’t the only one who locked the key inside the car. Wilson, the Chinese guy who traveled to the Grand Canyon with me, called me one evening. He told me, “I made the same mistake as you…”

He was, nonetheless, luckier than me. He happened to have a friend who was the member of Automobile Association of America (AAA). The AAA mechanics helped to unlock his car.

I have a conspiracy theory: The Detroit Three must have purposely designed their cars in this way so that the locksmiths can make extra money!

You may also want to read these posts:
Candlewood Suites
Sightseeing
Life as a Migrant Worker