A few weeks ago I and a friend from Africa had occasion to get a ride with a friend from Europe. The car was fairly quiet- I was in the back seat, my two friends were in the front. We drove by a gas station, and I groaned inwardly to see the price had been hiked up again, trying to remember if I had filled my car yet.
Before I even had time to remember, my European friend glanced at the price and commented "Wow, gas is so cheap here in America! That must be why American's drive such big cars like this one." (please note: we were in a Civic- not exactly the most gi-normous car ever). To which my African friend agreed "Oh yes, I think they can afford such big cars because the gas prices are so low."
Well,this conversation went on for a minute or two before I ventured "So... how much is gas where you guys come from?" My European friend said that it converted to roughly... are you ready for this? $8 a gallon!!! My other friend said he hadn't been home in a while, but the last time he was there it converted to about $5 or $6 a gallon!
All of the sudden the latest 10 cent hike at the pump didn't seem so bad. And although, as my oh so practical neighbor pointed out when I told her this story, a 30% jump in gas prices is depressing no matter where the starting price was, somehow I still feel better when I drive past a pump and the number right after the dollar sign isn't 8.
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