By Ennas Al Sharifi

My husband, Ali, and I are proponents of taking the train or bus whenever possible, there are those moments when getting behind the wheel of a car is necessary.

But with an automobile comes challenges: rules of the road; confusing signs; language barriers; getting lost.

When you’re driving around in circles and going completely mad, you’re probably not laughing. But when you get home, and write it all down like an entry in our culture shock contest, suddenly those travel snafus are comedy gold.

First impressions

The first time my husband and I went driving through Luxembourg I was really shocked. It was like it was the first time he had driven a car.

Ali was sweating a lot but it was winter. He was tense all the time, and would not let me play any music. This was not the husband I was used to see driving the car in Baghdad!

The reason is the big difference between driving on the streets of Luxembourg and the Middle East.

Here the national speed limit on Luxembourg is 130 km/h on motorways (or 110 km/h in rain), 90 km/h on open country roads and 50 or 30 km/h in built up areas.

The minimum driving age is 18 years and the blood alcohol limit is 0.5mg/ml. In Luxembourg you drive on the right, and overtake on the left.

In Iraq, where I come from, we don't have speed limits because of the presence of many military points on all roads leading to the cities in Baghdad.

Their job is not to search for explosives and protection but to cause traffic congestion on highways with unspecified speed limits. For example if I want to get to work for 9am, I must leave the house at 6 to avoid traffic and arrive on time.

In Iraq, the law says motorists must pass a driving test to obtain a licence. But the majority do not obey the law because the country is in a permanent state of military preparedness and war.

Other major differences are that in Iraq we have wide streets. The streets are wide enough for four rows of cars in one direction. In Luxembourg one street is wide enough for just two rows of cars.

In Luxembourg, young children must sit in a special child's seat. In Iraq, sometimes you will see cars carrying five or six people, including children.

We have pedestrian crossings in the street but drivers rarely stop because of congestion. The first time I used a pedestrian crossing in Luxembourg and the car stopped for me, I felt happy and proud.

In Iraq, we tend to use just minibuses, not like the big buses in Luxembourg. And we have car parks everywhere.

In most places you pay around 5 euros to park the whole day. Another big difference is signalling.

In Iraq drivers will often use hand signals to indicate when turning or stopping and wherever you go you will hear the horrible sound of car horns which drivers use to express anything from anger to a greeting or warning.

Like in Luxembourg, we have traffic police in Iraq, at most intersections of busy roads. They regulate traffic and record violations.

But unlike in Luxembourg, if you do not have vehicle insurance you will not be punished because in Iraq car insurance is not common.

These are just some of the things that drive me crazy because I survived driving in Baghdad yet here everything is new for us.

When you get behind the wheel of a car here, you learn things you just didn't need to know in Iraq. Here it's a whole new journey!

Ennas Al Sharifi is one of two Iraqi journalists working with Iraqi photographer Ali Sahib to share their experiences and those of people like them who are seeking asylum in Luxembourg.

Click here to view more articles by Iraqi journalists