I recently had my very first driving lesson. It lasted half an hour because I don't think my mother's heart would have taken a lot longer.
I thought I was very good to begin with. I remembered all the good stuff. I remembered to take my Learner License with me, and the L Plates. And I wore comfortable shoes.
Mum drove the car up to a nice flat road that is known in our area for having pretty much no houses or traffic in it, and it would be a good, safe place to learn to drive.
Unfortunately the word must have got around about it being a nice quiet safe place because when we got up there there must've been two cyclists, about three joggers, a power walker, a lady with a pram, and two young kids out for a walk, one with two dogs, all wanting to go in different directions.
There were no cars though, except me.
I wanted to growl a lot at them all except those dogs looked pretty scary, so Mum decided to drive me down the road to this Oval, where there are two parking lots, which should be nice to drive around in. The Oval is barely used. The top parking lot is for people who use the grass area (soccer, rugby) and the bottom for the tennis courts.
We got there and the top park area was packed. Hmmm. Why oh why do people choose to have soccer matches on days Learner's wish to learn to drive?
So Mum carefully drove down the laneway to the bottom lot, where the tennis courts were. Luckily this was a bit emptier, and there were some people leaving (maybe because they saw me).
Soon the lot was empty except for two other cars (both Red P-platers)
So I had my first lesson.
I hurried out and put the Ls on, and then tried to look very professional as I adjusted the rear view mirror and the side vision mirrors, though the truth was, I couldn't tell much what I was supposed to be seeing out of them. It was rather cool to squint at them and saying "Hmmm yes I think that's better" though.
Then I turned on the ignition (Whoa!)
One thing they don't tell you much is that the car starts moving even before you hit the accelerator. It just starts rolling, silly thing.
Also, when you touch the brake or the accelerator, you just touch it a bit and you feel like you are being thrown around like an earthquake hit you. This machine had attitude!
And what is it about driving that you think you're quite parallel to the side of something but actually you're about 35 degrees out? It seems a very easy thing to do.
However, soon I felt I had got the hang of the jolting thing. I think I learned lots.
I had twisted, turned, reversed and driven all over the parking lot, until Mum made some excuse to go home.
She looked rather green.
I bet it was envy.
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8 comments:
It's preferable to learn to drive around cyclists, joggers, walkers and (wo)manned prams, because (i) they are hazards that one would expect to encounter in ‘real’ everyday driving, and (ii) one can reasonably expect them to – at an appropriate speed – move out of the way when the chassis of your car encroaches their comfort zones, whereas parked cars are often slower to react.
Be careful how you adjust your rear view mirror. I remember scaring the bejeezus out of myself once when I saw in it a hooded, faceless figure with no face sitting in the backseat while I was driving into the twilight. Turns out it was my coat acting all pensive. Lesson learnt: the driver should see out the rear window instead of the backseat (unless it is carrying squabbling kids) in the rear view mirror.
Given my demonstrated lack of driving skills, I think a valid question could be posed: "Preferable for whom?"
My Mum scared the beejeezus out of me, as I was reversing in the parking lot.
"There's something behind you, there's something behind you!!" she called out. I kept peering into the rear view mirror and I couldn't figure out what she was talking about.
In the end I figured out she meant the EDGE of the parking lot, but I didn't realise that was something out of the ordinary in a parking lot. Specially a small one when you're reversing.
Preferable for all parties who would like to avoid a collision. It's a win-win for others to move out of the way.
My parents found the process of teaching my chronically uncoordinated self how to drive so harrowing that they hired A Professional to give me a few lessons. He used the expression "in one fell swoop" every three sentences (as in, "Change gears in one fell swoop", "Indicate in one fell swoop", "Avoid taking out that small child in one fell swoop", etc). On the rare occasions when I drive these days, I find myself intoning those words. To this very day.
When teaching me to drive, my Da' took to describing the motions almost absent-mindedly. "Put the clutch down... change into second gear... turn, turn, turn." etc. Then he forgot why he was doing it, and started doing it EVERY time he went out driving. Oh, dear.
It won't be long before he does this at everything. "Coming up the stairs ... change to third gear. Turn, turn, turn. Coming into the kitchen. Decelerating. Turning into the dinner table seat... turning into the dinner table seat. Sit, sit, sit." etc.
hi maria, great blog, i remember learning to drive, i failed my test twice, stick with (and the lawyering) it gets easier (or maybe we just get tougher!
Thank you all for your kind words of support. Just had another driving lesson recently, worthy I think of a second driving post, but let me just say:
Mr Mean, I have this horrible vision of stubborn little kiddies with dogs standing in the street saying "Me won't get out of way. ME WON'T". Then I'll mow them over and their pain will be over in a few seconds but I'll feel guilty for a lot longer. And that's why I lose more. Gosh. Them kiddies would probably would do it outta spite, because they know I'd come out of it secondbest.
Dear Alexis, Baron, etc we chronically uncoordinated types must stick together. I'm still having trouble with which is my right and which is my left. Someone told me your left hand can make an L so that's how you can tell, but since I'm right handed, my right hand can form a perfectly good "L" too - just give me a en. Therefore I'm still in a dilemma.
TimT, I'm glad my father doesn't teach me to drive. He's got a loud voice and likes to quote Confucius.
I think it would go like this ... "Maria ... Confucius alway say ... turn indicator on ... no ... change gear ... what did Confucius say about reversing?"
Trixie, thanks, I've started a new lawyering job and a new driving attempt this year - let's see which eases up fastest :)
Thank you all for your kind words of support. Just had another driving lesson recently, worthy I think of a second driving post, but let me just say:
Mr Mean, I have this horrible vision of stubborn little kiddies with dogs standing in the street saying "Me won't get out of way. ME WON'T". Then I'll mow them over and their pain will be over in a few seconds but I'll feel guilty for a lot longer. And that's why I lose more. Gosh. Them kiddies would probably would do it outta spite, because they know I'd come out of it secondbest.
Dear Alexis, Baron, etc we chronically uncoordinated types must stick together. I'm still having trouble with which is my right and which is my left. Someone told me your left hand can make an L so that's how you can tell, but since I'm right handed, my right hand can form a perfectly good "L" too - just give me a en. Therefore I'm still in a dilemma.
TimT, I'm glad my father doesn't teach me to drive. He's got a loud voice and likes to quote Confucius.
I think it would go like this ... "Maria ... Confucius alway say ... turn indicator on ... no ... change gear ... what did Confucius say about reversing?"
Trixie, thanks, I've started a new lawyering job and a new driving attempt this year - let's see which eases up fastest :)
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