Driving

Q: What's this:

Chug-chug-chug KAPUT! Chug-chug-chug KAPUT!

A: That's the sound of me learning how to drive (and stall) a manual car for the first time.

Eighteen years after getting my license, I had to learn to drive all over again. And not just any old car, but a manual one (i.e. a stick shift). Oh, the joy. A clutch? What's that? And I have to manually change gears? Really? On top of this I also had to learn how to drive while sitting on the right side of the car, and driving on the left side of the road. Backwards! And manage narrow roads and foreign road signs. Oh sure, I could do all that (rolls eyes). Just let me get out my Wonder Woman outfit and I'll be all set...

Getting to grips with the clutch and changing gears took me forever to learn. And not without a few tears! "What a difficult way to drive a car!" I once complained to John, my driving instructor. He just laughed. I can't tell you how many times I'd stall the car in the middle of the road with a line of traffic behind me. The good thing is, British drivers don't honk their horns very often like in NJ. Of course the big red "L" which all learner drivers have to display on their car probably gave them a hint that I was a new driver. So I avoided the cacophony of horns but did experience some rather stern stares.

John was amused that I was American and new to England. I'd inadvertantly drift to the right side of the road at first and he'd steer me back laughing, "Woah! You're going back to your old habits!" One thing I learned is that unlike the US, there aren't as many road signs. But there are a lot of markings on the road itself and I had to get into the habit of looking down more as I drove. On more than one occasion I'd start to drive through an intersection, only to have John slam the brakes on his side because I hadn't noticed the "give way" markings on the road.

Roundabouts were an experience! Sometimes they still are. To turn right at a roundabout, you have to go left and then go around the roundabout to the right. "You mean I have to go left to go right? How silly is that!"  It took me ages to get the hang of it. And I live in Swindon, Wiltshire, the home of roundabouts. Don't believe me? Well check this out. It's called the Magic Roundabout (named after a children's TV show):

                                         (Courtesy of Swindonweb)

Yes, it's real, believe me. Don't ask me to explain it, it'll just make your head hurt. But I did find this cool YouTube video animation which demonstrates how it works (click on the title below): 

Swindon's Magic Roundabout Explained 

Got it now?

I had the added pressure of only being in England for 2 weeks, so I didn't even know the area or the roads. At the end of each lesson John would say, "OK you can drive home now." And I'd say, "Great, but how do I get there?"

Once I passed my test I thought, "Whew... I don't have to do that anymore." Um....Earth to Gina! I had to keep driving! Honestly, it took me years to get comfortable with it. I couldn't put the radio on or have any distractions because I was concentrating so hard. The narrow roads here were challenging. I was used to the "I'm from NJ, I own the road, get out of my way" mentality. But roads are narrow and if cars are parked on your side of the road, it blocks the lane and you have to drive on the right side of the road (hooray)! But if traffic is heading your way you have to find a place to pull over to let them pass. It's all about sharing the road...ha, try that in NJ.

Not only that but there are added obstacles like cyclists, tractors and horses. If they're in your lane and there's no room, you need to swerve to the right to pass them. Or, you can stay behind them and drive at 2 miles an hour. And for the horses, you have to drive past them slowly so they don't get spooked. New stuff for this city girl!

Ten years later...I can whiz around roundabouts like nobody's business, change gears, pass horses and play the radio at the same time. I never EVER thought I'd get it. But I did. If I can do it, anyone can!