Rad Driving Skills

Meet Felix. He's the lovely little car we're renting so I can learn how to drive stick shift. Now, Felix is a little rough around the edges. He's been used and abused. But he and I understand each other. We at least have a mutual agreement. I will try not to break him if he doesn't let me crash. I think that's a healthy goal for any relationship.

So, I have to learn to drive a manual car because that's what I'll be driving in Europe. In fact, I think that's what everyone drives in Europe. I'm pretty nervous about it. It's what I'm most nervous about in this whole experience I think. Not only do I have to drive in a foreign country with foreign road signs, I have to learn which sidewalks it is apparently ok to park on, when entering traffic has the right away in which traffic circles, and how to drive a car who's main goal seems to be stalling in the middle of intersections, all while trying to get myself and two children through town unscathed. Needless to say, I am trying to get practice in now.

I've only stalled out 3 times in traffic...so far. None of these times has been overly disasterous but they scare me. At least nothing can be as scary as learning to drive the first time around. The fact that I (and anyone who's tried to teach me) haven't suffered a nervous breakdown is encouragement enough. I mostly just encounter embarrassing situations. Like today for instance. I was driving to Pizza Hut with my dad. I have trouble starting off quickly after stop lights because I'm afraid of stalling. My solution: hit the gas and clutch at the same time...hard. So far it's worked. I haven't stalled but man, those tires can squeal! Apparently I've also been nicknamed Gear-Jerker but at least no one outside the car can hear/feel when I change gears.

So, all this to say, preparing for life in a foreign country is much more complex than I originally anticipated. In the beginning my main concern was, how on earth do I pack one suitcase for a whole year of my life? Now I've discovered the joys of paperwork, visa applications, manual driving lessons, and learning how to say goodbye. But through it all I just remember how it is so worth it. A year in the South of France, on the Mediteranean, with a wonderful family whom I can't wait to see again! Yeah, it's all worth it.