It’s crazy to state that driving a manual car isn’t actually very difficult, but then why does it tear our nerves to shreds when we have to sit behind a wheel and be assessed by an examiner with a clipboard? I hate being watched and I found this process so terrifying that I was usually shaking before I got into the car and made mistakes before I’d even started the engine.
After all this practice, all those hours I’d paid for, having to retake my theory exam because it had expired, booking intensive driving courses to boost my confidence, finding the money, the time and the location for another driving test and buying my first car (green Trudy) to practice in everywhere… I am now happy, calmly and confidently driving my second car, much more confidently than I have ever driven with someone else sitting next to me commenting.
Already I am feeling the benefits of driving. Where I am studying my social work degree, although it’s small and with lots of support, it is quite rural in places and takes ages to walk anywhere. How lovely it is to travel somewhere and arrive not soaking wet from the mist and rain but warm and dry, with warm and dry feet from not having to trudge through fields to get to lectures. How beautiful it is to cut down a 45 minute walk to a ten minute drive.
Driving will make my work more doable as I need to travel up and down the county (and beyond) to attend and chair meetings, perform home visits and check on the welfare of children. I will be able to transport clients and, on a personal level, drive home at weekends to see my family who I miss so much during the week.
I am really, clearly, quite happy right now!
(If you are currently learning to drive, don’t give up! And book your test for first thing in the morning so there’s less time to stress about it!)
silhouette scribbles 
Jody
Sounds like you are determined to succeed
Good on you
If you ever get back to Barbados then go up Bowling Alley on a dry day
Then you know you can truly drive a manual shift 😄
Take care
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Hi Rob. Thanks for the comment! I’ve had a break from blogging because I’ve been so busy with my new work.I certainly hate hill starts too but am trying not to let anything faze me with driving as I’ve got to just get on with it for my job 🙂
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Well done Jody,
As we lived in a large city did not need a car after we were married as we could take the tube or walk to work. Problem began when our friends started to get married and one had to find a way to the event. So, at 26 I went to learn to drive and it was in an automatic but the lessons started in the middle of the city and took you on to a highway with all the curves and bridges. Back of my shirt was fully wet when I got home 🙂 We would rent a car for events then one day we were going home, waiting for a bus and it rained like mad. My wife decided we had to get a car so at 28 I bought our first car (Toyota Corolla, blue beasty) but I could not afford an automatic , only the manual shift so I took my friend to pickup the car and he drove it home for me. At night I would practice changing gears on small inclines slowly building up to hills then my Caribbean wife taught me about double clutching and using handbrake when moving off on a steep hill.
Now we own an automatic /…. 😉
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Thank you Mabel 🙂 I haven’t been on wordpress for weeks because studies have taken over my life haha. Yep, in the UK they encourage everyone to drive manual because it gives us more options apparently. I’d love to try driving auto though, looks smooth 🙂 my test was at 8:30am!
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Congrats on passing your driving test! You did manual driving? I can only drive an auto car, and when I passed I was so relieved. It really takes a lot of time to practise driving, especially around the test circuit. I did my test at 11am, close to lunch time and I was so eager to get it over and done with and a treat 😉
Good luck with your studies and meetings. I’m sure you’ll impress everybody 🙂
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