Things I learned in my driving lessons.

What’s up guys!

Hello to the beginning of May! Well, not exactly since it’s already the 3^rd, but what the heck.

Anyway, lately, I’ve been spending my time taking…classes.

Now before any of you raise your eyebrows at me saying I’m currently in my faux “gap-year” and all, I have actually been taking Driving classes. Oh, and probably add Zumba to that too, but I only actually just started yesterday, so I don’t think it could be officially considered yet.

So, I’m learning manual so it’s actually a bit more complicated than driving an automatic car. I’m actually really lazy to go commute all the way to the driving school in the heat of the sun (take note: my schedule is usually at 1 in the afternoon so imagine that) and be trained by a stranger.

In the long walk I make every day to get out of my subdivision (in the middle of the day and the summer weather) I listen to feel good songs and tell myself, that after this, I won’t ever be commuting again. Patience and perseverance should have been in my New Year’s resolution for 2013.

But anyway, yeah, I’m doing it. There are ups and downs along the way, but I do learn a lot of other things, aside from just the basic driving.

Things I learned, in the few days of attending driving school.

1. 1.       Concentrate. During my first day, I don’t really understand how, or why, but I was distracted. My mind was elsewhere. I wasn’t nervous to begin classes, and I wasn’t excited either, which was a bit peculiar, because usually, in all kinds of things I’m starting out, I’d feel at least one of those emotions. I knew I had to concentrate because everything my instructor taught me seemed to just go in one ear, and go out of the other. I was doing what he was saying, but I wasn’t really putting it inside my mind. I was like a driving robot, and it wasn’t nice.
2. 2.       Listen. Like I’ve said, I was a bit distracted so it would probably make sense why I make a lot of mistakes. He’d say clutch and I’d either step on it a little too fast, or a little too slow, or worse, not at all. He’d say signal left, and I’d turn right. He would tell me to hit the brakes, and we’d go to an abrupt stop. Sometimes I’d start too fast or run too slow, I was just glad my instructor didn’t sue me for whiplash…yet. I should learn to listen, because really listening is IMPORTANT. Which goes on to number 3.
3. 3.       Not everyone is as patient as you think.  I gotta give credit to my instructor for being patient with me at first. (at first) He should understand that I was only during my second session then when he started getting mad at me for small mistakes. Like I said, I was distracted. I mean how do I freakin understand clutch- release- brake clutch first gear- release clutch- clutch- second gear-brake- whatttt? Now that I think about it, It was actually clear. But I was not listening, and he was not being patient with me, and the more he got mad, the more mistakes I made. For a drivuing instructor, he really should’ve expanded his patience, but yeah, not everyone will be as patient with me as I think.
4. 4.       Have an open mind. Because not everybody will be the way I planned them in my head, there will be disappointments. But let’s say, you were the one who had an impatient instructor. You can’t just whine about it. Have an open mind. You may have the funny instructor, the impatient instructor, or you could have the mean one. Point is, that’s what’s given to you, and you have to take it as a challenge. You can’t just complain and get him changed (maybe you can) but I’d rather finish with who I started with. He’s the one who knows my progress, and where I’m currently failing and improving at the moment. And if he is not that patient with me, I should have the open mind to be the one who’s patient with him.
5. 5.       Accept your mistakes. Saying that means accepting the wrong things you did. Like for me, I got mad at my instructor, when he got mad at me for not listening. I didn’t accept that I did make a mistake by not listening. I made my own instructions and did not incorporate his. Why? I don’t know, because I’m a rebel? Because I think I already know how to drive? No. Because I was distracted. Which really brings us back to number 1. Listen. And if you don’t listen, and your instructor gets mad at you, accept it. Because you deserve it.
6. 6.       Appreciate small feats. When you’re distracted, and pressured, and your instructor is hammering you with instructions that sound jumbled to you, you won’t realize that you have actually been driving smoothly in the highways and main roads. One thing about my lessons was that I made most of the mistakes in the simpler tasks like stepping on the clutch and hitting the brakes waay to fast. I only realized how much ease I had when driving along the city’s main road. If I could have realized that earlier, I would have been proud of myself, and happier, and none of the pressures would have gone into my head, hence, less mistakes.
7. 7.       Always be in the right lane. Not necessarily RIGHT as in the right lane as some countries drives on the left. But I mean always be in the correct lane, where you are supposed to be. In his better mood, my instructor told me that I should stay in my lane and not mind the other extra lanes on the sides because if I’m in the correct lane, I’m always right, and nothing could go wrong.
8. 8.       Be brave. One thing about me is, whenever I see overtakers from the opposite direction that are coming towards me, or big trucks I’d tend to drive away. This is not right. As, I’m in the supposed right lane, the overtakers are the ones who will have problems. Also, the big trucks and big cars, would not really try to hit my small one. They’re just passing through, in their lane. So there’s nothing to be afraid of. If I drive with confidence, I could drive smoothly. I can’t just go cowering away from others just because they’re bigger than me, or very intimidating. I need to be brave, and have trust and confidence in myself.
9. 9.       Give way. Not all the time I should be brave. There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Confidence brings you to places you want to be. Arrogance gets you down. Or in the case of driving, in a hospital, or a jail. Sometimes, you have to give way to others, if they signaled before you, if they are going the right way, or if they want to overtake. Just give way, maybe you don’t know that small act you did could’ve helped them big time, if they were in a hurry for a meeting, an interview or a medical situation, and you have definitely spared yourself from a terrible accident.
10. 10.   Get out of the house once in a while. I have also learned that, if I never had these lessons, I would have just stayed inside the house all day. As it is summer, and I literally have nothing to do (along with everyone I know) I get to spend time with my friends outside of my house. I get to do things, and not just become a hermit. Although it’s more expensive to go outside, it’s better than staying in, and having nothing done.

xx

Gizel

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