Driving

Slowly but surely I am learning to drive in South Africa. The first time, Kelly explained the fine art of driving a manual transmission and we stuck to the little road between the Lodge and the Old Convent. The second time I tried going alone but Sarah took pity on me and the car and came along with some pointers. Other than that I have mostly been going out on my own and teaching myself. The problem with driving in South Africa is there is so much to remember. First of all, there is the hassle of driving a stick shift. Usually I do alright with that but when I screw up and stall the car I get flustered and stall it ten times in the same exact spot. Then there is driving on the left hand side. Fortunately, I only once started to turn into the right hand lane once and I recovered quickly. And last but not least our car doesn't have power steering. So taken individually those three things seem like minor inconveniences. But the three of them make driving much more stressful than back home. It is a little demoralizing to drive around with a huge L in the back window (referring to someone who is just learning to drive) even though I have had a driver's license for ten years. The good news is that I almost feel confident enough to drive by myself in town. But for the time being, drivers and pedestrians be ware...