With Megan working on some laundry, I ventured out on my own for my first attempt to drive here this morning, aiming for a quiet residential district instead of the highway. It felt a bit like being 16 and learning to drive all over again. Driving here requires not just being on the opposite side of the road from which I'm accustomed (that part wasn't too big of a deal getting used to), but the vehicle we're using is also a stickshift, which requires shifting with the left hand.
On my first outing, I attempted to get in on the wrong side of the car twice and flipped on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal in traffic three times. But, I seem to be getting the hang of the clutch alright and the first drive was good (didn't grind any gears). I managed to make it (ever so slowly) to a grocery store a few miles away in Boksburg to buy some more airtime via a PIN number I purchased. We convert the airtime into data bundles for Internet usage here (requires about 5 steps to get more Internet time and is quite laborious setting up).
Lieszl Scheepers made us some nice maps and directions to all the main places we'll need to go (shown above), so the next step will be putting my new-found driving skills to the test by actually going someplace of substance. Megan's a bit leery on the whole South African-driving and may wait a bit longer before attempting it herself.
No comments:
Post a Comment