Driving!
After two and a half months of carefully studying the Maltese road system as a passenger, today I took the big step. Put on my seat-belt, arranged the mirror, and, with M as my co-pilot, drove onto the real life traffic of Regional Road, our local highway. I was a bit nervous. After many years of driving experience, I would have to say that I am quite a good driver. I only had a minor accident way way way back when I first obtained my licence, and in all these years I have never once received a ticket for any kind of traffic violation. However, there were a few obstacles to overcome.
First, driving on the left side of the road. My experience with this is very minimal. I once drove in England, but all two hours were spent on a major highway. I spent 99% of that time going forward with no stopping nor turning.
Second, driving with a manual transmission. While I know how to do it, I am not an expert at it, mostly through lack of practice. Although, the last time I drove a manual car back in July I did quite well. After a little while, I was driving very smoothly. My friend and blog-reader K can attest to this.
Third, the narrow Maltese roads. Not a big problem per se, but when added to the two points above, it can be a bit daunting.
Things went a little better than I expected. I had a lot of trouble with the lane, and M kept saying that I was too far over to the left just about every 5 seconds. The gears also gave me some trouble, particularly as I had to pay attention to so many new things at one time. The narrow roads turned out well, and I did not scrape sides with any on-coming vehicles. I even parked in the crowded supermarket parking lot!
But right before I accomplished that last bit, a man crossed in front of the car. M tells me, “that man is the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, so you may not want to hit him.” I looked over to see if he was serious. “Really!” he stressed. Just to be safe, I made sure he had walked out of my reach before I pulled in sloooowly to the narrow parking space.
