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.
Well done with managing to drive here! It is daunting because us Maltese think that we own the road. Plus most people don’t know that indicators exist! And yeah, it would be a good idea not to run over anyone, esp when they’ve got connections hehe
Your hitting the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs would have made for an interesting entry, but of course I’m glad your driving experience went well. You will have to show me how to drive stick someday…