Present, About Driving (Part 2)

Today's lesson objective was steering wheel control, that is driving along straight roads, along gradual bends and along sharper bends. Remember my first lesson when all I did was move forward and reverse? Well that sucks. But then I got a pleasant surprise when the instructor told me that I could drive along the course. Now that's what driving is about-- moving around.

A couple of rounds around the course and I could already keep in lane and move along gradual bends. Sharper bends were more difficult. You must always remember to signal before making the turn. Of course, making the turn requires skill, no book can teach you that. It's like you need to be of one with the car, feel the turning of your vehicle as you turn the steering wheel. It's a really abstract kind of feeling. I got pretty nervous whenever there's a car negotiating a bend beside me in a 2-lane bend. Both cars were like so close to each other, but thanks to the driver's skill (or was it my skill?), the metal never met, not once at all.

Seeing that I was proficient enough already, the instructor allowed me to move on to the next module which was gear shifting. Woohoo, no more 'turtling' in 1st gear anymore. And so we tried first to second and stop, repeating the cycle as we move along the course. There wasn't really the need to go any faster anymore as the driving course was packed as I was gear shifting. Oh bummer, I swore I need to stop every 100m to wait for the front car to move. It's pretty frustrating. Not only did I waste precious time waiting, it was also tiring to stop and move off every half a minute. Now I can feel what it is like during a traffic jam.

Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable lesson. The instructor also said that I was absorbing real quickly. Was it a real compliment or a means to encourage me? Aiya, it doesn't really matter, as long as I enjoy the experience.