Driving instructors
So far I’ve had about three driving lessons since I got my license in October (I know, that sucks, but I don’t own L-plates yet!) and I find it extremely weird trying to make conversation with my normal instructor. I’ve never been good at conversing with anyone I’m not close with but sitting in a car for an hour, driving with a stranger and being in silence is so awkward!
Thursday afternoon, it was pouring and I had a lesson with a different instructor for some reason and she was completely different to my normal instructor. Super talkative, she told me more about her life than telling me how to drive.
She told me about how she had taught my cousins to drive, about how she had been seriously sick, how she hates big concerts and why she lets her granddaughter eat lots of junk food… All trivial and inconsequential things. But it was nice. Hearing about people’s lives and the way they live and what they do is infinitely better than the usual hear-a-pin-drop silence of a driving lesson. It was a more relaxed environment, so I wasn’t tense and driving at a snail slow pace of 20 km/h in an 80 zone. You know, it was kind of fun, she made me laugh. I think it made me a better driver.
Oh, wait, no. I turned into my street and almost ran into a boy on a bike. So I’m probably not a better driver, but a better listener instead.
# Kimmie, 11 months, 1 week ago.
Man I had the driving nazi. I just agreed with everything he said and prayed I would live through it. I did.
# Anna-Erica, 11 months, 1 week ago.
I had a really great instructor-guy during my actual behind the wheel test. He talked about random stuff during the whole time, and got me feeling so relaxed. I passed the test without any problems, and I think I drove better than I had done before, just cause he was so nice :)
# kat, 11 months, 1 week ago.
After having my license for so long, I still find it really distracting if people just start talking to me when I’m driving! Goes to show my brain probably can’t handle so many things at the same time lol.
# Noemi, 11 months, 1 week ago.
At least your parents didn’t teach you how to drive, my dad yelled so much! I gave up after a lesson because he was being too judge mental but I couldn’t tell him that I didn’t want him to teach me so I told my mom do it lol
Oh and evy taught me how to drive but she became a car nazi, you know deciding who was driving, taking the keys, etc.
# Seth, 11 months, 1 week ago.
I learned to drive by being turned loose on dirt roads with my dad’s ancient, dilapidated Cadillac. Also a little bit of driving with my mum around town when I was preparing to take my test. I didn’t pass until the 3rd try >_>. I still feel like a terrible driver most of the time, even if I haven’t messed up as much as some people.
# marilyn, 11 months, 1 week ago.
Driving is tough at first, but you’ll get used to the feel of the steering wheel and pedals after a while. I felt that I only became comfortable and a lot better at it when I started driving alone. All those times with the instructor or my dad help me learn the basics, but until you get out there without a person telling you what to do and what not to do, it’s not going to be the real thing. No worries, it gets simple really fast once you do it on your own.
And I actually like talking to people one on one. For some reason I’m much more friendly and talkative when it’s just one person in front of me, even if it’s an instructor/new person of some sort. But then in group setting I feel the eyes of the rest of the group and am never really comfortable. It’s weird.
# Alex, 11 months, 1 week ago.
Haha, i like toast. Also, I don’t drive yet. Also, I’ll probably hit like 5 kids, 11 dogs, 24 birdies, a ridiculous number of insects, 8 babies in prams and 4 adults, all of which will die, but one will become the living dead, charge up to my windscreen, with all its flappy rotted flesh flapping in the wind, and shriek “I KNOW WHAT YOU DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID”.
LOLTOAST.
# Kaylee, 11 months, 1 week ago.
Lol! I’m scared of driving, but it would be nice to hear someone just talk about their life.
# Kat, 11 months, 1 week ago.
I’m quite bad at making conversation with strangers too, especially because I’m still not completely confident in speaking Filipino. I’ll be starting my formal driving lessons soon too, hope the silence won’t be too awkward, though I think if my instructor starting going on and on about her life it would be even more awkward since I’d just reply with, “Oh?” “Uh-huh” “Mm..”
# Kelly, 11 months, 1 week ago.
She sounds like my driving instructor! He would ramble on and on about he went and saw Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy in the early 80s/late 70s and about how it only cost him £1.10 (about US $ 2) as opposed to the £50 we pay today (I love metal and heavy rock music). It used to annoy me a bit, but I much prefer that to the idea of absolute silence other than the radio.
# Rafia, 11 months, 1 week ago.
Ugh, Driver’s Ed. I can’t remember what anyone was saying, if they were. I was just way too scared I’d hit a tree and I actually did one time.
I’m just glad that I finally got my license.
# Britney, 11 months, 1 week ago.
I had drivers ed 2 years ago. I didn’t care for my teacher. She never paid attention to my driving. She would be on the phone or reading the whole time. I was always so nervous driving with her.
# Xuan, 11 months, 1 week ago.
Christ, you’re making ME want to drive just for the chance to rabbit on at (or be rabbited on at?) an instructor. But … very nice work there, Tracey, very nice. :P I’m secretly hoping mine will be young so I don’t have to suffer geriatric anecdotes or generally incohesive rambles about how instructing the next generation of (fatalistic) drivers is all they do for fun. Eeep.
# Cheap HDTV, 11 months ago.
I am 23 years old. In general people think that I am superior to them, as a reason wherever I have been I get good respect. With this feeling I was offered to drive a mini car. Before this I have a lot of experience in watching my cab drivers driving. I was actually confused of the margin and not about the control. But the day when I was offered to drive, the car (I think it’s me) jerked in the beginning but I was able to manage in such a way my friend who is a taxi driver though that I was thinking of something while driving and hence made some mistakes. From then my confident levels reached to utmost levels.
So what is the moral of the story, never be afraid nor get diverted when you are in work.
Bye Bye
# Houston Home, 11 months ago.
I am not a driver yet. Been wanting to be one. Is it easy?
# Eina, 11 months ago.
I’ve always had the fear of hitting someone if I ever start driving, which is probably why I don’t drive yet. Good luck with your future driving lessons with your normal instructor! I hope it won’t be as awkward as it was before. I’d tell you to start with a random topic (Chocolates?) but some people find this technique a bit odd. :P
# Nan, 11 months ago.
I am currently taking my drivers license too and my instructor is very talkative. He is constantly talking and I think he is doing it to make me relax while driving.
# Tracey, 11 months ago.
Hmmmm, does it make you relax though, Nan?