So I've bitten the bullet and started driving in earnest. We don't drive that much usually; I tram to work, dave trams or bikes to work, and the kids bike/skateboard/scooter to school. I even take the tram to the dentist/doctor/dry cleaner, etc.
But I will have to drive when I go to Sydney next week for work, so I figured I'd better get cracking. I drove by myself to the supermarket today. Only a 10 minute drive (if that), but Dave forgot to remind me about hook turns. In Melbourne, you make a right hand turn from the left lane sometimes, because of trams. I knew this, but didn't actually know how to do it. So on the way home, I was watching the oncoming traffic when I had a green light, and when it passed, I went to turn right from the left hand lane. But I forgot about the cars on my side, oops. Fortunately, I didn't crash. And then I got home and found out (thank you google) that you actually turn right from the left lane AFTER your light turns red. For real! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_turn). Never would have figured that out...
Then I drove dave to the airport. I did pretty well and on the way home, even stopped off at a new mall so Casey could get a Nerf gun. (In the entire mall -- which included Target AND Kmart, there was only 1 nerf gun!!). And then found my way back onto the freeway and back toward the city. I didn't even make any wrong turns -- just had to cut across 3 lanes of traffic at one point...
It is so weird -- the signs are unfamiliar so I don't process them quickly, there are no big street signs, the traffic lights aren't where I expect them, and I forget things -- like all freeway exits are on the left, not the right. On the good side, things here are so much smaller that all malls have signs starting on freeways.
I also drove to a friends house for lunch yesterday; our first invite to a meal at a school friends' house. They were great -- he is an engineer/business academic, and she is very funny and so we had a great time. Stayed for 4 hours! Rose, the mum, even said she'd come to the city to meet me for lunch!
Ripley must play webkinz now, gotta go.
2 comments:
Dearest Sharon--I am SO impressed by your driving to the mall and the airport. I am sure it feels weird to be on the opposite side of the road. There are all new rules to learn. Glad that you found Casey what he wanted--I guess that Nerf guns are not the rage in Oz! xx, Mom
Hi Sharon,
I empathize with you about driving. It's a hard thing to do. Alex made me drive this enormous beast of a vehicle we inherited when we moved to Texas--I think it was like a Suburban or something. I was so stressed about driving it, I made him take me around the block the very first time. Then I made him show me how to get to and from the airport a few times. I was still getting turned around at the airport when we left...it was just far too confusing for my directionally-challenged brain.
I only remember one time when I almost killed myself getting onto the freeway. There were some on-ramps that went directly into the fast lane. I didn't see a semi (don't know how I missed it--must've been nerves)and ended up driving between the semi and the divider. Luckily, I was driving the Subaru at that point.
I got a little better with my sense of direction and managed to get myself back from University of North Texas two times, although both times I ended up heading to Dallas instead of Fort Worth. ARGH!
And I won't even tell you about my adventures in California. Needless to say I am proud of the fact that I can now drive a cargo van down the freeway feeling only slightly like I will lose it at any moment.
I never actually realized that Target was in Australia. They never made it into Canada. Don't know why, but it is my favourite place to shop. What would we do without that retail therapy.
Hope you're doing well. Good luck in Sydney, although I think you've already gone there now.
Take care.
Dana
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