BEEP BEEP!!! I GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL!!

Look at this parking lot!!! I drove alllllllll over that thing. I got a lot of great suggestions about quiet places to go practice, I ended up at the Camosun Interurban Campus on a cloudy sunday morning. Not a lot going on there luckily, the LifeLabs vehicle parking lot that was almost completely empty, and other than a few easily movable orange cones nothing was stopping me from getting in there.

So I started by adjusting the seat and mirrors (adjusting to what? I dont really know – it all felt uncomfortable and terrifying lol) Luckily I have a very supportive and patient boyfriend who explained everything thoroughly. I could see out of the rear view mirror without completely turning my head, could reach the gas and break comfortably – that kinda thing. What stuck me the most is how different it feels sitting on the other side of the car. After being a passenger for so long, the spatial awareness required to situate myself in the drivers seat felt soooooo weird. Made me think about getting a car that has right side drive, but I think I just need to learn to adjust.

So I basically just drove around the parking lot in a big loop! I practiced accelerating and stopping quickly to get a feel for the breaks and inertia of the car.

Check this out ^^^^ my first attempt at parking! absolutely beautiful, perfect, no notes…

Here I am absolutely WHIPPING, pulled a sick figure 8, and went up to 30 Km/hr – the fastest i’ve ever gone. It was exhilarating! by the end of it, I definitely felt more excited than scared. I still have my reservations of course, but I think getting over the first attempt has helped me see its not as *scary* as I thought it was. I’m trying to remind myself that billions of people all over the world, a lot younger, more inexperienced than me, and likely a lot less concerned for safety learn to drive and ho their whole lives without being in an accident.