Driving Blues
No am not blue…and am not down! Am just half way between, trying to reach up…
This past week was week one of The Page on the roads…
It started out well…confidence in full gear! Nothing could get me down, heck i was grinning from ear to ear.
“Clutch Down, start the engine” said the very instructor like voice.
Two days went by and i wasn’t sure i looked forward to the road anymore.
When you’ve got veterans hooting at you, bodas zooming by – It is my opinion that every beginner should be taken to an open wide space to get an initial feel.
Anyway, back to day one: so around Public Service junction the car jerked and went off. Bewildered TRP couldn’t believe, she started the car again, it jerked then went off. Instructor was beginning to lose his patience and TRP was beginning to get on the defensive. A near by Police fella struts up to the instructors window and commands – You help her!
Instructor says – I will help her if she fails.
Finally the car responded to TRP’s silent pleas, soon as she had successfully crossed, a boda fella shouted: “Oja ku Yiga!” (direct translation – You will learn!)… Reignited, TRP depressed the accelerator.
“Clutch down…STOP ACCELERATION!!”
Does anyone in blogsville drive a manual car. No seriously…Whats the secret??
After week one, I was soo fired up to practise on Saturday, alas something came up and i had no car to practise with. Then came Monday morning…today…
Today the junctions were a smooth transition, no jerking, no stopping. The only zib is i have no idea what i did!!
So any tips for a sister?
Kale you are acting like a tigress who doesn’t know she’s one…
Most people dont make it past the 1st week in driving school. The instructors get rude and yu are forced to seek another instructor.
So kudos to yu as yu seem to be doing the right thing.
Here’s a tip from a very logical learner. (I hate cramming stuff. I prefer to understand why I’m doing something.)
Ask WHY. The first time I learnt how to ride a motorbike (and later a car), the whole clutch thing annoyed me, because I didn’t know why I had to keep doing the clutch thing without any logic to it. Until I asked why.
I discovered the clutch connects the transmission to the engine. Basically, it allows you to change gears, start the car, stop the car, etc.
This might help:
In a car, you need a clutch because the engine spins all the time, but the car’s wheels do not. In order for a car to stop without killing the engine, the wheels need to be disconnected from the engine somehow. The clutch allows us to smoothly engage a spinning engine to a non-spinning transmission by controlling the slippage between them.
Full link: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm
Good luck!
hhhmmm… automatic?
I do not know how I got through driving school, I have since forgoten most of what I learnt but still on the read. My advice, massage and soak your left foot after every lesson!
aww i havent learnt yet
Death to automatic transmission!! Wow, King..thanks..should follow up on that link.
it will get better with more practise…
i changed instructers like three time if i am to consider the ones i had in ug too….well its all about practise you get the hang..least its better than cycling you dont have to fall off. the best part of it all is gear change on a no speed limit open round..now thats something to look forward to.
I came late to this party…have you knocked yet?Anyway, did my cycling lessons not too long ago, and from a boda guy..i felt kinda daft repeating the same mistakes but with PRACTICE(i know, u’ll hear that a lot), you’ll be fine..never thought i’d actually be comfy but it’s about 3 weeks and i’m kawa;u’ll be too