30 Thoughts I Had while Driving a Car for the First Time
I'm from New York City. Don't judge me.
I'm 18 years old and I don't know how to drive.
There, I said it. But it's not my fault! I grew up in New York City — none of my friends have their licenses, because we all walk or take the train. And driving in the city is a nightmare, allegedly (I wouldn't know. I don't do it.).
But, after getting made fun of all semester at USC — where not knowing how to drive is unheard of for anyone over 16 — I decided to take my first driving lesson this summer.
I signed up for driving lessons at a place in the city with good Yelp reviews, and my instructor told me he'd pick me up at my apartment. I figured from there, he'd drive me to a safe place where he could teach me the basics, and allow me to practice driving for the first time without fear of crashing into other cars or pedestrians.
Little did I know, when he pulled up to my place, all he'd say was: "Get in and start driving."
"Uh, I've sort of never done this before. Aren't you gonna show me, like, the basics so I don't accidentally kill us?"
"Nah, just start driving. I'll tell you if you do something wrong."
Wait, WHAT?!?!?!
Here are 30 thoughts I had driving a car for the first time, with zero instruction or knowledge of how to operate it, in the middle of downtown New York City.
