Daily Prompt: Sink or Swim – My Car Buying Experience

Daily Prompt: Sink or Swim

Tell us about a time when you were left on your own, to fend for yourself in an overwhelming situation — on the job, at home, at school. What was the outcome?

It all started when I needed a new car because my old car broke down. We didn’t want to pay much for it, but we didn’t want a car that would break down on us in 2 month either. We’re searching around town, we came up to this I guess you could say “off brand” car dealership. Most of their cars looked to be in good shape, but most of them were standard(manual) cars which at the time I did not know how to drive. I’m a huge fast & furious fan (RIP Paul Walker), so my thought process was “Yeah I’m gonna get a stick shift car and start driving like I’m on fast & furious and start working on  my car” and “I’m gonna be the coolest kid around”. Little did I know getting a manual car was one of the worse yet best experiences of my life. So I bought a 2003 Ford Focus 5 speed, and the learning process began.

My mom tried to teach my for a couple days, torturing me! One time she had me go up a hill, which at the top of this hill is a stop sign. If you never driven a manual car then here are two things you should know. 1 You use both your feet. 2. When shifting into first gear there is no foot on the break and manual cars roll backwards. Getting into first gear was my biggest problem, like for some odd reason I just couldn’t grasp the concept of that first gear! After I actually got into first, 2nd 3rd 4th those gears were all easy for me. Time to get back on track, so did I sink or swim? I swam but getting to that point, ohh did I sink ever so low. It took me a week to learn how to actually drive my car without stalling, there were a lot of times where I wanted to cry.

My mom is a teacher(speech & communication), you might know that from some of my previous blogs, when I was in school she taught a class at the same time I had a class so we went to school together. Her 2nd class though was not at my school, so these were her exact words “You’re on your own”, granted this is the first official time I would be driving alone in my new car. I take up the challenge and say “Okay”, thinking with confidence that I could actually do it. That confidence quickly went out the window on my next drive to school. It’s around lunch time and there’s construction and traffic, I somehow managed to get within 5 min of my school, but there was a major intersection and for some reason I just couldn’t get the car into first gear. 3 lights pass and people are honking at me and yelling at me, I’m sitting there freaking out like I know I’m supposed to go, I know the traffic rules, I just couldn’t get the car into first gear! I’m calling my mom on the verge of tears from all the stress, shes trying to calm me down it’s not really working. I eventually got to school and made it on time for my class, but after that day I never wanted to drive that car again! But now 3 years later, I only want to drive manual, I love manual cars and I don’t feel the same way I did when I was learning how to drive it.

-Jullian

Here are some Daily Prompts I found interesting, maybe you will too.

1. Russian Accordionist | Photos to inspire you
2. Perseverance | The Magic Black Book
3. Sink or Swim | Geek Ergo Sum
4. Persist | thinkerscap
5. Sink, Swim or Fly | The Ambitious Drifter
6. Endure | Momma Said There’d Be Days Like This
7. Alone Again Naturally | Finale to an Entrance
8. DEPRESSED OPTIMIST + PAINTS + BRUSHES | Standing Ovation, Seated
9. The deep end of the pool | RPMAS
10. PROMPT: Sink or Swim | AvaLlea’s Blog
11. Silent Agony… | paperdollsletter
12. Doing The Right Thing Can Leave You Lonely | The Jittery Goat
13. I said loudly, in my best English tourist voice, “Does this go to…” | thoughtsofrkh
14. True beauty | Veni, vici, vidi
15. The Tow Truck Driver Drove a Chariot
16. Daily Prompt: Sink or Swim | Awl and Scribe
17. God’s Grace | A mom’s blog
18. Sinking not an option for cowards | crookedeyebrows
19. Women in East : One Perspective ! | Dreams to Reality !
20. Winter Water | The Ring Lady
21. Daily Prompt: Sink or Swim – A migrant’s story | littlegirlstory
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23. Whatever It Takes | Lori’s Life and Other Stuff
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