Yesterday I had my first proper driving lesson! One of my goals whilst in England is to get my driving license so I can have my freedom when in back in Portugal. It’s going to be a big challenge as I never thought I would learn to drive, I was always very happy on my feet and thought I would be quite dangerous behind the wheel of a car (as well as not being sure if I could reach the pedals 😉 !! ), however, with the lack of public transport in rural Portugal, and my love of living in village and countryside areas, driving will be a necessary skill if I want to have the life of my dreams!

So I have a wonderful driving instructor (my best friend’s Dad) who is patient and calm and knows me quite well. I had no experience with cars, other than a very short drive around the carpark at Lidl’s Tábua (I didn’t stall or crash hooray!), so yesterday was a big day for me!

Turns out I’m quite the Portuguese driver. Getting confused with the pedals the wrong way round, driving down the centre of the road, and pulling out of a junction determined to drive down the wrong side of the road. Whoops!

But most of all, I had fun and didn’t panic, and this is one of the biggest steps for me on my journey to independence and creating the future I desire.

I realise I am taking on quite a lot by being back in the UK – Portuguese lessons on Skype (Ana Paula Teixeira – please contact us for details), office job, driving lessons, attempting to keep up with yoga practice, catching up with old friends, trying not to get bogged down in a lifestyle I’m not hugely fond of, so I am finding ways of making the most of my lessons so that I can move forward as quickly and painlessly as possible. I watched a YouTube video about accelerated learning (for any skill), and the best tip I took away was that when you have a practice session, make sure you have a sleep within 4 hours afterwards – even if it’s only a 20 minute nap. That way your brain assimilates the new knowledge quicker – well if sleeping improves my learning, that’s the kind of advice I can take on board!

At some point I’ll be dying to buy a Mini 4×4 or something equally as fun (yes I know, first lesson and I’m already racing ahead)…..so if you know of a good deal, keep me informed!!