Insert amazing timing from my Superintendent who just happened to be on the same flight as us for other district reasons. He came up to the rental car counter just to check in on me and then he took charge. The reason there was some confusion was because we have a new travel coordinator who is getting used to the ropes and of course this means there will be some bumps (but seriously, it would be me who got the bumps). Thank goodness Mr. Mase showed up when he did because I was starting to panic. Not only did I not know which insurance option to choose, but it also turns out that the charge was going to be on my card when it was supposed to be pre-paid. That would not have been fun!
Thankfully Mr. Mase stepped in and came to the rescue and before I knew it, we were headed to the parking garage. That’s when I got really excited at the prospect of driving a car again. Sure I drive the school truck, but my max speed on that is 15 miles an hour and that’s only to get the mail or the occasional drive down Dago. This is the big leagues though. Let me tell you, it was like riding a bike. If you haven’t ridden a bike in years. I got behind the wheel and didt know what to do with myself. I was completely out of my comfort zone because not only isn’t it a truck, but it also it’s an unfamiliar car. It took me a few minutes to get comfortable enough to drive out of the garage which lead M to ask “Ms. Norman, do you drive in New Jersey?”. I then explained that you just need to take a few minutes getting used to new cars to see where all the gizmos and gadgets are.
After that, we were on the road. Not dirt road. Not the two lane road system in King Salmon or Naknek. I mean multi-lane roads and stop lights and merging and crosswalks and other vehicles. I can’t really express how I was feeling, but it wasn’t pleasant. Those from home know my anxiety levels and let’s just say I was nearing a full blown panic attack. I was so scared that I would blow through a red light just because I’m not used to seeing any form of traffic light. If I didn’t have the GPS telling me where to go, I would have been in trouble. I knew generally where I was going, but just getting back into the swing of driving was a task in itself, but add on figuring out directions on top of that and I would have been struggling.
Luckily the boys didn’t know this inner-conflict going on as I drove them through Anchorage. After a few minutes, it all came flooding back and I became much more comfortable. Before I knew it, I was back in Jersey driving mode. Okay maybe not fully up to that, but I feel so much better. I was even able to manage a drive-through to feed my two hungry students (taco-bell as per their request). I can honestly say I never thought that driving would become a challenge after living in the bush, but I was wrong.
It feels so strange to be in a city and to hear engines revving outside the window of my room. I can also see so many lights that I’m not used to seeing at night. While I am happy to be sitting on a bed that feels like it’s made out of clouds in a beautiful Inn (post to follow), it feels unsettling in a way. I can’t explain it, but it is a definite culture shock to be back in a city. I’m sure tomorrow during the day when I’m not tired from a day of traveling it will all become more natural. You know what they say, it’s just like driving a car (actually I don’t think they say that at all, but you know what I mean).
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