The exterior of the gallery I'm working for.
Last week I started my new job. I've been hired on a the curator for a small village gallery - it really couldn't be in a more quaint setting. The gallery is a deceptively big, and I like that about the place. See it's housed in a Parish Council building - a really old, stone building. And when you look at it from the outside it looks a bit daunting, as if you were to enter through the door you might get lost in some sort of maze of creeping hallways and dark stairwell passages. But it's not like that at all (which is only slightly disappointing to someone like me who really enjoys ghost trails and former dungeons of terror). When you first walk through the big outside door you are contronted with a very wide, clear stairwell which leads pretty immediately to the gallery. The first thing you notice is the tall ceiling and the great wall space. Ledges pretty much hug the wall throughout the gallery, but this is good because it acts as a table or shelf for holding more artwork or promotional materials. I'm excited to really get started. First, though, I need to overcome my slight feelings of trepidation, which I suppose come with any job. The main reason for this anxiety is that I've taken over the position of curator in sort of mid-stream...which basically means I have to complete projects started by someone else. And you know what that can be like! But I'm sure once I get over that hump, it'll feel a lot more comfortable in my new role. That's what I most look forward to!
As curator, I will be required to visit artists' studios and generally go on hunting missions for new artists to exhibit. Which means that I need access to a car. Which in turn means I need a UK license. Argh. So one of the things I've been dreading the most has been placed in front of me as yet one more challenge to overcome. Now you might think "what's the big deal?" I mean, it's not like I'm a new driver. I've been driving in America for (gulp) nearly 20 years! But there are different rules here. And they drive on a different side of the road and from a different side of the car. And most of the cars here are manual. And it's not like in the States where you just get your license and then you can drive a stick or automatic. Nope. In this country you can only drive a manual if you've passed a manual driving test. So not only am I having to learn the rules of the road (fyi: most of the time there's no "right of way" system here, unless it's signposted...sooooo, if you and another car pull up at a crossroads who goes first? yea, good question. i'm still not sure), learn a new sense of spatial awareness (cuz it's all out of whack when the driver's seat changes), and getting used to driving on a different side of the road (which goes against everything you've ever known about driving...if you come from a country that drives on the right, that is...and is like trying to stop a natural force like, I don't know, a tsunami!); no, it's not just getting used to all of that. It's also learning how to drive a manual on top of it all - a car that will just STOP on you if you don't give it enough fuel or forget about the clutch. And - panic! - what if that happens right in the middle of an intersection?! Well, not to worry about that really because all they have are flippin' roundabouts in this country.
But you won't find me complaining.
So I've got my provisional license, which is not unlike a driver's permit. And you know the drill - I can only drive with another adult in the vehicle and can't drive on the motorway (dumb rule). And I'm practicing a lot, like I used to do when I was 14 & 15, working my way up to golden 16. And I have to take a theory test. In preparation I had to read a book that is about 2" thick, with close to 1,000 practice test questions. And then I have to take a practical test, which is 45 minutes long and during that test I have to prove that I have safe control of the vehicle at all times and will include such things as: hill starts, downhill starts, driving through bends, driving in town, driving in the country, reverse turns...and, well you get the picture.
The good news is this: I used to be terrified of driving (imagine shifting with your left hand when you're used to using your right...feels strange). And now I'm actually excited about it. I still hate driving in town - you should see the size of the roads here! I still have a hard time guaging whether or not I have room to clear a car passing me and kind of want to shut my eyes and just let them go past and assess the damage later! But I'm sure, just like with my new job, it'll feel like second nature in no time at all.
But you won't find me complaining.
So I've got my provisional license, which is not unlike a driver's permit. And you know the drill - I can only drive with another adult in the vehicle and can't drive on the motorway (dumb rule). And I'm practicing a lot, like I used to do when I was 14 & 15, working my way up to golden 16. And I have to take a theory test. In preparation I had to read a book that is about 2" thick, with close to 1,000 practice test questions. And then I have to take a practical test, which is 45 minutes long and during that test I have to prove that I have safe control of the vehicle at all times and will include such things as: hill starts, downhill starts, driving through bends, driving in town, driving in the country, reverse turns...and, well you get the picture.
The good news is this: I used to be terrified of driving (imagine shifting with your left hand when you're used to using your right...feels strange). And now I'm actually excited about it. I still hate driving in town - you should see the size of the roads here! I still have a hard time guaging whether or not I have room to clear a car passing me and kind of want to shut my eyes and just let them go past and assess the damage later! But I'm sure, just like with my new job, it'll feel like second nature in no time at all.
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