One week anniversary and a broken tail pipe

Bonne anniversaire to me! I arrived one week ago  and have been busy acclimating. One of things I need to get is my French driver's license since my MA license isn't recognized here. More practically, our sole car has a manual transmission, not an automatic one. I'm used to having a gas pedal and a brake—so the introduction of a gear box and a clutch totally unsettles me.

Back in February, R started me on my driving lessons in an empty parking lot nearby. I got lucky a few times at first, but mostly I tried unsuccessfully to get it into first gear. Learning how to drive after driving for almost twenty years is truly frustrating!! R goes through a detailed explanation and says I should listen to the car. I think I understand what I need to do, but my feet just don't get it. Time and time again, the engine stalls and the car jerks violently, causing poor R's head to knock back and forth against the headrest. Then of course I get super nervous and lose concentration, causing the car to stall again. So frustrating. Why don't they teach kids to drive stick shift in the U.S.? I wish I had learned when I was young.

Last night, after visiting R's Dutch friend and his Brazilian wife (who are moving back to Brazil), we went to an empty parking lot for my third driving lesson. I was tired and hungry and after 30 minutes, I gave up trying because I just didn't get it. The lesson was also over because after many violent jerks, the tail pipe broke. It didn't come off exactly but it was hanging low. This sucks. I feel bad but R says it was old anyway, and probably would have broken soon.

This morning, we brought it to the mechanic's (think Midas, not mom and pop repair shop). They are ordering the parts today and we have to bring it back in tomorrow afternoon. Service and parts will cost 309€, but at least the car will still drive.

The mechanic said the tail pipe wouldn't fall off, so we figured we'll do one more lesson today. R brought us to an area where they are building an office park. Roads are paved, but there aren't any buildings yet, so it's a great empty area to practice on. The terrain was a bit hilly and that made it easier to get it into first gear without stalling the car.

I did much better today, and even took the car from first to fourth gear. I'm still shifting way too slow. A few times, I mistook fifth for third gear, and the R groaned in response. R says I'm good at reversing the car uphill—which he says is a difficult thing to do.

Anyway, I drove today!!!! Albeit on a road where no other cars were driving...but still I was super happy. Of course I stalled many times too, but much less than before. Now I have a bit more confidence in myself and I'm hoping that during my next lesson, I won't stall more than a few times. What was it like when you learned how to drive a manual transmission car....did you just "get it" one day?