Australian Driving and Brain Learning:  We have been talking about the brain and how it learns in my SNHU Learning and Development course that I am currently enrolled in.  I knew that when we came to Australia, the cars and driving were different than the United States of America.  The steering wheel is on the other side of the car and they drive on the other side of the road.  Knowing and experiencing are two very different things.  My brain is still adjusting and learning to these two new concepts. 

Learning:

• Remember to get into the correct side of the car.  I keep walking to the wrong side of the car to get in and then realize my mistake as I approach the car or even after opening the door.  My husband, Jeff, actually sat in the seat once before realizing the steering wheel was on the other side of the car. 
• Having cars come toward you on the opposite side of the road is very distorting visually and very "fight or flight" triggering emotionally.  I react defensively at times.  I feel like a new driver and hold the steering wheel tightly and tensely at times.  I drive much slower, and feel very OK with that, than I do normally in the U.S.A.
• Turning left from the left hand side of the road is a very uncomfortable feeling.  The curb is not my friend and keeps getting closer to me than I like.  
• You should try pulling into a parking space.  Turning a car from the other side of the vehicle is visually difficult.  My judgement is off and it often takes more than one attempt to get it correct.
• Being a passenger in the car is stressful.  It looks like the other person is driving way too close to the side of the road, curb, embankment, bridge, biker, person or whatever else might be next to you on the side of the road.  I feel like we are going to hit things and my perception is off and I am putting my foot on my fake break, leaning toward the middle of the car and cringing a lot.  It makes me nervous and the person driving.
• The blinker signals and wiper blade controls are on the opposite sides.  I keep turning on the windshield wipers when I want to turn right or left.  It is frustrating for me driving and the other cars around me that I am failing to communicate well with in a safe amount of time to warn them of my plans.

My brain is adjusting to the the new way of driving, but it is slow.  Visual adjustments are slower for me than motor adjustments.  I find it easier to take what I know regarding the motor skills of driving and transfer them to this new way of driving.  I have to remember them though, as they do not come autonomously yet.  It is a very cognitive and deeply thought out process.  Visually though, alarm signals of danger are constantly being set off in my body that I need to calm and control quickly.  I do find it more disturbing to me visually than motor skill wise.  I think it is because the visual makes my judgement and thinking around driving more difficult.  My reaction to things is slower.  I am adjusting and learning and getting it though.  As I start to feel more comfortable with driving on the opposite side of the car and the opposite side of the road, I get concerned that going back to the way I have driven all my life in the US when I get home will take some readjustment and relearning as well as my brain is starting to create new pathways associated with driving.