left side of the road

Fellow American Peter Gratton tries, and fails miserably, to reassure me that driving on the left side of the road is no big deal.

Obviously it’s easy as can be. You just have minor problems like this:

“We were driving out of Melbourne to see, yes, the penguins who beach themselves on an island there. (All together: adorable!) We get to an intersection getting onto a highway. I start to cross, or rather pull right into oncoming traffic. I hear a scream like a horror flick from all the passengers. I then slam the gas to shift to the other side of the road, but in doing so come face to face with a truck. Another scream. (It was rhythmic, too, like you hear in screams in a comedy: Aaah!…. then shift of all eyes, then Aaaah..!) Then I somehow averted the truck, pulled into the lane, shared a nervous laugh with my friends (some of whom still strangely talk to me—if you were in that car and you’re reading this: Hi, I’m glad to be alive, too), and went to see penguins. So a happy ending. But I should say, after that I drove just fine…”