Driving on the Left Side

An excerpt from an email to my sister Courtney, with added comments in brackets:

Things are good here, if a bit crazy. We bought a car today! After evaluating our options in relation to our desires, we decided that buying a car we could sleep in was a smart move. We paid NZ$ 1850 for it. It's a Mazda, and the same color as the little Mazda I drove in high school (and called Betsy!). We're very excited, and a bit in shock. This development means we can head off in a day or two, look for work picking fruit -or something similar- to settle in even more. I'm ready to leave Auckland.

We also opened a bank account, which I believe I mentioned in my blog. Along the same lines, we bought a phone. We're on a plan, have a SIM card, and have a number. We were allowed some input on the number, and Betsy couldn't care less, so I chose 3212 as the last four numbers. 32 was Sandy Koufax's old number, and the length baseball bat I prefer. 12 is basically my favorite number, the jersey number I wore, and Wade Boggs' number when he played for the Yanks. I'm sure these details are very important to you. Getting back on track... we have a phone! Craziness. I'm starting to feel like we live here. These major steps -car, bank account, phone- are driving the point home. I'm also starting to feel poor, as our money dwindles.

Not only did we buy a car, but I drove it today... on the left side of the road! ...from the right side of the car! ...with the turn signal on the right side of the steering wheel ...in downtown Auckland! It was totally unnatural [discombobulating]. I kept hugging the left side of the lane, because of my instinct to orient myself a small distance from that side of the lane. When the steering wheel is on the left side of the car, this works! It was nuts. On top of all this, we had no idea where to park. Betsy had a map, but had no idea where to direct me; the blind, leading the blind, driving on the left side of the road. After a bit, I pulled into a parking garage beneath the Sky complex, which is a bit like the Denver Pavilions downtown. It ended up doing the job quite well, as parking is only $NZ 10/day on weekends. Phew! What a hilarious, nerve wrecking, fiasco.

I got a haircut! An actual, barbershop, sit in the chair, haircut. I believe it is the first one of its kind in about 5 years or so [generally cut my own hair]. Betsy thinks it looks pretty nice, and I'm pleased with the result. The catch, if there is one, is that it was free. It's one of those shops for barbers in training, so they advertise at hostels. My barber was a nice old man, and I was surprised when he confirmed that he is in training.