...is a driving license. Not a fancy iPod, or any other gadget or pretty frock. Just that pick card with my photo on it, stating that I'm licensed to drive.
At the moment, my life is like that of a marathon runner's. I'm running from place to place and having to squeeze my daily schedule into crucial blocks of 1 hour or 30 mins. If I'm late for an appointment or lesson by 5 mins, everything snowballs from there and messes up my schedule.
Take today for example:
3.45 - 4.30pm: Teach at R's house
5-6pm: Teach at student's house 30 mins walk away from R's house
7pm: Start work at Symphony Hall
My 3.45pm kid didn't leave R's house till about 4.40pm. That meant that I left R's house at 4.45pm and even while I was trying to run in the cold as fast as I could, I only managed to reach the student's house at 5.15pm. I had to run through fields that were dark and I seriously didn't know what I was stepping on. I only realised that i had been running through mud when I reached my kids house. And why did I run through the field? Because it was the shortcut route to take. It was dangerous because it was so dark and the ground felt mushy. I wouldn't have had a clue if somebody ran towards me from my side to attack me (I blame the sun for setting at 4pm these days!!)
I ended up teaching the kid till 6.15pm, and thought that the quickest way for me to get into town would be to take the bus, as opposed to walking to the train station which was about 15-20mins walk away from the student's house. I got to the bus stop and realised I didn't have enough coins to take the bus. So I had to run all the way back to the train station which was a good 30 mins walk, by which I just resigned to my fate that I was going to be late for work and I couldn't do anything else but to remain as calm as possible. After work at Symphony Hall which ended at 10.30pm, I had to wait around for my colleague who was giving me a lift home and I got home at about 11.10pm.
If I had a car, the drive to my 5pm lesson from R's house would have taken 10 mins maximum. The drive into Symphony Hall from my student's house would have taken perhaps 20 mins. After work, I could have jumped straight into my own car and be home by 10.50pm. I would have saved so much time and I don't have to rely on the very unreliable public transport in this country or lifts from colleagues.
Recently, I've been having to turn down parents who ring me up to enquire about piano/violin lessons for their kids because I just don't see how its worth it to travel 45 mins to teach a kid for 30 mins. And why do I have to leave 45 mins for travelling? Because public transport here is just so unreliable! At weekends, trains don't run. You rely on the bus service and you'd be lucky if the buses ever turned up!
I can see issues/counter-arguments cropping up from various people about why I should or shouldn't be learning driving but I know that if I don't pick up that skill now, I won't get a chance when I start work in Singapore. And we all know Singapore is a far more expensive place to learn driving than the UK, and the passing rate is abysmal.
Next Wednesday is going to be another interesting day for me:
3.45 - 4.30pm: Teach at R's house
5-6pm: Teach at students' house (Student has his Grade 1 exam the following day so I have no choice but to teach)
6.30: Work in Symphony Hall
So if i don't end the lesson on time and run across that muddy and dark field to get to the train station to catch the 6.24pm train, I could very well be EXTREMELY late for work.
At the moment, my life is like that of a marathon runner's. I'm running from place to place and having to squeeze my daily schedule into crucial blocks of 1 hour or 30 mins. If I'm late for an appointment or lesson by 5 mins, everything snowballs from there and messes up my schedule.
Take today for example:
3.45 - 4.30pm: Teach at R's house
5-6pm: Teach at student's house 30 mins walk away from R's house
7pm: Start work at Symphony Hall
My 3.45pm kid didn't leave R's house till about 4.40pm. That meant that I left R's house at 4.45pm and even while I was trying to run in the cold as fast as I could, I only managed to reach the student's house at 5.15pm. I had to run through fields that were dark and I seriously didn't know what I was stepping on. I only realised that i had been running through mud when I reached my kids house. And why did I run through the field? Because it was the shortcut route to take. It was dangerous because it was so dark and the ground felt mushy. I wouldn't have had a clue if somebody ran towards me from my side to attack me (I blame the sun for setting at 4pm these days!!)
I ended up teaching the kid till 6.15pm, and thought that the quickest way for me to get into town would be to take the bus, as opposed to walking to the train station which was about 15-20mins walk away from the student's house. I got to the bus stop and realised I didn't have enough coins to take the bus. So I had to run all the way back to the train station which was a good 30 mins walk, by which I just resigned to my fate that I was going to be late for work and I couldn't do anything else but to remain as calm as possible. After work at Symphony Hall which ended at 10.30pm, I had to wait around for my colleague who was giving me a lift home and I got home at about 11.10pm.
If I had a car, the drive to my 5pm lesson from R's house would have taken 10 mins maximum. The drive into Symphony Hall from my student's house would have taken perhaps 20 mins. After work, I could have jumped straight into my own car and be home by 10.50pm. I would have saved so much time and I don't have to rely on the very unreliable public transport in this country or lifts from colleagues.
Recently, I've been having to turn down parents who ring me up to enquire about piano/violin lessons for their kids because I just don't see how its worth it to travel 45 mins to teach a kid for 30 mins. And why do I have to leave 45 mins for travelling? Because public transport here is just so unreliable! At weekends, trains don't run. You rely on the bus service and you'd be lucky if the buses ever turned up!
I can see issues/counter-arguments cropping up from various people about why I should or shouldn't be learning driving but I know that if I don't pick up that skill now, I won't get a chance when I start work in Singapore. And we all know Singapore is a far more expensive place to learn driving than the UK, and the passing rate is abysmal.
Next Wednesday is going to be another interesting day for me:
3.45 - 4.30pm: Teach at R's house
5-6pm: Teach at students' house (Student has his Grade 1 exam the following day so I have no choice but to teach)
6.30: Work in Symphony Hall
So if i don't end the lesson on time and run across that muddy and dark field to get to the train station to catch the 6.24pm train, I could very well be EXTREMELY late for work.
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