September postcard: How my first stick shift driving lesson went.

It's complicated.

I've wanted to learn manual for a long time, ever since I lost out on a posh pet-sit in New Zealand because I couldn't drive their car. But also, stick shift is still the default in much of the world, and renting automatic cars can be two or three times more expensive—especially in Ireland, where I hope to be spending more time. So I knew it'd be a good skill to have, and also save me money in the long run.