Nikolai Serdyukov — blogger
- Telegram
We asked Nikolai to talk about the very first car in his life.
My first and most memorable car is the VAZ-2107. I learned to ride it – and not just me. I come from a large family and at that time there were four children in the family – triplets plus the oldest.
We went to the fields with daddy* in Stavropol, and he taught us to drive. The worst part was that when you got into the driver’s seat and Dad was around, three more kids got in the back seat and the learning process was kind of a mockery.
I was 16 years old and still didn’t understand what to change, and my father yelled, “Listen to the engine!”. At that moment, I was eager to answer, “Daddy, have you gone mad? I don’t understand at all what’s going on, what engine? There are already three pedals – and this is already a lot for me.
Since these were old Zhiguli, the gear lever had broken off and I couldn’t always get into the gear I needed. The most interesting thing happened after you drove and got exhausted, after hearing all your mistakes: you don’t see the track, you don’t hear the engine. When I took the back seat, the other kids started laughing at me. It was only later that I realized that my father explained it as if it were for an adult, but it should have been simpler and more understandable for children.
After me my brothers and sisters got behind the wheel and everything repeated itself, just like with me: swearing, ridiculing. Every lesson of our training ended in tears, it was a huge stress, and when I said I didn’t want to drive a car anymore, my father dropped me off in the middle of the field and sent me home on foot. And I wandered around, after being scolded, wondering if I was getting anything or not. It was “fun” and I am grateful to my father for teaching me many things. Firstly, the fact that driving a car is not a toy, secondly, the turn signals should be on even in the field, and thirdly, you should be careful on the road, because not only your life, but other people’s lives depend on it.
I am grateful that my father took the training hard, I do not regret anything, the tears were worth learning to drive. I see how many young people who have everything in life mindlessly risk their own lives and that of others on the road, and I am amazed.
***
We are sure that many people have experienced something similar. But the question is, would you be able to explain to a novice driver what he is until he starts to succeed? And not break free while cursing?
* “Driving” reminds you that children are not allowed to drive a car