On swimming and arbitrary but deeply ingrained conventions
When we moved here, I had to learn how to drive on the right-hand side of the car and the left-hand side of the road. I found the right-hand side of the car to be the bigger problem, really. I kept trying to switch gears and instead reaching my right hand directly into the driver's side door, when I was meant to be moving my left hand toward the gear shifter. I frequently turned on the windshield wipers instead of my turn signal. I often walked toward the wrong side of the car to get in -- only once did I actually manage to climb in on the passenger side, just after filling the car up with gas (I still hope no one saw me). Virtually every time I got in on the passenger side on purpose, my right foot reached in vain for the brake pedal that wasn't there. There were definitely deeply ingrained neural patterns associated with the conventions of driving in America. Because Australia drives on the left side of the road, they also bike on the left side of the bike path and walk on th...