Driving Test

All the tears and tantrums have paid off. I am the proud owner of a German driver's license. And the good thing is, once you have your license, you never need to be re-tested unless you accumulate too many driving points. Most people here have a picture of their 18 year-old selves on their license and will have that same photo and license for the rest of their lives.

Two weeks ago, I took the written test. I did have a major panic attack that morning as I was quickly reviewing mathematical formulas and realized that I didn't have everything down pat. It didn't help that the test was much shorter than I expected - only 30 questions. That meant I didn't have the luxury of getting several questions wrong. I did have to guess a few times, but the gods were smiling on me as I usually guessed correctly.

This morning I took the 45-minute road test. There were a few moments of panic: one when the floor mat worked it's way on top of the brake and accelerator and I couldn't figure out why the pedals felt funny, but I casually fixed that at a stop light. The other was when I bumped the curb while parallel parking and having my instructor do a loud gasp at that moment didn't help. The fellow administering the test couldn't have cared less and said, "Good enough." In the end, the only criticism that I received was that I sometimes don't drive fast enough. I was told, as my instructor has told me in the past, that I should drive as close to the speed limit as possible. That's what all the other drivers are expecting of each other. Otherwise, there could be a problem. The one thing I was not asked to do during the test was to back up into a parking spot -- not parallel park, but do a direct backing in to a spot. I know it's easier for pulling back out, but I'm still not comfortable with that way of parking.

A tremendous weight, an eight-month long one, has been lifted off my shoulders. Some evening, David and I will celebrate at a Mexican restaurant I spied during one of my driving lessons. I deserve a nice, tall margarita.

We also recently bought a car. We bought a Toyota Corolla Verso which is smaller than a minivan, but still has 7 seats. I don't think you can find this car in the U.S., so it's doubtful we would bring it back with us. Repairs would cost a fortune. Yes, it's an automatic and we have named it Fresca for its muted silver color and one of our favorite beverages, which you cannot find here. Bye, bye to our rented subcompact clown cars. The neighbors must have gotten a kick out of seeing us pour out of that tiny Ford Fiesta everyday. The lowest point was when we had a week with a two-door car. Getting Rebecca in and out of the middle of the back seat was a major chore.

We like the extra room, the navigation system, the ipod connection, leather seats, and the back-up sensor that beeps to let you know if a small child is behind you or if you're about to hit another car while parallel parking. That last bit should definitely come in handy in Europe, where parking can be a tight squeeze.