licensed to drive

so i have finally mustered enough nerves to take the behind-the-wheel driving test at the DMV office here in Fremont. after 3 months of on-and-off practice, i found myself waiting in line yesterday at 9:00 in the morning, sometimes slapping my face to awaken my senses and praying that luck would send me an examiner from heaven. my instructor was there with me (i used the school car for convenience while Fil stayed home with the baby) and he gave me last-minute instructions and reminders while we inched forward. "don't forget, ok?"..he kept telling me in his indian accent. when there was only one car in front of us, he said good luck, disembarked and waited outside.

after about 15 minutes of what seemed like an eternity, a lady examiner showed up at my window. she greeted me and immediately went down to business. she told me to show her the signal lights, brake lights, headlights, windshield wiper, defroster, emergency lights, parking brake, horn and demonstrate the hand signals. Then she entered the car, made me sign the score sheet and told me she was going to be giving me directions on where to turn and unless she gave me directions to turn, to keep going straight and follow the road. I said 'ok' then off we went.

the driving test seemed to take 20-25 minutes. i was familiar with the road having practiced there with my instructor many times so i was confident and relaxed. I checked my meter from time to time to make sure i was doing the right speed. I moved my head (not just my eyes) to check traffic left-right-ahead at intersections, performed lane changes properly (remember S-M-O-G: Signal-Mirror-Over-the-shoulder-Go), checked my mirrors, maintained a safe following distance and stopped behind the limit lines. She had me pull over at a residential street and told me to back up in a straight line. I paused for a couple of seconds to remember what to do (steer to the right if going too far from the curb, steer to the left if too close) and thankfully i did it right. whew!

I guess i got a bit excited or too confident 'coz a couple of times i did not make a full stop at the stop sign. I stopped, but not long enough (should be 3 seconds!) and i knew i messed up some turns by not steering smoothly.

The one part that got me, i wasn't sure what to do, when i saw one vehicle crossing the street in front of me even if i have the right of way but when i noticed it was a postal office vehicle, i slowed down and let it pass. Then at the stop light just before turning left back to DMV, i saw the light turn red but i must have been scanning too far (i have magnifying eyes haha!) because i prematurely stepped on the brakes even if i was still a block away then realizing it accelerated as if nothing happened (deadma!). I saw the examiner marking the score sheet. shucks!

when we entered DMV, we circled the building and she instructed me to park at the "parking for end of driving test" spot. With the engine off, i sat there quietly awaiting my fate while she counted my mistakes.."6...+ 4..." finally she turned to me and said "well...you didn't pass today but i have to remind you of...." and she kept talking while writing her notes on the score sheet and i was like thinking in all caps "OMG, I DIDN'T PASS? I HAVE TO TAKE IT AGAIN? OH NO!!! "

i didn't hear the rest of what she said but when she wrote "-10" i got back to my senses and asked her "am i not allowed 15 minor errors? so how come i didn't pass? did i commit any critical error? (note: if you commit any of the critical errors anytime during the test, it will be immediately terminated and you will fail).

then she smiled and said "oh i guess you didn't hear me right...i said you DID pass the test but i have to remind you of your mistakes 'coz a couple of times you didn't make a full stop, you had an unnecessary stop and you weren't smooth in doing your turns." uh-oh...i must have gotten lost in the accent there. She said 'd-i-d' like she was chewing a gum so what i heard sounded like "didn't."

she gave me the score sheet, told me to submit it to window 11 and left. My instructor reappeared and took the keys then i went inside. I was given a temporary paper license, have to wait 2 more weeks for the card. After that my instructor (who was visibly happy with our success) drove me home, reminded me to always drive safely then we said goodbye. I didn't call Fil right away...i waited 'til i was home, handed him the paper and let him figure it out. hehehe...

i am so relieved that this is now behind me after training for it the whole spring season (not to mention the agonizing 5 months it took me to read the DMV manual and pass the written test). bottom line is, the DMV expects me to drive legally, safely, skillfully and appropriately. Seems like a good idea.

now i can enjoy my summer...
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Related post: How to pass the DMV written test in California

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