CA Driver License - Finally! =)

Yay! On May 4th, I finally took and passed my CA Driver License driving test and will hopefully be receiving my license in the mail any day now. I passed both theory (US: written) and practical (US: behind-the-wheel/driving) test first time around. Yay!!!

I'll finally have CA ID and am now legally able to drive anywhere and every where. Drivers of CA - beware! Even as I was driving out of the DMV, I was suddenly unsure of which side of the road I was supposed to be driving on. Usually I double-check to make sure using road signs or observing other cars, but neither were available so I had to guess and judging by the fact that the instructor didn't stop me, I carried on. =P Need to remember: Americans drive on the right side of the road. =)


I almost failed though. You're only allowed to get three major things wrong and I got two - before I even turned on the engine! One was because I didn't know where my "defroster" was. For some reason, I heard "defogger" and from the "fog" part I just thought 'lights'. The driving test person later pointed at it and said "it's your demister". @@ The other one was when he asked me where my "emergency parking brake" is. I thought, 'does he mean hazard lights?' and pointed to them but he said no. Then he pointed to it and said "it's your handbrake". @@ Why didn't he use those terms in the first place?! Hazard lights he called "emergency flasher". @@ I'm glad I got that one!

Peter helped me a lot by taking me out, making me practice maneuvers, pointing out things while I was driving, trying to get me to relax... One of the most helpful things he said to me was something that he said while I was studying for my theory test. He very honestly said, "you know, I don't know if I'd pass the tests if I had to take them again." I didn't feel as silly for having to take the tests even though I'd already been driving for 10 years (albeit on the other side of the road) and worried about embarrassing myself by failing the tests after he said that. =)

We celebrated by having Subway for lunch afterward. I'm very happily posing with my Interim Driver License in one hand, our delicious Subway in the other.

Big tick (US: check) off of my to-do list!!! Yay!!! =)


Post script: I received the actual license afternoon of the Wed, 13th. =)