Got wheels to go a-cruisin’ October 28, 2008
Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , trackback 
With a new environment, comes new experiences…and one of the inevitable ones is driving. Driving a left-hand drive car, rather. Everything is the total opposite of what it is in Malaysia, and I had to keep reminding myself that.
When I visited the States several years ago, I drove a little bit too, but this time round, I’m gonna take it a leap further and get my California state driver’s license as well.
Although I am authorized to take a total of 8 hours’ of driving lessons from an authorized driving school here, I drove around a couple of times prior to taking lessons, of course with my hubby offering tips and *advice* in the process. Well, last Friday was my first FORMAL driving lesson. My instructor, a nice lady by the name of Terry, sat by my side while I drove to goodness-knows-where, practising what needs to be done for the road test, including observing the various street speed limits, stopping a certain distance from the vehicle in front, and “backing up in a straight line”. The lesson was a whole 2 hours’ long, and we also had time to go on the freeway.
To get my driver’s license, I would need to first get my Social Security Card (application currently in progress), and then pass my written multiple-choice driver’s test, and THEN pass the road test.
I am definitely getting more confident on the roads now, and sometimes I would even be allowed to drive the car on my own. Hehe. Sometimes though, I still flick the wipers instead of the indicators, but that rarely happens now, I am happy to say.
Tomorrow morning I have my second driving lesson. My thoughts? I just wanna pass all the tests and get my driver’s license pronto!
Ethan Boy
Our Journey of Love
Comments»
“flick the wipers instead of the indicators….”
that happened to me to when I was in the State.
The Giddy Tigress says: I guess it happens to most people
Thanks for visiting my blog, and hope to see you here more often!
wah…. driving on the left is instead a fresh new experience hor?
hope u’ll pass it… with flying colours summore!
The Giddy Tigress says: I do hope so too! Thanks!
That’s such a cool experience! I wonder how I’d fare driving on the other side of the road… hehe.
The Giddy Tigress says: You’ll have plenty of time to experience that!
You will get the hang of it. I tot malaysian driving license is good enough to drive there. How come have to take test?
The Giddy Tigress says: The Malaysian driving license is good enough for a limited period only. If you plan to drive here long term, i.e. on relocation, you’ll need a valid Californian driving license.
i guess it’s a whole new world driving on the other side
The Giddy Tigress says: It really is!
lol! its like doing it all over again - i mean learning driving. hahaha. i have to get my australian driving license next year too..
The Giddy Tigress says: Yeah…all the best to you too!
I went down to Social Security office to apply for SSN more than 3 weeks ago, still waiting for the SSN to come in the mail.
You might be able to get driver license without SSN in some states i.e. CA? In IL where I am, can’t get car insurance until I get a driver license, can’t get a driver license until I have the SSN, aargh!!
The Giddy Tigress says: THREE weeks??!!! I thought they said 10 days or something?!! I was there about 10 days ago actually. Well, I can use my Malaysian driving license as a driving permit to take lessons, but to take the written test, I need the SSN, and to take the road test, I need to pass the written test. So pretty much everything is dependent on the SSN.
Let me know when you get your SSN.
And i always went to the drivers seat thinking it was a passenger seat!
The Giddy Tigress says: Happened to me a few times too!