Ritual

Driven to Drive

My right of passage would be when I finally received my driver’s license. Because without my driver’s license, I felt so bad when I had to be dependent on other people to pick me up and drop me off places. And for my problem with the whole process of getting my license took about two long years. I started my driver’s training classes Fall of 2006. It was so stupid going to a class room and do packets of work that is straight out of the driver hand book. I remember sitting in the back, listening to my ipod in that freezing class room. While my Filipino teacher would try joking around with you, I would always try my hardest to avoid talking to him. After completing that class that I could have easily taken online, I took my permit test and passed the 1^st time. Then I started my behind the wheel training. My behind the wheel teacher was my same class room Filipino teacher. He was a good teacher it’s just that sometimes it takes me a while to learn things. So he would get mad at me for not knowing what to do. So after doing 3 driving sessions with him, I could now go practice with my parents. I would get lazy and not practice that much and basically didn’t go to the DMV for a while to take my behind the wheel test. I finally went and took it, I was so nervous that day, as we were waiting in line with my mom in the hot building of the DMV in Arleta. So we get to the front of the line and this was a day before my 18^th birthday, May 4^th, they said that I didn’t have the right paper work. And it wouldn’t matter if I had it or not by the next day because I was 18 by the next day. I had to leave and come back another day to take it. I ended up waiting too long and my permit expired. Well after that I had to study the handbook again so I could pass the permit test again. I headed to the Arleta DMV that day with my mom, confident as ever. I headed to the testing center with my head held high. I answered the questions to the best of my knowledge. I stood up and walked to the desk and handed my test to the lady so she could correct it. Then she handed it back saying I failed! I got 24 wrong! I was so confused. How could I fail something I already passed? A few weeks went by after that, and this time I did some deep studying. I headed back to the horrible place called the DMV, and I took my time on the test and I failed again! So then the lady said I can take it one more time but if I failed again I would have to pay $10 to take it again. The second time I was taking it that day I was praying to God that I would pass so badly. I turned my second test in and then she said I only got 14 wrong. I was so relieved. Now I just had to practice my actual driving. A few weeks pass after driving almost everyday with my parents. And I headed back to the horrible DMV, hoping it would be my last visit there for a while. I took the behind the wheel test with the same lady that failed me the 1^st time. Oh and did I mention that I failed because of an ambulance. I was heading down the street and I heard the ambulance and was about to pull over and she said in a stern voice “pull over!” and I knew I failed. But back to this time. I was so nervous, praying that I would pass this time, we went around the block and then she made me go into a neighborhood and then a busy street. Then she made me pull into the DMV, I parked the car and waited for her while she made notes on her clipboard. Trying to read what she was thinking off the expression of her face but I couldn’t. Then she looked up at me and said “Congratulations, you passed!” She smiled and handed me a paper saying I passed. So after dealing with drama with learning how to driver for 2 years, it sure pays off to be able to depend on myself to drive myself anywhere I want to. That is with my parents permission.