Have Wheels Will Travel

Hallelujah! Finally, I got my driver's license, after an agonising six-month wait and 5 attempts! Well, not that I didn't know how to drive, I just had trouble passing my practical driving tests since moving to Melbourne six months ago!

The first 2 hurdles - the written test and the hazard perception test - were a breeze. I actually passed with flying colours. But when it came to the actual practical driving test, something always went wrong. And each time I failed, it was due to a different fatal mistake. I was so disheartened I thought that I'd never be able to drive around Australia, that I'd have to send my kids to school by public bus until they reach their secondary education years, that the nice Mazda CX-7 that my husband bought for me will only decorate the garage!

To be honest, I'm not much of a driver. I've only been driving the past year in KL before migrating to Melbourne. And my parking sucks. But hey, I'd driven around in KL - and that says something. I finally engaged a professional instructor. Even he said my driving is okay. Apparently, the main problem was that I wasn't familiar with the road rules. And here in Victoria, following road rules means following road rules. And therefore, I failed, many times.

So this inability to drive had been hovering above my head like a dark cloud for the past six months. Imagine my relief when the last testing officer cheerfully told me that "You passed!" I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right. So I asked again just to confirm.

That ecstatic feeling was indescribable. Now my wallet holds a precious piece of card that will allow me to roam around the roads of Victoria and beyond. I just have to remember all the road rules I've learnt!