I did it! I did it!

Drum roll please. I got my driving license! Yippee!!!!
*coming back after doing a tribal dance*
So yes! I got my license. I knew I was driving good what with taking Ashu to school everyday and back for the past 2 months. But would I be lucky on the day of the test? Would I forget to look left, right and left? Would I run over a pedestrian? Would I miss a stop sign? Would the investigator fail me just because? The thing is there was a lot riding on this. If I failed, then I would nt able to drop Ashu at school and that would be disastrous as it wont be possible for Hd to do it everyday. It would take more than an hour if we used the public transportation. We would have to move nearer to school but than can be done only in September because of the lease. Oh, so many dilemmas. Anyway, everyone was saying I would pass except me of course. So today at 1 pm, the investigator sat in the passenger seat and off I went following his directions. In German! Links, rechts, gerade aus, autobahn richtung Bern, ... In 120, 100, 80, 60, 50 and 30 speed zones all in 25 minutes. Back at the office, he congratulated me, shook hands and stamped my paper! I hugged my driving instructor with a huge grin on my face which remained until I came home and did the tribal dance in the safety of home for Hd and Ashu. "Good job amma?" asked Ashu. Hd was of course all teeth. I could see the huge burden sliding off his shoulders. He does nt have to worry about the drive to the school anymore! Sigh!

Of course, the most important worry was this would be my one and only attempt. If I failed, there was no retaking the test. I would have to start from scratch like beginner drivers and spend close to 6 months and thousands of Francs which was nt an option for us. According to Swiss laws, if I have a valid driving license from another country, then all I have to do is take a test and If I pass I get the license and if I don't, get a learners license first and start from the beginning. This test has to be taken before completing a year living in this country. I can drive with my Indian license for one year. Since I entered the country in Feb 2007, mine would expire in Feb 2008. Hence the hurry. Hd got his license in July and I did nt think I needed one. But in November when we put Ashu in a school across the city, it became clear that I need to get my license too. So I called up the same driving instructor from whom Hd learnt and signed up for classes. Almost Ninety dollars for a 50 mins class because she speaks English too! But since I was driving with Hd and also driving to school everyday, I did nt need as many classes as Hd did. Then I sent the application and got the test date. And today was the day! So if you are in Switzerland, get the license before a year as its comparatively easy. They assume you know driving and test only to see if you understand the rules of this country. (Little do they know how I got my driving license in India!) Some of our friends who have lived longer here are finding it tough to get the license as the other test is supposed to be rigorous since the driving license is valid for life here. So get an English speaking driving instructor and apply for the test date without any delay. http://www.stva.zh.ch/ has all the info but in German.

The investigator gave me a key chain after I passed which says "Gute Fahrt". (Good Trip ) Indeed! ;)

And happy birthday Big Boo. See I made you proud on your special day by passing! :)