At last, I got my own driving licence. There were a lot of things that I want to share with you while learning and practising my driving skills in a local driving school. For your information, I just officially passed the test recently. Yeay!!! So, special for my entry this time, I'll share with you everything that was going on since the very first day I entered the school.
Before getting yourself a driving licence, the first thing you should do is attending a driving course and after that sitting for a theoretical test. I read the text book I was given during the course I attended on the night just before the test being held. I passed the test with 48/50. Well, the questions were all straight forward and so I thought they were all easy peasy to answer. Hehehe and you know what, I was the very first candidate who got up from my seat and handed in my answers to the officer. Hihihi.
After one week waiting my school to call me up for the real driving lessons, I was asked to go to the practical area on my own. I had to find my own teacher to teach me and so I was on my own on that time. On the very first morning I went to the driving lessons area, I text the female teacher, informing that I would like to be her student but she didn't replied me. So, I text the other male teacher and he replied soon after the text was delivered.
" Hi. I would like to learn driving under you. Is it okay? -Franny-" I wrote.
" Hi Franny. Of course you can. May I know what is the colour of your shirt you are wearing?"
" I'm in grey shirt with long sleeve."
I saw a guy looking at me while sitting in a Viva car with big letter 'L' on it. He was with a girl who was driving the car slowly. He smiled at me and I smiled back. Later, he text me,
" Okay. But you have to wait your turn which will be after the lady in red T-shirt."
So, I was waiting for my turn. I felt a little nervous even if I already knew how to drive. I learned driving using my father's van last time and then I drove my sister's car, Alza as well as Kancil which we are currently using at home. I even taught a friend of mine to drive while we were studying in the university. LOL. I told my teacher all that except the part I taught my friend to drive. I was afraid that my teacher would thought me of being over proud of myself.
I wondered how does it feel to be with a real teacher teaching me how to drive when I learned it own my own before.
When my teacher waved at me to enter the car, I got up nervously and opened the door by the driver seat. I adjusted my seat and pulled my seat belt. He asked me in our mother tongue,
" Have you drove before?"
" Yes. A little."
A little... Ya, I lied. I even drove on a highway somewhere in Kota Samarahan once.
" Okay. Go."
I calmly inserted gear one. I released slowly the clutch pedal but the car wouldn't move. I pressed a little the acceleration pedal but the car wouldn't go off fast. Something was wrong. When I pressed once again the acceleration pedal, he suddenly told me
" Don't drive too fast."
Then, I slowed down. Along the way, I thought there was something wrong with the pedals. As if the car wasn't fully controlled by me. After a few metre driving, only then I realized that there were two extra pedals on my teacher's seat which he used to control the car while teaching us. I found it was hilarious and smiled on my own. I drove within the speed limit he allowed me to. Whenever I reached over 40 km/hour, he told me to slow down and I followed. Well, actually I frequently reached over the speed limit and he kept on asking me to slow down. After several kilo metres driving on road, he told me
" You're good."
" Ya. Actually, I drove before. Last time, I learned to drive using my father's van and now I always drive our blue Kancil around the village."
" I see. That means you drive illegally around the village."
" Ya. Hahaha."
" Van is too huge and high."
" Ya, it is."
Then, I said again,
" Can I sit for the driving test by the end of this month?"
" Of course you can. But, I have to check at your L licence. If the date too close, you can't sit for the test yet."
" Ow, okay."
Hahaha, I didn't know if I was over-confident of myself that I requested him to qualify me to sit for the driving test which was going to be held just for the coming two weeks starting from that day. He didn't instructed me much while driving as he knew that I could drive it except pressing his break pedal whenever I reached over 40 km/hr. On the very first day I learned driving, he took me to the test area and taught me all the steps that I need to follow and do there. All of sudden, a tonne of information rushed into my mind and I had to receive them all at once. I was confused at first and the most challenging part was climbing up the hill and stopped at its highest peak. Then, I had to pull up the hand brake and it was a matter of skills in controlling both the clutch and acceleration pedals in order to climb to the other side or going down backward. If I go down, I'd considered fail. The rest were all easy peasy to me. Hehehe...
The next two times I learned at the area, I could already remembered all the steps and he started letting me to drive and learn by myself. I could fully controlled the steering that I only used my right hand to turn it either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Hahaha. After several times repeating the same step over and over, I got used to all of them and did the climbing, parking, driving in the S-shaped lane, zig-zag lane,
pusingan 3 penjuru very well, like a professional. Hahaha... Whenever it was my turn to learn and drive, I would only take a few minutes learning while other students drove at least half an hour each. It was just unfair to me. So, one day, I didn't turn up for the lessons for a whole week and only resumed it when the date was nearer to my driving test date.
There was one afternoon I got bored of driving, repeating the same steps over and over again. There were other cars from another school who practising at the same area. While I was driving out from the zig-zag lane, heading to the last step which was the
pusingan 3 penjuru, there was a car in front of me with a female student in it who was waiting for her turn to entered the area as well. I thought I could just pass and overtake her car, so I drove passing her. At that time my teacher didn't care about me, confident that I could learn on my own. He was busy chatting with another female teacher of similar school. As I confidently overtook the girl's car, all of sudden all teachers who were present there got up and screamed at me (including motorcycle teacher). I stopped the car and was a little shocked with their sudden screams. The female teacher shouted at me that I wasn't allowed to do that. If I do that during the real driving test I will surely fail. I just grinned. Then, my teacher got up and walked towards my car. I started to feel nervous. ' Oh my God, is he going to get mad at me?' I asked myself. As he approached me, he repeated what the female teacher told me but in a slower voice,
" You can't do that kay? It'd be against the law and if you were in the real test, you will be failed. Remember that okay?"
" Okay."
" Since you did something which was against the law, I now want to give you punishment. The punishment is that... okay, that is all for today. You may go now. Do come again tomorrow."
When I heard his punishment I giggled and I was so happy because that is what I really wished to hear. My leg were getting tired pressing the clutch and acceleration pedals alternately and finally he allowed me to go back. I went out of the car and went to my brother who was accompanying me going to the driving school each time I had practice.
The thing that I hate the most each time I going to the school, I had to wait for my turn an hour and over but when it was my turn, I was allowed to do at most three rounds and then that was it. I'd be asked to come again the next day. The other student took about an hour per person. So unfair until my brother told me once that it'd be better if I not coming at all. I know there was nothing much left for my teacher to teach me as I already got enough basics at driving.
Well, that is one of the most memorable memories I had while doing my driving lessons. Driving under the heat in the afternoon truly was a challenge to me but going through it for about 1 month and over, it all worth it when I passed the driving test. I knew I could do it and I was so thankful to my teacher even if I did skip my lessons once or twice. Whenever I told him that didn't want to come the next day, he was so happy as he wouldn't have to waste his time teaching a gangster and troublesome student like me. LOL.
On the day I was about to sit for my driving test, all of sudden it was raining heavily. The test started late and I was nervous waiting for my turn. But, I didn't have to wait too long for my name to be called. My name was among on top. That was how they arranged our turns. They'd let candidates that they were confident that they'd pass to sit for the test earlier.
" Can you do it?"
The female teacher asked me after telling me that it was my turn next. I didn't say anything. I just grinned.
" Remember this one thing. When you climb up the hill, never ever let the car going down backward. Otherwise, you'll fail. Press the brake pedal quickly okay?" She whispered again at me.
" Okay, okay." I replied.
As I approached the car, I grinned at my teacher and said a prayer while stepping in. I pressed the clutch pedal, inserted gear one and when I was about to press the acceleration pedal to climb up the hill, the female teacher approached me by the window.
" Your seat belt!!!"
" Ah! Yes!"
I forgot to pull my seat belt. LOL. When I felt that I was ready, I accelerate fast climbing the hill and stopped within the yellow box. I pulled up my hand brake and made myself calm. I didn't care about anything or anyone, only me. I calmly inserted gear one, released the clutch pedal a little and slowly released the foot brake fully. Then, slowly, pressing the acceleration pedal and when the metre pointing at three, I released the clutch pedal a little more and when the back of the car rose a little, I maintained the position of the clutch pedal and pressed the acceleration pedal even deeper and when I was confident that the car wouldn't go down, I released the hand brake and just a blink of the eye, I was already at the other side of the hill, going down slowly. For me, for us, passing the hill meant we were already passed the test. There were a lot steps we need to master while climbing up the hill and all the steps I told just now were all the steps I learned by myself when I practised on my own at a hill in my village.
Knowing that there not much that I had to worry about, or nervous about, I did the parking and all quickly. As usual, I reached at the last step while the other student ahead me hadn't finish their turn. As I parked the car, my teacher approached me to take back the car. I went out and said
" Okay!" and he replied me back,
" Okay!".
While waiting with the other students for our on road test, he approached us and asked a girl who was standing near me.
" Do you want to buy Viva later?"
I didn't hear clearly what the girl replied him as I was so bored of waiting my turn.
" If you want to buy a car, you need to feel by yourself how good the car is first."
Then, all of sudden he turned at me and said,
" Like Franny. She drove van, she drove Kancil as well as Viva. "
I was a little shocked and couldn't believe that he told that to the girls. I guessed the girls wouldn't buy what he said but when he continued his talk again, I guessed the girls believed what he said as they witnessed me while doing my driving practices and as well as how I did my test earlier.
" Didn't you all see how she drove? Just now? She drove so fast and took just several minutes to finish all the steps... Look at my student. She's a gangster. My student is a gangster. You see it?... Isn't it Franny? Isn't it Franny???"
I couldn't believe he said that in front of the girls! I couldn't say anything but just grinned at him. The girls were all looking at me.
Errr. I like driving. I actually enjoyed doing the practices and turning the steering with just one hand, speeding whenever I was on a straight lane (like in Fast and Furious movie). Hehehe. When I speeded for my last practice just the day before the test being held, with my friend accompanying and watching me, I saw both of my teachers smiling at me looking at how I drove the car on that day. Their smiling faces told me that they were confident that I would pass the test next day (actually, they didn't want to see my face and taught me again if I fail). Yep, and I did.
One day, I want to buy a manual car as it would make me to be alert while driving. Whenever I entered the car and drove, I'd remember all the memories I had while going to the driving school.
The officer who examined my driving while doing my on-road test looked a little handsome. I remembered my teacher told us to win his heart so that he'd pass us. As I started driving, he told me that my driving was quite good.
" Are you still a student?"
" Nope. I'm a fresh graduate."
" From?"
" UNIMAS."
" Owh! That's mean you used to drive in Kuching."
" LOL. Nope. I couldn't do that. I don't have a driving licence yet. (Which was a total lie)."
" Haha. I mean going for sightseeing in Kuching with friends."
" Owh. Of course we did."
" Hey, just take the usual route you were usually taught okay?"
" Okay. How about we take the shortest route."
" Hey! That sounds great. Had you eaten? I mean for lunch?"
" Nope. I'm hungry now. Waiting too long for my turn. How about you?"
" I only took my breakfast and I'm hungry too."
" Okay, don't worry. We'll take the shortest route and we'll make this end soon kay?"
" Great! That is the thing I like about you. You are an understanding one."
I grinned. So, I took him the shortest route my teacher taught me once and along the way, he asked about lots of thing about me. About me study, my course, job and so on. We were talking more than when I talked with my own teacher while we were driving on road. Deep in my heart, I really wish this to end so soon as I was so hungry. The short route we took wasn't enough for us to talk much more. Our conversation ended soon and as I parked the car and said Thank You to him, I quickly ran to my brother. I didn't even bother to ask him if I passed the test or not. I just wanted to go back so soon and had my lunch. I didn't see my teacher as he was away picking up his kid from school either. I thought I wanted to give my thanks to him as well.
So, I asked back my driving school if I passed the test or not and she said yes. Then, I personally sent a simple thank you text to both of my teachers.
" I passed the test. Thank you teacher Kiu. Haha. "
" I passed the test. Thank you teacher Lan. Haha"
My teacher, teacher Lan replied me.
" It is my job to teach you till you get passed."
I smiled reading his reply. Wondered if he knew if it was me who text him.
So, if you are planning of taking driving licence, I think it's better for you to learn and practice the driving skills on your own. You can't wait for your driving teacher to teach you from A to Z as unlike theoretical information and knowledge, driving is all about skills. If you learn theory, you read but if you learn skill, you practice. Besides skills, you also have to have guts to do it as well as confidence. So, driving is all about these three things that you have to master: skill, courage and confidence.
That is all. Thank you. :)
*It's 16th May. So, I would like to deliver my thanks to my driving teachers. Thank you and Happy Teachers' Day! (I know you're not reading this but who cares!... Hahaha. )
