It has been a very interesting road to here. I got my first driving license in India in 1999 but we didn't have a car and my folks didn't feel the need to own one, given the abundance of public and private hire transport in Bombay. That meant little or no driving for quite a while. A couple of years into my working life, I contemplated buying a car and restarting the driving but by the time I got around to it, I was moving temporarily to Australia and my folks just wouldn't drive themselves, and employing a driver was extremely extravagant and wasteful to their strong middle-class values (it still is). In any case, that meant another few years of no driving. I was too skint to afford lessons as a student in Sydney and I wasn't sure I was going to hang around long enough to really need to be able to drive. However, ever since we've moved to England, I have wanted so badly to drive. We would be able to do so much more, both work and play, if I could drive. The first year we moved was when I should've done the whole take-a-few-lessons-and-have-a-go-at-the-test-routine, but our first year here was emotionally very hard and I hung back. I didn't feel ready. When I did get around to restarting lessons I found that I was dealing with the baggage of being older and therefore too cautious and sometimes hesitant. Any good driver will tell you how when you drive, you do need to have your wits about you and keep safe, but you also need that little bit of confidence, bordering ever so slightly on cocky (for want of a better word), to earn your space and respect on the road.
Well, it took me a while to get there but I've done it! I am now a fully licensed driver and very very proud of it! At the risk of this sounding like a sappy Oscar acceptance speech, thank you Pat, you're a superstar! Dot, darling, you're my voice of reason, punching bag, and my inspiration; I love you. Mamma, Mummy, Daddy and Nodot thank you for not once doubting I would do it; Nodot especially for being my source of driving gyaan. Papa for being there with me every time I'm behind that wheel (do you know I took your glasses with me to the test as a little something familiar?!; I hope you didn't pull any favours and that I passed on my merit!). To all my extended family and friends, you know who you are, and you've been so lovely and supportive all along this journey - thank you heaps.
It may all sound terribly silly to those of you who drive every day without giving it a second thought and think of it as a skill as basic as walking or talking. To me, it's a blessing and a privilege, and so, do indulge the gushing.
That's me after my maiden drive in our car with my congratulatory flowers from Dot.
I assure you this was only a pose for the camera. I do usually wear my seatbelt when I drive.
The two of us beaming. Thanks for the picture Oscar.
Posts
9 comments:
Very proud of you!! :) When you taking me out next?
Congratulations! That's phenomenal! I have been driving now for 8 years, but i do remember how thrilling it was to get that license, especially after failing the test twice and enduring countless sneers from HG.
Awesome! Congratulations.
G
Thank you all :) Expect lots of motoring adventure posts real soon!
I've never learnt to drive. So that means, I shall find myself safely in the empty seat of your car :) Yay! Where shall we go?
CONGRATULATIONS!!! :)
Congratulations. I know how it feels. Despite driving for the past 14 years, the test here in the UK was nerve-racking.
@EG - Aaja meri gaadi mein baith ja!
(Sorry, I just had to say that!)
@Shamly and Chinty: Thank you ladies. I'm over the moon!
Though I've had a licence for over five years, I've never driven. And you're right, with age, I feel a little scared and ill equipped.
We got a functional car over the weekend, and I have still not driven it. But now I have you for inspiration.
Post a Comment