Off to Driving School! Part 1

Since I was 18, I've been bugging my dad to make me take driving classes. Although I don't have a car or anything, I knew that someday I'd have to face the "terror" of learning how to drive, and I wanted to get it done and over with. For two years, I have constantly brought up the topic over dinner but I was never successful with it. He would tell me how he wouldn't see me anywhere in the house because I'd already be off somewhere else. And as my dad would like to say most of the time, "_________ can lead to many things, therefore watch Star Wars!" (labo.)

So finally, after the very long duration of pleads and "sige na dad!'s", I was able to convince him that I should learn how to drive. What better reason than to say that it's a required skill for a good job in sales? Of course, he would want that for me too.... He had no other choice.

That's why last week, I enrolled for driving classes at A1. From the moment I got my student's permit, I already had my own share of boo-boos and embarrassing moments.

Boo-boo #1: Cause I'm Only Seventeen!

From the moment I got in the driving school, they asked me if I was only 16. I didn't know if I would be happy about it or not! My exact words were, "Hindi! 20 na ako! Kaya siguro hindi pa ako nakakakuha ng trabaho." They ended up debating why I looked younger. Someone said it was because of the headband, and the other lady said it was because of my bangs. Now she wanted to have bangs like mine. haha. And just when one of their officemates came in, they let him guess how old I was. Although it could be seen in another perspective (being a compliment), I just couldn't help but be embarrassed by it.

Boo-boo #2: Click!....Ay, Wala Pala!

After that some kinda funny incident at the driving school, we headed off to LTO in San Juan. II was not my usual self in the car. I was really quiet because I was with two other girls who kept on talking about accounting and all these liabilities and budgets I was allergic to. It was actually a struggle for me to listen to them for 15 minutes. When we got to LTO, we still had to wait for another 15-20 minutes to get our pictures taken. After a few trips to Yamin-land thanks to my ipod, I was finally called for my picture taking. I was really excited because I already wanted to go to the mall and go window shopping after. But I didn't expect that it would take me 15 minutes more. When I got to the photo booth, I was my usual happy self. I was already posing even if they didn't tell me to do so yet. Perhaps the webcam got scared of me because just as the camera were about to say "Smile!", the camera got busted. We tried and tried again, and still, no "flash" from the camera. They told me to take a seat again and wait for another 15 minutes. When I got back, it took another 3 tries before the camera took my picture.

Boo-boo #3: Para!!!!

I was really excited and tensed for my first driving classes because this was my first time to actually drive a car. Kuya Serge, my teacher, decided that we do some practice driving in Gold Loop because there were less cars and it was perfect for the lesson, since I would still be sticking to first gear for that day. So there I was, in first gear, going round and round Gold Loop until someone told us to stop. Apparently, we got caught by the police who was just looking for some money to eat. He told us that we were not allowed to practice in this area because we were "obstructing traffic". So much for the last 3 cars we saw in Gold Loop. I got really pissed with the policeman and just gave him my student's permit and my teacher's license. After taking a look at it, he decided not to give us a ticket because I lived just around the area. Weird, yet unsuccessful for him. Buti nga.

These experiences made me realize how I'd rather commute and walk than drive a car. It feels weird to get caught by the police. It's like you've done something really really bad. Driving is such a complicated matter. You need to really focus on what you're driving, especially if you're driving a manual car. Perhaps my dad did have a reason why he didn't want me to learn driving at an earlier age... haha. But I will not make these hindrances. I'll continue to do my best in driving. At the same time, I'll make it more memorable and fun too. haha. It just shows how much of a comedy my life is. I think I'm planning to change this into: "Ah, the comedy in life." Guess it's more appropriate that way. hee hee.

Til my next lesson.=)