My supposedly schedule date of road test is October 18, 2011. Tired of waiting for these date, i went on September 22, 2011, i did not tell anyone that i am going for exam on that day i just brought with me my confidence and guts that i can pass this exam on first try only, and with a 4.5 hours of driving session. woohooo..
0630H- arrived at the mooroo, i paid 50 dhms for the road test.
0715H- i went outside to go to the mini bus where all of the test taker are sitting, the bus is jam packed with examiners of different nationalities. I think there are 3 filipinos inside including myself. You need to pay 40 dhms for bus rental, (what a money generating scheme pffft.) My turn is 2nd in the test, I am not feeling nervous and I just read my notes that i made about driving in my Iphone. Hoping this relax state will continue until my turn on the steering wheel.. whew..
0745H- after 30 minutes of contemplating on what will be the outcome of my exam, the bus finally moved on. The 1st examiner is the one who drove the Nissan Sunny car outside the mooroo and into the streets. I kept my eye on how the 1st examiner is driving the car outside. The bus is following the car all through out the exam, after 5 mins of driving, the bus stopped and the 2nd examiner is called, its now my turn to show the police my driving skills. Bring it on!
0815H- as i went inside the car, there were 2 police inside, a female police is in the back. Beside me is a male police. First i greeted them with the usual salamalaykum greeting, then the police at the back scrutinized my outfit, she is telling that wearing short is improper when you are going to government offices. Dang!!! Tachycardia strikes in with cold clammy feeling. Thinking that this can be a possible reason for failing this exam, i just replied to her "i am sorry" with a "paawa" effect on my face.. :) After that the police sitting beside me give me the signal to start driving the car. Now at that point i am feeling the tension, and adrenaline rush. Hear rate shooting up, perspiration is coming out. I just reassured myself that this will end soon so just give my best shot.
As i will start driving the car i start with the ritual of adjusting the sit first, check the rear view mirror, check the side mirror, press the brake pedal, put the gear on drive mode, then release the hand break.
Ooppsss, i think i forgot something... "PUTTING ON The Seat-Belt" due to the tension that i was scolded by the lady police at the back, nearly i forgot to put on my seat-belt, damn it will be the end of the game if i forgot it, thanks to the Red Bull energy i drunk 1hr ago.. hehe
As i started moving the car, the police sitting beside me is the one giving the command. The way he gives command is by his high volume voice. whew... this contributed again to that anxiety i felt awhile ago. (local arab people tend to talk in high voice even for them it is just a normal conversation). During the driving session the lady police at the back of the car asked me where I am working, i told her in NMC hospital, then she asked which department, I replied by saying "I am working in the emergency room" with conviction. Even though my department is ICU i replied by saying, "emergency room". Then she asked my whole name.
These are the thing that suddenly popped up in my mind by saying that I am working in ER
-Thinking that maybe she will asked for a favor someday by going to emergency room and will ask for a sick leave.
-Thinking again that maybe she will pass me today on the driving exam because later she will ask for a return of a favor (i.e., sick leave).. hehe
The summary of maneuver the police sitting beside me gave are the following:
making a U-turn at the roundabout, overtaking a truck in front of me, changing lanes, making a U-turn at an egg-shaped roundabout.
After approximately 5 minutes he told me to stop and park the car on the side of the road. As i wait outside for the test result, they are talking inside on whether they will pass me or not. Then the lady police handed over the result, voila!!! the result is passed!
As i walk back staring at the result, people driving along side of the road will slow down their vehicle and then they will open their window and they will ask if i passed. Then i replied with a big thumbs-up, then they will sound the horn of their car and will shout "Mabrook" (arabic word of congratulation.). What a blissful experience. The smile on my face is priceless. :D
I returned to the driving licensing department and collected my price. A driving license card with an expiry date after 10 years! I summarized all of my expenses in this driving exam, it is a total of 1,700 dhms equivalent to approximately 20 thousand pesos. WTF! Anyway the happiness i experienced that day is priceless.. :))
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