Almost licensed

Today was my driver's test. I fortunately didn't have to take the written test. That would have been a disaster. Instead, I had my Oregon driver's license translated to Vietnamese and apparently that sufficed. But since I am only licensed to drive an automobile, I had to take the driver's test to be properly licensed to drive a motorbike, even though I've been driving one for the past five months.

I know how to drive a motorbike, despite already having had two accidents. I'm far more conscious than most of the people I see blindly entering roads with their whole family in tow. These instances still don't cease to amaze me as I mutter under my breath and swerve to avoid them nearly going under the wheel of a much larger vehicle or running into another family of four.

So, anyway, like I was saying, I'm pretty comfortable on the bike. But all of a sudden, I have to take this test in front of at least a 100 mostly Vietnamese onlookers and other test-takers. And it's blazing hot at only 9am and I'm starting to feel nervous. They have this whole track set up and you have to drive it staying within the lines and without putting your feet down.

I didn't put my feet down, but I lurched and wobbled around the figure eight in first gear, made it out of that sweating bullets, dropped it into a much more manageable second gear, gunned it through the straight away, made the tight turn into the left, right, left weaving section, made another tight turn and then semi-gunned it through a straight away with speed bumps. Done. Finished. Take that.

I didn't know if I passed cause my performance in the figure eight was a tad pathetic. But I did and I will be the proud owner of a new Vietnam Driver's License in 10 days time. To celebrate, I will buy a new helmet and a new wallet. A larger wallet is needed to properly accommodate the over-sized licenses they have here. Good thing the wallet I have now is in need of replacement.