Failed six times already...

Well, you'd laugh your heads out, if I said I failed six times trying to obtain a driving license. But then, that's the case here in Dubai. You don't get one unless you have failed at least once, since the rules are very harsh. And yeah, if you passed in the very first instance just like my cousin Jerry, you'd be expected to give a party and considered God!



It was about 2 months ago that I enrolled with Belhasa Driving Centre in Dubai with an intention to get my license "ASAP". I started off with just 15 classes and since I had the Indian driving license, I was exempted from giving the Parking test. I was only supposed to attempt the Signal test and the Final Road test. I was happy - just 15 classes and I would be touting my driving license soon...

Unfortunately fate had something else in store for me. My instructor Abdul Azeez asked me to extend my classes by 10 more, since I wasn't looking "relaxed" enough while driving. My instructor kept saying, "Body ko thoda loose karo" and "Dimaag thoda relax karke gaadi chalaneka". For those unfamiliar with Hindi, the translations of the above quotes would be "Don't hold the steering too tightly" and "Be relaxed".

After about 20 classes, I attempted the signal test and passed it!

"Mission One - completed," I said.

Then one week later I was asked to attempt the Assesment Test - here's where your driving will be assessed by another instructor of the institute. I was given a green signal and asked to appear for the Final Road Test, which was scheduled at 8:00 in the morning, two days later.

The D-day dawned. I reached the driving institute at 7:30 in the morning and waited in anticipation for my name to be called. I was instructed to get into a ca. A traffic cop was sitting inside the car and giving me a look as if telling me "Your driving sucks!" The test started... and it ended in a flash. The cop handed me a paper with doodles everywhere. I had failed!

I said to myself - "Hey, this was just the first attempt..." I guess I was just assuring myself that in the next test I would certainly lay my hands on the license.
Some of my colleagues even suggested me to stay at a certain colleague's house for a night to get passed the nest time. "You know, he stayed at Rameshwar's house and passed the driving test the next day!!"

However, the number of classes went from the initial 15 to 30 (and still counting), and my driving test went from "just the first attempt" to the current sixth. After having spent a huge fortune on classes and test fees, I decided to take a break for sometime... so that I would change my instructor.

I now plan to start my classes again next month... and here's hoping for the umpteenth time that I would pass in the next test!