Driving In Two Countries
Fairview to Tokyo
I was embarrassed. Humiliated. When I finished my first driving exam in Tokyo the instructor said, "You didn't pass....the driving part." Hadn't I had a driver's license in America since I was 17? Didn't I learn to drive sitting on my brothers' laps?
Maybe that was the problem.
So I decided I needed to know what was expected of me and had a tutor take me around the route and instruct me. Then I got my license.
Driving in 2 different countries has been a challenge. In Japan we drive on the left side. In America on the right. Once I went home to help Kimbo in his office and at the end of the first day he dropped by my desk to tell me that he was leaving with a friend. Nonchalantly tossing me his keyes, he said I could drive his car home, and off he went.
Drive his car home? I hadn't driven in America for several years, and surely wasn't ready for California traffic. So I kept working as I pondered what to do. I went out and had supper at a nearby restaurant. Basically stalling. By now it was dark. That was even more challenging. Finally,in desperation, I picked up the phone and called my new daughter-in-law Georgia who, with my son Bobb, lived nearby.
I'll never forget that call. Georgia listened to me as I told her I was afraid to drive in America, and then gently but firmly added, "I'd come and get you, except that Bobb has our car. BUT any girl who could get herself out to Japan alone can go out and drive that car!"
That's all it took. A challenge. I closed the office, went out, jumped into that car and took off, even diverting to go by BIOLA University to visit some student friends!
For a whole year I dreaded a test I needed to take last year, remembering that Kenny took it the year before. He set it all up for me by phone, even finding a worker who would meet me as I drove up to the DMV headquarters for our area. This was a test for those over 70, when their present driver's license expired. There were lots of people there, but I was put in with 2 others and we listened to a lecture, took turns driving around in the official car, and then were seated on a tall seat in front of a computer. Four tets on that, which as soon as we finished, the computer printouts came flying out, one by one. I noticed that the lady next to me got "Average." If she got "Average," what would I get? After all, it was in her native language! Imagine my joy when I saw on my paper, "Excellent," with the added line "Your driving is a little better than the average 39 to 59 year olds."
Very good news to this one who flunked her first test. Maybe it's praying. We rarely take off in Tokyo's traffic without first praying. So much so that when our granddaughter Jacko was about 5, and we were leaving in the car one day in California, Kenny said, "Who's gonna pray?" To which Jacko blurted out, "We don't pray in AMERICA!"
But learning the rules and praying are an unbeatable, necessary combination. In America and in Japan.
I was embarrassed. Humiliated. When I finished my first driving exam in Tokyo the instructor said, "You didn't pass....the driving part." Hadn't I had a driver's license in America since I was 17? Didn't I learn to drive sitting on my brothers' laps?
Maybe that was the problem.
So I decided I needed to know what was expected of me and had a tutor take me around the route and instruct me. Then I got my license.
Driving in 2 different countries has been a challenge. In Japan we drive on the left side. In America on the right. Once I went home to help Kimbo in his office and at the end of the first day he dropped by my desk to tell me that he was leaving with a friend. Nonchalantly tossing me his keyes, he said I could drive his car home, and off he went.
Drive his car home? I hadn't driven in America for several years, and surely wasn't ready for California traffic. So I kept working as I pondered what to do. I went out and had supper at a nearby restaurant. Basically stalling. By now it was dark. That was even more challenging. Finally,in desperation, I picked up the phone and called my new daughter-in-law Georgia who, with my son Bobb, lived nearby.
I'll never forget that call. Georgia listened to me as I told her I was afraid to drive in America, and then gently but firmly added, "I'd come and get you, except that Bobb has our car. BUT any girl who could get herself out to Japan alone can go out and drive that car!"
That's all it took. A challenge. I closed the office, went out, jumped into that car and took off, even diverting to go by BIOLA University to visit some student friends!
For a whole year I dreaded a test I needed to take last year, remembering that Kenny took it the year before. He set it all up for me by phone, even finding a worker who would meet me as I drove up to the DMV headquarters for our area. This was a test for those over 70, when their present driver's license expired. There were lots of people there, but I was put in with 2 others and we listened to a lecture, took turns driving around in the official car, and then were seated on a tall seat in front of a computer. Four tets on that, which as soon as we finished, the computer printouts came flying out, one by one. I noticed that the lady next to me got "Average." If she got "Average," what would I get? After all, it was in her native language! Imagine my joy when I saw on my paper, "Excellent," with the added line "Your driving is a little better than the average 39 to 59 year olds."
Very good news to this one who flunked her first test. Maybe it's praying. We rarely take off in Tokyo's traffic without first praying. So much so that when our granddaughter Jacko was about 5, and we were leaving in the car one day in California, Kenny said, "Who's gonna pray?" To which Jacko blurted out, "We don't pray in AMERICA!"
But learning the rules and praying are an unbeatable, necessary combination. In America and in Japan.
posted by Lila @ 4:43 AM
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