Life is A Highway

I'm gonna ride it all night long!

As alluded to in my last post, I approached this week a major milestone in my life (for a second time). On Thursday morning I went for my German driver's license test.

Germany gives you 6 months from the time you apply for your first resident's/work permit to get a German driver's license. What is required for the license varies by which state you come from - from nothing at all, just a straight license swap all the way to taking the written and driving test. I fell somewhere in the middle and only needed to take the written test.

After intense studying all last weekend, I am happy to say I passed it with zero errors! It was touch and go getting to that point. I could take the test in English but there were no study materials in English. I got a book of 60 practice tests and had to learn what I needed from there and my excellent driving tutor, none other than, M. I failed the first 20-25 of the practice test and up until Thursday morning was still failing one from time to time.

In the end it worked out and for a limited time only I am an expert on the rules and regulations of the German motorway. Ironically, not 12 hours after passing said exam, M. and I were tooling down the autobahn clearly over the maximum permissible weight of the car, all visibility obstructed and a kitchen countertop hanging out the back of the car unmarked and in clear violation of the minimum heigh requirements, but that is another story.

On Friday I went for my first test drive and by Saturday was wondering how I made if for 3 months without being able to drive at all! Now we just need to decide on a car!

Posted from Basel