I almost forgot to mention how the DMV story continued. 

On November 30, the time had finally come. I signed up for the behind-the-wheel test to finally get the practical part of my driving test behind me. The difference to Germany is that you have to show up with a car for the driving test. So ideally you know someone who has a car and is nice enough to offer you to take the test with her/his car. This nice person must then also be on site, and have the insurance of the car with her/him. So far so good. If you haven’t lived in the U.S. that long, it’s a bit of a challenge. That was also one of the reasons why it took us so long to finally tackle the issue of getting a driver’s license.

My dear friend Kristina was kind enough to let me use her car for the test. I made an appointment at the DMV in Culver City, and I have to say I was pretty nervous. Kristina let me drive myself straight to the DMV to „practice“. We still had plenty of time, I also drove a few laps around the DMV to get to know the corner a little better. 

When it was finally time, we drove with all the documents to the place where the examiner then first inspected the car. That was when Kristina said goodbye for the first time. After some time, an inspector approached me, took the documents and checked the car. I had to set the turn signals, honk the horn, operate the brake and show him where the hazard lights, handbrake, etc. were located.

The test

When that part was done, he sat down in the car and the actual part of the test started. 

He prepared me ahead of time that he was not going to talk except for the instructions. I drove for about 15 minutes through all kinds of streets, stopping at countless stop signs. Then at the end I had to drive straight backwards for a bit at the curb. After the second try I mastered that too 😉 Then it was back to the DMV, and I have to say I was incredibly happy when he announced that I passed the test with only 2 mistakes.

In the meantime, my real driver’s license arrived by mail, and I have to admit, I carry it with a bit of pride;)

I think I have motivated Stefan to sign up for the test soon;)