Write@Home
Winter 2015

Driving

Instructor Man Taking Notes While Happy Driver Pretty Young Woman Showing Her Driving License

In 2009, I was 21 years old when I decided to take my first driving lesson to get my driver’s license in my home country. I was so happy because after two months of taking lessons I successfully passed my driver’s test.

So, I started to think about buying a used car, but the idea was rejected by my father, not only due to my age but also because there was no need to own a car. In addition, he didn’t let me drive his car, because he was not confident in my driving skills.

When I got married, I had forgotten about my dream to own a car and to drive, because I hadn’t practiced for a long time. Then, I gave birth to my first baby and I was very busy. This made me think less about driving since my husband drove and I had no problem getting around.

Since I have been living in Canada, things have changed. Not only is public transportation not available in my current location but I also don’t have other solutions for getting to work without walking or waiting for my husband to drive me. Therefore, I started feeling the urgent need to drive. This led to the decision to start practicing driving with my husband while our children were not around. After a few weeks, I passed the written test and I booked to take my driving test.

Considering the experiences of my friends too, getting a driver's license in our province was not easy. It took people two or three times to finally pass their driver's tests in New Brunswick.

Just thinking about that made me very scared, even though I was well prepared.

In the end, I took the test and was very focused on following the examiner's instructions, respecting the rules and the highway code.

Finally, I got my license on the first try, a dream come true after 10 years of obtaining my first license in my home country.

Now I can drive and take my children to school and I don’t need to depend on anyone to drive me anywhere.