License to drive

This one is about how I got my driver’s license in the USA. Back in Bangalore, one fine morning I came to know of my onsite assignment and had to make immediate travel arrangements. Since the visa was ready, I had to simply pack my bags and address some personal stuff. I never had a driver’s license in Bangalore and could not get one in those 3 days. Since my onsite stay was projected to be 1.5 months, I did not really care to pursue IDP and only carried minimal luggage. I landed in the State of Minnesota without an IDP or a local Indian driving license. To get a driver’s license in the Minnesota State, one has to undergo an online test to get a instruction permit (like learner’s license in India) and get 3 months driving experience (by having a someone who has a license by the side) before appearing for the road test. Myself and another friend were in the same boat and we got in to a catch 22 situation. Driver's license (permanent license) was necessary to buy a car and without owning a car, we had to get 3 months of driving experience with instruction permit. At that time, we could not get insurance with an instruction permit.

We decided to go with a driving school which catered to our requirements. Given the high training costs in the range of $45/per hour, I and my friend took just 3 hours each. Out of that, only 2 hours was the actual training hours and the final one hour was "go-live" test. Yes, that one hour was the actual driver's test which we took in the same vehicle. As predicted by our trainer, both of us failed in the test. I made one single mistake (a major one according to the inspector). I and my friend felt very bad & humiliated (for failing the test). More than us, our respective families were upset because we could not buy a car and without a car we had to depend on friends or cab.

During those days, my brother lived in Wisconsin and he visited us quite frequently in the weekends. During his visits, I briefly practiced in his car and scheduled the re-test. The day before my test, my 2 instructors (read wife and my brother) took me through a pre-evaluation check and cleared me after lot of deliberations. On a cold December morning, both my brother and my wife accompanied me to the test center and this time I drove my brother’s Toyota Camry in the test. I had to take a day off from work and my peers knew I was appearing for a test. It was important to pass the test to save my face and any further embarrassment. I was confident of passing the test, however the previous night snowfall put some kind of doubts. My brother and my wife waited in the small unheated wooden cabin while I headed out to the test. This time, the instructor was very friendly and asked me if I knew how to correct my previous mistake. I replied yes confidently and he quickly completed the test by asking me to perform only few of the usual drills. When the test ended, the instructor signed off some papers and declared I have "passed" the test...I was thrilled!!

Since I was returning to India, I did not buy a car.Instead, Me and my friend rented a car for a brief period. During this period, my friend who was earlier unsuccessful in getting the license, now practiced with this rental car and passed the test! It was a great milestone for him too and he went on to buy a car and enjoy rest of his stay at Minnesota.

This piece of plastic was of immense use in my subsequent trips. It enabled me to drive from day one of landing in the USA and enjoy my stay here. Sometimes when I look at my driver’s license, it brings back all the nostalgic memories