Parking Test

After many sleepless hours on many days,finally arrived the day for the parking test. Sometimes entering a situation without any prior knowledge and experience can be exciting too. You don't know what to expect. Once at the centre for our test, all students appearing for it were asked to wait in the waiting room. After a while our internal examiner asked four of us to proceed to the yard and wait for them.
 The two examiners came there with two of the Belhasa cars. We were all very nervous and didn't know what to expect. Hadn't found anyone who could brief us. We waited for directions from the examiners. All of us didn't want to risk being the first to go ahead on being called. It's always better to see another person doing it and then go ahead. So on being called all four of us looked at each other to see who was ready to make the big sacrifice (lol). I gathered all my courage and took the initiative to be the first. The examiner asked me to be seated on the driver's seat. She asked me to drive and park the car in the angle parking. I was nervous but recalled all the inputs from my instructor.  The exact angle to take the right turn was the most crucial, which with God's grace I managed well at the right time. So that was done...One down. I was asked to reverse the car to its original position. Once I was through the other three were also asked to do the same.
Next I was asked to proceed to the other car where the examiner was waiting. She asked me to do the garage parking. This was a right angled parking into an assigned slot. Again turning the car at the right moment was crucial.  And generally one needed to adjust the car a couple of times to do the perfect parking. The God's above may have been showering their blessings on me on that particular day. I managed to do a purrfect parking that day as the examiner commented. ."very good nisha!!!". my heart was singing a song...I managed to impress that examiner with at least this. The next was the worst..parallel parking. I knew I would goof up there. The first examiner had finished with the other three students and waited for us to do the parallel parking. Again I was the first here. Dreading the moment. My hands were wet with sweat.The examiner sensed my nervousness. She asked me to relax. She asked me to start and I did. But all the inputs from Krishna deserted me just then. I forgot to put the indicator on...The examiner asked me to. How I cursed myself for forgetting the simplest thing. Anyways after that everything just went wrong. My nervousness at its peak now. I knew if I failed today would be because of this. Anyways the examiner helped me to pull this through. I finished and thanked God it was over. Next was the hill parking. I went to the car waiting on the hill, a mount built inside the yard. I sat on the driver's seat and it was over be for it started. The examiner handed me the result..stamped  "PASSED". I couldn't believe my eyes...Examiner said you can leave now....I literally flew from there...happy and on cloud 9!!!! One more hurdle crossed....in first attempt.

Parking Phobia

It was getting easier to manoeuvre the car on Dubai roads around Belhasa Driving centre, I was getting used to the roads and the turns and there was a boost in my confidence.I could hear Krishna reacting lesser as the mistakes I made were fewer. I was happy. In spite of all this "If you do this you will fail" kept dropping in regularly making my confidence level go for a toss. But that was fine, just made me more cautious. I still tried hard to please her. I don't think I succeeded. But that was ok. Once I was a bit confident on the road, Krishna divided each class in 2 sections. One hour on the roads and one hour parking practice inside the yard. As mentioned earlier there are 4 parking one needs to learn about.  Parallel parking (:( still gives me nightmares,  angle parking (not so bad), garage parking (used in most residential parking slots) and hill parking.
I wonder why the instructors want to start with the most difficult, parallel parking in my case. It is so complicated that one gets confused with the number of times one needs to look in various glasses and mirrors, on each side of your seat, manoeuvre the turns correctly with correct indicators that at the end of it one starts looking like a zombie. And on top of this, one is not expected to make any mistakes. I mean even an expert will fail to perfectly park a car in parallel in one go. But you work towards perfection , you don't succeed is another story. After Krishna was convinced that I was ready for the parking test I was asked to pay for the same and take the date. I was nervous like hell. Wasn't sure of I could pull this one through.
I went to the extent of writing down the steps of each parking and vizualize it and practice it in my mind. I wonder if everyone goes through this. The fear of failure was very demotivating. I wrote down steps of exactly when I needed to look in which mirror/glass, when and which indicator to give, exactly how much and when to turn and so on. I would lie in bed and speak out those steps in my mind....firm determination...I have to pass this test....If I would be asked to go for a retest...It would be for parallel parking. Rest I knew I would manage. Krishna had trained me well with accurate instructions. I am thankful to her yet again....now I just had to see what happened on the day of the test...had to go through another trial...

Practice makes you perfect

Like I mentioned in my last post...With Krishna's continuous taunts and repeated words that haunted me "if you do this RTA will fail you" I was losing my self confidence.  Nothing I did seemed to please her. In being extra cautious I repeated my mistakes. But hats off to her. She wouldn't lose her patience. The lane change, giving way, stopping at STOP sign, roundabouts, giving the correct indicators,  mirror checks, shoulder check...there's nothing she missed out on...With finer details..Today I value all her inputs...makes me a better and safer driver on the road. She ensured I practiced what I lacked in. She would make very little conversation throughout my 2 hours of class. I assumed perhaps she didn't like me. There are very few people I know who don't,  so I was a bit surprised. She maintained her distance so did I. The only barrier we broke was from mam to krishna....and that was quick. I regard her as a teacher and shared some of the driving secrets, she shared with me, with my husband...I guess what you learn from teachers like her...you can never unlearn.
She knew my drawbacks in driving and she helped me to practice the same over and over again till it satisfied her. Now one thing that I dread till date is PARKING...It gives me nightmares...I may take the car around the world...but when it comes to parking a car...I see stars in daylight. so I wonder if the funda of "practice makes you perfect" will work here....let's wait and watch...Parking phobia....The next post.....

Instructor switch

After 2 days of driving sessions with my first instructor Sitara, a very soft spoken and docile person, I had to stop my driving classes due to some commitments in my daughters' schools. Now another issue was if you stop your classes without an intimation, you lose the amount for the classes. Atleast you need to inform them 2 days in advance to save this loss and also you will have to wait for them to assign a new instructor to you if the previous one has already been assigned a new student. ooofffff....complicated. But it's unavoidable as sometimes you may just have something important come up....like in my case.
Well this post is dedicated to my new instructor Krishna who was instrumental in my road to success. Success?? well apart from getting the licence in one attempt, she inspired me and guided me sufficiently to gain the confidence to do so. So I said success.Krishna was a total contrast from Sitara. Krishna, a stern Sri Lankan, with a crisp voice and a straight face, a person who rarely smiled. That made me nervous each time I sat down beside her for the class.  She motivated me not with any kind of appreciation but a lot of negative reinforcement. Sometimes that works better as you get the urgency to prove the other person wrong that....yes I can do it when they may think and prove to you otherwise. I feel apart from the dedication and sincerity with which she guided me through the 20 sessions it was also the discipline that she maintained throughout. that actually helped. She was a very punctual lady, unlike many at the center.  The stories some other students shared made me thank my stars for making Krishna my new instructor. The switch I guess worked for me. I was always like a little child trying to please her with my best performance. ..but not once she uttered the golden words "good". I would be very disappointed then, but now when I sit back and think, I feel that attitude of hers motivated me to perform better.I always dreaded going for my classes with Krishna as her harsh words would haunt me and make me tense. Driving would become more difficult.  But I would like to give her full credit for bringing out the best in me,and instilling the confidence in me. I'll share the rest in my next post.

Behind the wheels....finally

Once through with the assessment test I was attached to Sitara from Pakistan as my instructor. On the scheduled day and time I was at the driving centre. She lead me to the car and noted all the details on the attendance card. Each session is for 2 hours comprising of 4 classes of half an hour each. So I would have to attend classes only for 5 days to entitle me to give my RTA road test.....my my!!! soon my dream will come true....but as they say never count your eggs before they hatch...or better still....there's always a slip between the cup and the lip....She asked me to take out my RTA books...oops....I hadn't carried them...and on the first day itself I had to hear so much from my instructor for being irresponsible. ..I kept apologising. ..and she understood I genuinely meant it...by the way...It is mandatory to carry your learner permit and RTA books daily for the classes.They use them to guide you through and one has to keep referring to them no matter how much experience you have of driving...Its just never enough.
So she asked me to put on the ignition and showed me the features on the dashboard and basic rules to follow when you are in the driver's seat. All set and she asked me to drive the car around in the yard. Surprisingly I managed better than I thought. After an hour of driving she told me we would practice "parking" the car. Now that is what I dread as a driver. The amount I enjoy driving the car that much I dread parking. I never get it right. That was one of the main reasons I sold off my Zen in Mumbai and never thought of driving again. But that was a compulsory aspect of driving classes. With my heart beats gaining momentum and nervous demeanour I followed her instructions.  I was so shaken that no matter how simply she put it, I got it wrong each time....parallel parking....something which I know I will never do successfully and flawlessly....
The instructions were falling on deaf ears as what she said confused me thoroughly.  The constant shift from rear view mirror to centre mirror to side mirror had me thouroghly confused and exhausted... I told her that it's impossible for me to get through this test...and I wouldn't mind taking extra classes to sharpen the skills of four parking...parallel, angle, garage and hill...had never heard them before....That's not how it is in our India I thought....15 odd years of driving. ..down the drain...Two hours of continuous driving left me tired and hassled and I can't forget the pain in the arms I had for the next few days....Training for the day was over...Thank god!

Preliminary Assessment test

Once I was given the date for my preliminary assessment test, I was left clueless as to what that actually meant. Couldn't leave it to fate. Wondered yet again if I had done the right thing by opting for 20 driving classes, I even went back and asked if I could change them to 40 classes, at least I wouldn't have to go through nightmares of failing the test miserably.I surfed through Google, mister know it all but for once ever it failed to lead me to the right track. So I was left with no option but to pray to all the God's in my religion I could and seek their blessings. My hubby kept reassuring me that it's no big deal. Even IF I failed, in the worst scenario I would be asked to do 40 classes which I anyways wanted.
So I reached the center on the day of the test and submitted my learner licence. I was asked to wait as an internal assessment officer would call for me. My hands were cold with sweat and heart pounding with rapid palpitations. It was a harrowing time for me. Did everyone go through the same??? I wondered and wondered....Finally after a wait for 40 mins which seemed like eternity, the officer walked out and called for me. By the way, I did get a sneak peek into a friends car just to get the feel of the interiors so I wouldn't be looking for the right gadgets inside. So once she asked me to seat myself in the drivers seat, I performed the basic activities right....safety seat belt, seat adjustment and mirror adjustments. The instructor was very cooperative and helped me in the same, guiding at every step. She came across very positively and I took this opportunity to tell her that it was the first time for me in a left hand driven car and that I hadn't driven in the last one year. This hopefully would leave her with very little to judge. She asked me not to worry and that I would be only tested on my knowledge and that would help them to schedule my training from the desired stage. There are 5 training stages before once appears for the RTA road test. I fumbed with the ignition and with reversing the car and with acceleration and with everything possible. I was quite embarrassed but I am sure they have seen cases like mine before as the officer was quite relaxed at my ignorance and kept making notes. She took me for a couple of rounds of the yard and asked me to park. I heaved a sigh of relief!!! Phew!! Thank god it was over...She asked me to wait. I did...With bated breath. Then she called for me and told me that I had cleared Stage 1 and my training would start from Stage 2.....omg....I made it!!! Couldn't believe my luck....so it wasn't as bad as it seemed.....I had successfully passed my preliminary assessment test. ...so what if not with flying colours. ....

Towards the driver's seat....

So on successfully passing the online theory test, which reiterates the fact that now you are well versed with the rules of driving on Dubai roads, I was guided to the ladies coordinator Lulith for the next course of action. I have to say a few words about Lulith as she plays a special role in my journey towards getting my driving licence. She is a philipina, like the others in her community, a very pleasant and soft spoken girl, very patient and very efficient in her work. She was very forthcoming and always ready to help, whether you go to personally meet her or contact her over the phone. She was in charge of all female students and their activities till they finally received their licences. I went to her with my theory result and was asked when I would like to start my classes. Tuesday and Saturdays were the days that suited me best. I was looking forward to finally being on the drivers seat. Lulith asked me if I was okay with a Pakistani instructor and I was surprised at that question. Could I have an objection? I smiled and said...ofcourse, perfectly fine.So I was given the coordinates of my instructor Sitara. But before that I had to undergo a preliminary assessment test...to test my basic skills of driving.Tht sure got me nervous. And this test was only for students who were taking 20 driving classes. They were expected to know the basics and I had never driven a left hand driven car ever before. I didn't even know the various controls in the car. I was regretting my decision to proudly hand over the Indian driving licence and opting for 20 classes. It would have been better to hone my skills and practice as much as I could before I independently drive our car. But it was too late now. The harm was done and the preliminary test would  confirm my driving abilities or I must say disabilities....I knew I would fumble and fail miserably....didn't know what was in store....praying for some miracle to happen...do they???