Finally I’m in line for my learner’s driving license test in US. It has been four months since I put my foot in US and only now I was able to make it to the DMV. In last four months I moved once and had to change my address twice. I can argue that this address change was one reason behind me taking the driving test this late other than my good old lazy approach to anything which affects only ME!
I had driving manual printout ready for the learner’s written test from my second week in US, but it served as the number one sleep tablet. The moment I complete the ‘Contents’ page and look at the first sign-board picture, some one will pop up in ‘Gtalk’ or I will get a call or I will feel hungry / thirsty / Sleepy! Any ways I had spent enough time sleeping over that book to appear for the test.
About DMV and other public relations office in US, it is organized in much better fashion than we have anything done in our country. But the farther the patch, the greener it! If you ask a fellow American, they might surprise you with a different notion. Until I got to the line, I never knew that officials in a DMV always ask for so many documents. Luckily I had enough documents, which mean I was carrying from my birth certificate to the latest MCSE certification to be on the safe side. The certificate bunch included the extra curricular sheet with an A+ from my high school in TVM, just in case
When I reached the DMV by 8:00 am, there was already a long line and I stood about 43rd or 44rth person. At least 10 people in the row where sent back as they do not have sufficient documents to get their request done. I had to give my PP, emigration document, my bank statement, my utility bill, my SSN and document from my employer. Then there was the intelligent machine which will check my finger prints and identify if I am the real guy who I am posing to be which these documents are trying to prove. No there is no grammar mistake in the last sentence J
I got a coupon and a number from the information desk. What is this with numbers and long queues? They give number everywhere these days, from Jails to SSN offices, client offices to even in apartments. I am named as ‘Uncle in apartment 7114’ by the desi kids who play in our tennis court. (Information about numbers in jail is from watching too many jail movies these days and I am not an uncle by age (26) but kids feel otherwise :) )
After the number, the lady at the information counter tried to write down by name on the form before handing it to me. She got it wrong three times before she asked me to spell it letter by letter. I got my sheet which has to be filled on three sides. When I got it filled, my number was called at least three times. I had to do all calculation from my height in Cm to feet and Inches, my weight in KG to lbs and what not! By the time I reached the counter, the next number came in. I had to wait until my number was displayed again. Finally it appeared and I gave her the sheet. She also struggled to get my name typed in to the system. But she managed! Then she asked me to take the test from computer named 2. I went to the system, clicked on a button to start the test. First an agreement page was displayed which read that I should not carry any messaging device, no pencils or pen, I had everything with me! But I agreed and went ahead.
Then surprise bouncer came! There were two tests, the law test and the signal test. I had seen only the signal part in the driver manual (I slept off after the signal chapter, always!). I figured out that I was supposed to know the law part as well. I had glanced through only the signal part and left the law part in the driving manual. I took the law test first. I was allowed to have 5 answers wrong. As I got 5 wrong out of first 11, I had to apply my little brain and all the commonsense to pass the test.
The signal test was easy as 70% of people read signs better than languages. I informed my results at the desk and she gave me the number 933 and asked to wait. The part which I hate about this queue and numbering system is that I am one among unlucky species in this kind of systems. I mean the kind of the guy in Queue who always gets the ‘house full’ board on a theater just when I am next. Here also the same thing happened. After 932, the number 934 appeared. I was not surprised as I am so used to it that, some thing or the other will go wrong. In SSN office, the token system itself came down after they issued my token!
After a while when the display hit 940, I went to the counter and asked about token 932. Then only she realized that 932 was never called. Then the back tracking happened and I got to know that my paper was still with the test authorizing person and it never moved. From there own my name was called instead of the number. You have to see my snap in the license. The face has a message written all over it saying “WHY ME???”
I had to spend a good 3 and a half hour to get my learners driving license. I guess I had spent much less time back in my home town to get the driving license. Said good bye to the DMV and looking forward for another three hours when I go for the actual driving test!
I had driving manual printout ready for the learner’s written test from my second week in US, but it served as the number one sleep tablet. The moment I complete the ‘Contents’ page and look at the first sign-board picture, some one will pop up in ‘Gtalk’ or I will get a call or I will feel hungry / thirsty / Sleepy! Any ways I had spent enough time sleeping over that book to appear for the test.
About DMV and other public relations office in US, it is organized in much better fashion than we have anything done in our country. But the farther the patch, the greener it! If you ask a fellow American, they might surprise you with a different notion. Until I got to the line, I never knew that officials in a DMV always ask for so many documents. Luckily I had enough documents, which mean I was carrying from my birth certificate to the latest MCSE certification to be on the safe side. The certificate bunch included the extra curricular sheet with an A+ from my high school in TVM, just in case
When I reached the DMV by 8:00 am, there was already a long line and I stood about 43rd or 44rth person. At least 10 people in the row where sent back as they do not have sufficient documents to get their request done. I had to give my PP, emigration document, my bank statement, my utility bill, my SSN and document from my employer. Then there was the intelligent machine which will check my finger prints and identify if I am the real guy who I am posing to be which these documents are trying to prove. No there is no grammar mistake in the last sentence J
I got a coupon and a number from the information desk. What is this with numbers and long queues? They give number everywhere these days, from Jails to SSN offices, client offices to even in apartments. I am named as ‘Uncle in apartment 7114’ by the desi kids who play in our tennis court. (Information about numbers in jail is from watching too many jail movies these days and I am not an uncle by age (26) but kids feel otherwise :) )
After the number, the lady at the information counter tried to write down by name on the form before handing it to me. She got it wrong three times before she asked me to spell it letter by letter. I got my sheet which has to be filled on three sides. When I got it filled, my number was called at least three times. I had to do all calculation from my height in Cm to feet and Inches, my weight in KG to lbs and what not! By the time I reached the counter, the next number came in. I had to wait until my number was displayed again. Finally it appeared and I gave her the sheet. She also struggled to get my name typed in to the system. But she managed! Then she asked me to take the test from computer named 2. I went to the system, clicked on a button to start the test. First an agreement page was displayed which read that I should not carry any messaging device, no pencils or pen, I had everything with me! But I agreed and went ahead.
Then surprise bouncer came! There were two tests, the law test and the signal test. I had seen only the signal part in the driver manual (I slept off after the signal chapter, always!). I figured out that I was supposed to know the law part as well. I had glanced through only the signal part and left the law part in the driving manual. I took the law test first. I was allowed to have 5 answers wrong. As I got 5 wrong out of first 11, I had to apply my little brain and all the commonsense to pass the test.
The signal test was easy as 70% of people read signs better than languages. I informed my results at the desk and she gave me the number 933 and asked to wait. The part which I hate about this queue and numbering system is that I am one among unlucky species in this kind of systems. I mean the kind of the guy in Queue who always gets the ‘house full’ board on a theater just when I am next. Here also the same thing happened. After 932, the number 934 appeared. I was not surprised as I am so used to it that, some thing or the other will go wrong. In SSN office, the token system itself came down after they issued my token!
After a while when the display hit 940, I went to the counter and asked about token 932. Then only she realized that 932 was never called. Then the back tracking happened and I got to know that my paper was still with the test authorizing person and it never moved. From there own my name was called instead of the number. You have to see my snap in the license. The face has a message written all over it saying “WHY ME???”
I had to spend a good 3 and a half hour to get my learners driving license. I guess I had spent much less time back in my home town to get the driving license. Said good bye to the DMV and looking forward for another three hours when I go for the actual driving test!
The story went this way
5 comments:
Me too not critisizing.
hmm.. trying too hard to be funny. May be you can try adding one or two jokes at the end :P
# Sita ji,
Will try that in the next post :D
this morning i got up with a severe head-ache,but after switching on my comp,i jus came across ur blogpage and this posting of urs warded off my headache....it was hilarious...hahahahaha...hey,nor am i criticizing u...but it reallly was funny.. :D
Brrrr I am gonna go through the same process here in UK. It was a cakewalk getting the license in India (wink wink) here we actually have to burn the midnight oil to get the license.
And the irony is that it's much easier to drive here than in India. Go figure! :)
# Archana ji
DMV is a tough place to be ...at least it came to use to wade of ur headache :)
# GWBE
Thanks for the comment. Yes, in India, Driving license is pretty easy thing .....Hope u got ur hand to a UK Driving license ....
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