"Please turn left at the lights"

Congratulations are in order. Stephen and I are now proud owners of our Virginia drivers licences!! We have cleared the last big hurdle of the move... As ever, it was more time consuming than it need be, but we're getting used to standing in line...

We had been well warned about the queues at the DMV, so we got there for 7:30 in time for it opening at 8:00, and were in the queue for it forming outside at 7:45. Just as well it wasn't too nippy this morning! We got our numbers, and took a seat...it didn't take long for my number to be called and after a slight wobble about some of the reams of paperwork I was asked to bring, it was time for the vision test. Look into the machine and read the letters - easy! The lady on the counter looked really surprised when I told her I wanted to take the full test, not just apply for the learners permit...there was a lot of "are you SURE you want to take the FULL test today" - but I persisted! I mean, we were there now, we weren't coming back unless we had to!!

As my number was first, I was called first for everything. After waiting some more I was called over to take the knowledge test. Its a computerised multiple choice test in two parts. It started off with some tough questions...Is your name A) Kerry B) Amanda C) Betty D) Wilhemina... I was thankful to get that one correct!!!

The first part of the test is road signs - you need to get 100% in this to pass. If you don't pass then you have to wait 15 days before you can re-sit. You will be pleased to know that we both got the necessary 100% - no sweat! American roads signs are really, and I mean REALLY, literal!!!

The second part is road knowledge - you need 80% to pass this. We had been swatting up on "The Book" for a couple of days before, so we should be pretty hot on the answers. I was! I got 100% in mine. But it seems that Stephen was faring less well! He did seem to be sweating a lot when I left the testing booth, but I thought that was because he was wearing a jumper. No! It seems that by the time he got to Q14 he had got 4 wrong!!!! You need to get 20 out of the 25 questions correct to pass, so he was really panicking that he was going to screw it up and have to come back in a couple of weeks time!!! Thankfully he managed to turn it around, get his brain in gear and get some questions right!!

About 15 minutes after this (at about 9:45) I was a proud possessor of a drivers licence - without having taking the driving part of the test! If it hadn't been for the fact that I had to wait on Stephen I could have been out of there before the really nerve wracking bit! (What is it about the word "Test" that turns you into a wreck? I mean, I've been driving for 17 years, and even if I drove up the wrong side of the street blindfolded it would make me a better driver than most of the people on the road here!!) However, when he went up to get his photo taken for the licence they rumbled me, and I had to hand the licence back and wait for the examiner....and wait, and wait....we waited about 1 1/4 hours before he actually appeared to take me out!! He was a lovely chap, and after checking I knew where the wipers and indicators were - or working, or something - and after a mild panic on my part because I couldn't find the switch for the headlights at first (they're automatic - I don't need to know!!!), he got me to reverse out the space, drive once around the parking lot and head for the open road....

....well the back streets around the DMV anyway. I think I was out for about 5 minutes! A couple of left turns, a couple of right turns, change lane a few times, go through traffic lights, avoid the police car that had pulled someone over for speeding and back to the DMV to park. NO PARALLEL PARKING!! I had spent about an hour on Sunday practising parallel parking the enormous tank, and they didn't ask me to do it!!!

When I got back inside I was immediately accosted by someone asking what Gilbert was like as an examiner. He was there with his grand-daughter to take her first test. She looked absolutely sick with nerves!! I was able to reassure him that Gilbert was a good guy, it was an easy drive, there was no parallel parking..."No parallel parking? I made her practise that about 60 times yesterday"...so I was not the only person in Alexandria out making their neighbours nervous!!! We had a laugh about that (she still looked like she was going to hurl though!). Gilbert called Stephen at this point...and said "you can give this back to your wife" and handed over my new licence. Stephen did actually say "Did she pass?".... as if it was in doubt!! Anyway, the nice grandad and grand-daughter were giving me the thumbs up (from him), and a smile from her.

Stephen nearly missed the Stop sign on the way out of the DMV (my fault for not telling him it was there!) and practically had to do an emergency stop! But after Gilbert peeled his face of the windscreen, the rest of his drive passed without incident! So after more thumbs up from grandad we scarpered before they could decide we had to take it again!! I think it took about 4 hours from the time we got there...and that's a long time to sit there in a state of nerves! (I probably also looked like I was going to throw up at points! - but strangely I look relaxed and tanned in the photo - not strained and green!!)