THE WEEKEND WARRIOR -
I don’t drive. Scooters and bikes, yes. But cars — I didn’t see the significance of it until the last three years. I came from a country where there’s plenty of options for public transport. It is also a country where a commute from AlKhuwair to Qurum will take you three hours because that’s how terrible the traffic can get even on off-peak hours in Manila.
Owning a car then and learning how to drive seemed illogical because when a massive accident happens on the road, one that seems to happen on a daily basis, you can’t leave your car in the middle of a busy highway so you would have to sit it through until you reach your destination, more than an hour late for a meeting.
I have friends who wake up at four in the morning so they won’t be late for their work that starts at 8 am. Imagine that, being on the road for nearly three hours in the morning and spending another three hours as you go home in the evening.
An officemate and I once calculated that if one is on the road for four or six hours every day sitting in traffic, in 30 years, one would have spent more than a year or more of your life commuting.
My patience for traffic is zilch and it’s one of the main reasons why I like Oman — the buildings are not so massively high and the traffic is manageable.
I’d been fortunate that in the last three years, I have friends to show me around Oman. The Oman Observer office is about 10 minutes where I live and with apps like Otaxi and Marhaba, I am able to move around without problem within Muscat. But the taxi fee has been getting expensive and fuelled by the fire that I want to have more freedom and control of my time to explore the country, I recently decided to take driving lessons.
I used to hear harrowing tales about taking driving lessons. I know one guy who has taken more than 15 driving tests and till now has not yet passed. He has been to several different teachers, always end up having a shouting match because of language difficulties amongst other things from cheating to just milking him for money.
When I met my teacher Hisham, a warm, kindly gentleman in his early 40s, I told him that I wanted to learn from scratch. He was happy to oblige and he did confirm that typical of any industry, there are people who do bad things.
My daily driving lessons are becoming an investigative process. I asked a hundred questions, which is typical of me, that I often wonder if I am exhausting him. I do see however that he was happy with the discussions.
I’m still in my few days taking the lessons. Creating a checklist of how I wanted it to be and what I hope to accomplish daily, I am working out with my teacher the things I wish to learn and master. I created my own programme and cross-checked it what he is teaching me. I am very studious and ambitious so I am quite challenged by how this will all turn out.
A colleague predicted that I am going to be a bad driver. I would like to prove otherwise.
I thought the experience would be scary but finding the right driving teacher is key to becoming a good driver. My first day is quite memorable. I thought I’m going to hit a barricade or drive the car to a gutter but nervousness seemed not my kind of thing when driving.
Which makes me wonder. Can you still remember your first time taking driving lessons? Was it as scary as others describe their experience to be or you’re just as jaded as I am with not an ounce of worry cause you know you have this thing in a bag?
Let me know what you think through my email. Would love to hear your feedback.
yru.weekend@gmail.com
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