Thursday, January 18, 2007

Driving in Bahrain

Today is the 10th anniversary of my driving lisence. I have officially been a driver for the last 10 years today. I've driven far and near. I wonder if there was a way we could calculate how many kilometers we've driven for all these years. Besides the car that is!

Driving in Bahrain is always exciting, your adrenaline levels can never settle down. You either have a Saudi zigzagging all over the lanes in front of you or a Qatari driver flashing his full beams for you (slow coach) to move as he is getting ready to fly.

It was 18th January 1997, when my mom took me to my 4th Driving Test, (yes 4th- don't laugh- nothing gets done without a Was6a), and I passed!

It was kind of freaky to be driving a manual, I don't understand why the Traffic Directorate wants to take us through that torture?!! They want you to go up a hill inside the driving school, then they want you to parallel park, then they ask you to signal 3,000 times while you are on the same lane (@#$%) why?

Hardly anybody drives a manual in Bahrain. We all get automatics in the end. I couldn't drive a manual if my life depended on it now. It was 10 years ago, and I wouldn't be able to balance the clutch and the gas pads today!!

The nicest thing about this experience was that when I did pass, my mom cried! That is a big deal, she hugged me really tight and was so happy for me that she actually had tears in her eyes. If you guys knew my mom, you wouldn't expect her to cry when I passed a driving test, but she did, and it was really sweet.

Love you momsie,

Driving in Bahrain has never been more exciting, we have niqab-wearing women driving alongside us now, thanks to the previous honorable chamber of deputies, one of their main achievements was granting women who cover their face, save their eyes, the right to drive on our roads! Oh, it makes me feel very safe!!! not!


Love,
SoulSearch

5 comments:

Gardens of Sand said...

When I come back home, the first week is always scary for me. I have to get used to the driving in Bahrain. The drive from the airport is definately the scariest: I think to myself, I flew 24 hrs, over 7000miles only to die in a car crash...lol so far I have made it el 7imdallah. By the way, I passed the test the first time, no was6a needed so huh! I was so excited I left w/o my katcha and had to drive myself later to get it!

SoulSearch said...

Thanks Gardens of Sand. Can't wait to see you in September.

Love,
SoulSearch

Ms. Noor said...
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SoulSearch said...
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SoulSearch said...
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