Driver License & Stuff

I am now the proud holder of a brand new Californian Driving License.

Its actually an interim driving licence, a piece of paper with my name on it that allows me to drive until the real one turns up in the post.

Why did I need a new license? (no - I've not been drunk driving!)

Annoyingly my Swedish/Brittish license was not recognised by the state of California so I had to first take the written exam, and then a 'behind the wheel test'.

Great.

Swedish License

Any fellow Swede reading this blog will remember just how much work goes into getting a driving license in Sweden. I still have nightmares about preparing for the written exam, remembering how to change a tyre and checking the oil, parallel parking, oh god the parrallel parking, reversing the car around street corners without hitting the curb, and not to mention the moose manoeuvre and slippery road course! But worst of all is the half an hour to 45 minute test drive with a moody inspector.

Californian License

Turns out that in California all you need to do is pass a really easy written test. If you somehow manage to fail it, you can simply go to the back of the queue and retake it. As soon as you have your written test in the bag (and you also hold a foreign driving license), you get a temporary license which allows you to drive in California for three months. The temporary license can be renewed, so I did, twice.

Behind the Wheel Test

Then eventually you have to take a 'behind the wheel test'. My test consisted of showing how the indicators work, how to turn on the lights of the car, being able to reverse the car in a straight line and driving around the block. In my case I had to drive twice around the block because the instructor forgot to tell me to turn back into the parking lot!

All they seem look for is whether you stop at stop signs and red lights, indicate before changing lanes or turning, check your blind spot before turning and don't hit any other traffic or pedestrians. They didn't even ask me to go on the motorway.

With so little preparations for the driving test there's no wonder there are so many bad and dangerous drivers on the road here in California. Its a little scary to think about but right now I'm also quite happy that I passed my test on my first attempt!

Crackheads and Automatic Cars

tee heee

One week into American Living and I can only conclude that San Franciscans really are a friendly bunch and they love to chat.

The Elevator Chat

We live on the eight floor, and from stepping into the elevator to reaching the lobby floor, a short journey of no more than a minute, most of our neighbours have already introduced themselves, shook my hand and asked some polite questions about where my accent is from.

If the same thing would have happened in London, my natural reaction would have been to check all my pockets to see if I had been mugged and reply in one word sentences whilst starring down into the floor to avoid confrontation.

Here, I find myself happily shaking their hand and exchanging polite conversation. I can almost see our London friends shaking their heads and shouting 'told you so' as they're reading this - and I do realise its a slippery slope from this sort of behaviour to full on high fiving and picking up an american twang & expressions and I promise to tread carefully from here on :-)

The Corner Shop Weirdos

A couple of steps outside our building, on Market Street, things are a little different. People like chatting there too, but you often find that they are in actual fact asking you for money or worse, talking to themselves or some made up person. I've never seen so many crackheads and lost souls in my life. Going to the corner store is a bit like visiting an mental facility,  with equal numbers of staff and patients although you can't be sure who's who until they start having an argument with themselves.

Needless to say, we're not loving this area as its rather dodgy and we've already started looking for flats in the Marina, Cow Hollow and even Hayes Valley. There's not much on the market though, so it will probably take a while.

Alfie on Ocean Beach

In other News

I've had a driving licence since I was eighteen, but apart from a couple of driving lessons this summer in London I haven't really had much reason to drive in the last ten years or so. 

So this weekend I had a crash course in driving American cars with Jelte and today Alfie and I set off on our first trip to the beach on our own, a 20 minute drive from here. And I'm proud to say we made it back safe and sound. Driving an automatic is really like driving bumper cars though, but if I'm honest - I much prefer it now that I've tried it!