I have always been fascinated by cars, right from my early childhood days in India. The way they looked, the sounds they made and the skill required to manoeuvre them in traffic. The first car I knew was my grand father's rackety 1934 Standard. I loved that old car, and have wonderful memories of a trip with my parents and grand parents to Cape Comerin, the Southern most tip of the country.
I would have learnt to drive much earlier had my father lived longer. Just when he was thinking of buying his first car, unfortunately he died suddenly at the age of 46. I was the only girl in the family, and my mother saw to it that I married right after my post graduation. My husband loved cars, talked about cars more than any thing else, but could afford only a Motor cycle. I travelled everywhere on it, but the two-wheeler was not my dream.
Then in the eighties, our family moved to Saudi Arabia. My husband joined a Saudi Government Company as an Engineer and I worked as a teacher in a prestigious American School. Finally, we had the money to buy a car.
My husband bought a used Toyota Cressida and treasured it. But me? I could only look helplessly and longingly at the steering wheel. In India, I couldn't drive, because we had no car. In Saudi Arabia, we had a car, but I was forbidden by Saudi law to drive it.
The reason is, in Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive the car. They are totally dependant on men for getting around. A school bus picked me up and dropped me off from work. Public transportation is very limited and women are not allowed to travel alone. I had to rely on my husband for everything.shopping, visiting friends, attending any function. This was subject to his changing mood. As you can imagine, my freedom of movement was very much restricted!:(
On the 5th of August 1998 when my family and I boarded the plane for Canada, my joy knew no bounds! I felt very happy and relieved and best of all.I was going to be able to drive!
The first thing my husband did after finding a job was to put me in a driving school.
I still remember my first day driving with the Instructor. My hands trembled as I clutched the steering wheel. But, I was determined to learn the skill to the best of my ability from the very first day. My Instructor was both strict and gentle. Whenever I went wrong, he made it a point to stop the car in a safe place and explain to me with a diagram how I should have handled the four-wheeler. I drove with him in Downtown St.John's where the roads go up and down. I could hear my heart beating faster, as I manoeuvred the car on the hills. I kept praying to God to enable me learn the skill well. Despite all my nerves, driving that car felt like flying through the air, free as a bird.
I have my driver's licence now, and my husband has bought a new car for me. I drive to my work place and it's great to feel independent!:)
Hope I didn't bore you and you all enjoyed reading about my passion for cars and my learning experience for driving.
