Guus Bosman

Last Saturday I used my newly acquired driver's license and I rented a car.

When I made the reservation I asked for a compact -- a small model. At the rental office they said: "oh, we're out of the small cars, in fact this one here is the last available one we have".

So, one day after I got my license I drove a Jeep Grand Charokee Laredo. With its 3.7-liter V6 engine and 4x4 wheel drive, it was quite different than the car I did my driving lessons in.

I first drove around the block a few times, to get used to the controls and to the size of the car, and then I went to Court House to pick up Sasha.

I just arrived in Raleigh/Durham, the airport. There is an internet terminal I can use, very nice.


I planned to arrive here around 1 pm, but a cancelled flight and 2 delays made that I'm here now, around 7 pm. I'm on my way to pick up my bag and rent a car. I just bought a map of the area, let's se if I can find the hotel at once.

I have my license!

After a long morning at the DMV with the usual paperwork and long lines, I passed the road skills test easily and I am now the proud owner of a Virginia driver's license.

Just in time of course for my move to Durham. There is a mandatory waiting period of 30 days between getting a Learner's Permit and doing the road test, so yesterday I had 3 big events: my last day at work, the pick-up of our belongs by the moving company and getting my driver's license.

For many years I lived without a car.

I never held a driver's license, and actually never drove a car. This is surprising to many people, especially in the U.S., but ever since I was 18 I have lived in cities where public transport, walking and bicycling were enough to get around.

A few weeks ago I did a knowledge test at the DMV in Alexandria, and got my Learner's Permit. A Learner's Permit allows you to drive a car, as long as you have somebody next to you. The past few weeks I have been taken driving lessons. Driving with an automatic transmission is a lot easier than with a stick, which I learned when I was learning with my father.

When we went to the summer house I drove for a few hours in Rosa's car also (thanks Rosa!) and saved a fox and a groundhog's life by twice breaking on time. I drove a couple of times on the Beltway, the highway around Washington D.C.

I'm ready for the road skills test now.