Feeling 16 Again

-
Friday last week I took my driver's test. It really wasn't as bad as I thought and I have had an American driver's license for 8 years, so I felt quite prepared. I felt extra prepared since in the previous months my husband would criticize my driving until I fully understood the Norwegian driving rules -particularly the roundabouts and yielding from the right traffic rules. Of course paying for a few driver's lessons were an extra help as the instructor pointed out my strong and weak points when driving and told me everything they look for on the test. :-)

Even though the whole driver's test cost roughly $731 total - including the driver's lessons I paid for, it was still MUCH MUCH cheaper than it would have been if I had waited to take it. Plus, had I waited I would have had more tests to take such as driving theory and "glattkjører" or slick driving. I think it should be STRONGLY encouraged for new coming Americans in Norway to take their driver's test within the first year of living here. It's cheaper and you'd make it easier on yourself by only taking the actual driver's test.


I posted last fall about learning to drive a manual, but that never happened for me for 2 reasons.

 1) I struggled with it. Terribly. Something must seriously be wrong with my capability to multitask. It just never happened.

2) We had to buy a new car - a station wagon. In Norway probably the most popular car type you see is a station wagon. Babies here require a lot of stuff! I call our stroller "the baby tank" because Norwegian strollers are so much bigger than American ones. My husband and I tested trying to put a friend's stroller in the trunk of our old car and only half the stroller would fit. We decided considering our daughter needed a car seat and a stroller, we wouldn't have room for both in the car. So, we bought a new one. If you're an American car shopping and a Norwegian who realized after spending time in the U.S. he *LOVES* automatic transmission, then that answer to the car shopping problem is easily solved. :-) 

Anyways, it's over now! I have my license! *Major sigh of relief* 

Comments

kp said…
can i ask what your teacher told you that they look for? taking my test this week and trying to prepare myself. i know the rules of the road and all that, just need to try not to fall back on old habits i've picked up over the years.
October 27, 2013 at 11:44 PM
Evelyn Sand said…
Sure I can try to help you out all I can! My driving instructor told me the main things they look for during the test are your speed, knowledge of road signs, courtesy to pedestrians, correct yielding, checking your mirrors and most importantly, making the instructor sitting next to you feel comfortable. :-) I hope I didn't answer your question too late!!! Good luck on your test!!!
October 31, 2013 at 12:43 PM
Vic E said…
I was told I had to get my license within the first 6 months when I did mine, I showed up here a bit before you did I think, Feb of '12, but it was a piece of cake really so I was glad I got it out of the way so early. I took two driving courses, and actually the driving school pushed a third one on me right before I took the test, just so they could make some extra money I think, I was doing pretty good already. But yeah, the guy who administered the test was a very elderly fellow, about 65 years old or so, didn't speak very good English, so it was a lot of pointing and noises from both of us. :D The only thing I got marked down on was when I pulled out of a side road I apparently accelerated too fast for their liking. They reason they say it was a mark is that the person who was just pulling up to leave a grocery store just down the road didn't have a chance to get out before I went by. It was a priority road, and the guy was not leaving a street but a grocery store, I have all the right of ways and really did nothing wrong. I think it was just something he used so he could at least put something down on the testing paper or else mine would have been perfect! :D
November 30, 2013 at 12:57 AM
Vic E said…
One thing I feel it is important to add to this post for everyone's knowledge... Your American driver's license is still valid even though Statens Vegvesen probably will keep it when you get your Norwegian one. So the next time you go home to visit be sure to get another license at the local DMV, just file as lost and they will get you a new one. I renewed my American one last summer and now I have my Alaskan and my Norwegian license. It might not really be that big of a deal, but I find it easier to use my American ID when I use my American credit cards as I travel around Europe and back home in summertime.
November 30, 2013 at 1:08 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Expat Life

-
I've finally begun reading a book that has been in my reading list for a few years now; Norwegian By Night by Derek B. Miller. The author is actually an American man from Boston living in Oslo. Although it's a thriller, the expatriation of the main character is relatable. Sheldon Horowitz, a Marine, relocates to Oslo with his granddaughter, an American married to a Norwegian man. One particular quote, or paragraph rather, stood out to me, "Lars, being Lars, was overjoyed and encouraging and optimistic about her ability to adapt and join the pod. Norwegians, true to their nature, prefer to spawn in their own waters. Consequently Oslo is peopled by Norwegians married to a shadow population of displaced souls who all carry the look of tourists being led like children through the House of Wax." According to Wikipedia  16.8% of Norway's population is made up of immigrants. Granted this number also includes children born to immigrants regardless of being born in Norwa...
Read more

The Dyne

-
Image
Separate dyne!  On beds a dyne (duvet) is used and you purchase covers in many prints and different types of fabrics. These are a pain in the butt to put over the duvet, but we manage. Many people have a duvet for summer months and a duvet for winter months. Oh, and the most common thing is for each person to have their own duvet. Moving to Norway as a newlywed, I wanted to have one duvet that we shared on our bed thinking it would be extra cozy and we'd cuddle more. Newlyweds are hilariously idealistic though! This lasted only a few months before we surrendered with white flags in the war zone that was our sleeping quarters. Turns out, I'm quite territorial over the duvet. I hear a lot of women are like this. I freeze easier than my husband so I was often less comfortable than I wanted to be and he's a night owl who goes to bed later than I do which means every time he lifted the duvet, a gush of cold air would follow him waking me. We gave up with our idealism o...
Read more

Froot Loops

-
Image
Froot Loops! Who'd have thought so many Americans would be joyously celebrating Froot Loops' arrival to Norway like it's 1972? Yet here we are. Froot Loops have arrived in Norway. Our bland, unvaried  cereal aisle has become  slightly  more colorful. I say slightly because, well, the Froot Loops that have now ascended from cereal heaven to Norway are lacking some color. You know, artificial color! That good ole unhealthy stuff us Americans are so accustomed to eating. When I poured my first bowl of these Froot Loops, my first thought was  it looks like a comparison picture of how someone with colorblindness views Froot Loops.  My eldest daughter on the other hand exclaimed, "WOW! SO COLORFUL!" Same taste, just lacking some pigment. As it turns out, there are some ingredients which are allowed by the FDA, but are not allowed in foods in Europe.  Food dyes are one of those things, but if a product has certain dyes in it, they must have a warning la...
Read more