learning to drive, again

i am on the road to getting my spanish driver's license and eventually a car! yesterday class was on the various signs and signals.

and while i'm going to have to unlearn the way we do things in the US, i am really excited about the possibility of DRIVING again. it's been two years since i last got into the driver's seat - the last time i was in the US. i cannot begin to tell you the joy!

and somehow every night since i paid my money and signed up at the driving school (which is mandatory here), i have had at least one strange dream about my driving test. in one i couldn't get the car to stop at the red lights, it just wouldn't slow down. and last night i don't fully remember, but i know it had to do with signs and signal lights - the same thing the class i went to last night was on.

and just to explain the whole thing a bit more to give you context... most spaniards spend 1000-1500 Euros, while i have friends that have spent more like 6000 Euros for their license. you have the written test, which is much more comprehensive than ours - including some basic first aid, mechanics, the million more rules they have about precedence of signal lights and signs (if they contradict each other, which one it is that you are to follow), etc., then you have the driving test which depends mainly on the examiner you get. but several americans i know failed their driving test several times, meaning they then had to pay for extra driving classes, which cost 25-30 euros a class. if you fail the driving test once (you have 1-2 tries, depending on if you pass the written the first or second time - you get 3 tries in total), you have to take 5 more driving tests. if you fail it again, 8 more. and if you fail it again, 15 more. and, while i find it hard to believe, i've heard some people say that the spanish driving test was harder than their bar exams.

but then i also know people who did just fine. as a friend said the other day, it seems there is more than just a bit of urban legend surrounding driving schools here. it is true that they are here to make money (they are not state run) and they do make quite a bit. God-willing, i will only spend 300 euros on mine. that is my goal.

and, yes, there are no loopholes. you can't just show them your US driver's license or pay the $5 for the international license. you can if you are just visiting as a tourist, but after you are a resident you have to do it the same way everyone else does.

so, hopefully in the next month i will take and pass my written exam and then move on to phase two, the driving test! God-willing, all of this will happen before i return to the US this summer (end of may).