Driving…

Driving a car is quite an interesting experience… especially if you still don’t have your license. I’m currently in the process of getting mine, but I’ll come back to this later. First, I’d like to take a little detour. You know what it’s like when somebody says you can’t do that, it’s not allowed – you instantly get this uncontrollable urge to just do it, or at least try it. Here, in Bulgaria, riding the bus without a ticket is a common practice and thus resulting in a constant look-out for the suspicious looking agents of the public transportation, also known as the inspectors. Some do it because they lack the money, some think it’s not worth the money, but others just like the thrill and turn the boring ride into an adventure. Same thing goes for drinking. I recently turned eighteen and now can legally drink alcohol, but I’m telling you – it’s just not the same. Oh, I miss the good old times that I had to sneak into the clubs, find someone to order me a beer, or try to get my hands on an ID of someone who is of age.
Anyway, back to the driving. The first time I got behind the wheel of a car was back in 2001, the summer before beginning fourth grade, when I was almost 11 years old. My father took me and my older brother to our grandparents, and then way out of the small town where traffic was extremely rare. We learned the basics and with time we got better, we had a route around the town, we changed cars, and later on we even got to drive within the town, always accompanied and guided by our father, of course. However, as everyone knows, when you do something illegal, you’re just bound to get caught. Whether you go for a free ride on the bus, be young and careless enough to get drunk, or drive without a license, it all ends the same. Luckily, having a well known and quite influential family in a small town where everybody is familiar with each other helps a lot… this took care of a potential “bump on the road”, so to speak. So, as I got to be of age it was time to get myself the license to drive… I mean, officially.
Long story short, I know a guy who knows another guy whose cousin used to live in the same already well known small town and now happens to be a driving instructor in Sofia. He acknowledged my ability to drive, picked me up and dropped me back at home each and every one of the few times we drove together, and, most importantly, he dealt with all the paperwork… he’s a great dude, indeed. All that is left for me now is to study a bit for the theoretical exam and, as he said, “it’s already settled, so just come on time for the practical exam”, both of which are coming soon.
Well, it was fun, but being able to legally drive is one of those things I anxiously look forward to. But of course, there’s a problem… I don’t have a car…