The Driving Fairy Tale - Epilogue

Driving was never her cup of tea. She was never comfortable with driving on the little island, the island with an excellent traffic system. Even though she would drive once in a while, she would rather be the passenger at any one time.

Moving out of the island to a neighbouring country was a joint and calculated decision by the couple. They wanted their children to embark on the German education, one that they could afford, and to open up an additional path for their future, in the event that they decided to return to Germany to further their education.

Already an uneasy driver on that little island, she had not expected herself to be driving the children to school on their first day, alone, in a country that is many more times bigger than the island she was raised, on the roads where drivers are known for their reckless and aggressive driving! Her husband's untimely and frequent business travel schedules had unknowingly trained and fine-tuned her driving skills and raised her road confidence tremendously, his hectic business lifestyle had forced her to grow up overnight. In a country where you couldn't live without a car, she fetched her sons to and fro school, brought them to the parks, shopping malls, wet markets, enrichment classes. By car. For full 5 years.

She became a champion driver. She sometimes even knew the better way to get to certain destinations than her husband. She was so confident, that she would swear at those drivers that never check their blind spots! She was openly grateful to her husband, though not without complaints.

Yet, when they moved to Germany, her driving confidence plummeted to zero. The switch from right- to left-hand drive was the biggest culprit. The foreign German road names did not help much either. Then there were the cyclists to watch out for. It took her a long time, even as a pedestrian, to get used to looking at the right side of the street before crossing it.

Thankfully, driving was no longer a necessity here. Public transport is as efficient as her little island, many places such as school, parks, convenient stores are within walking distance. But still, it is better to be able to drive independently.

Her husband had already gathered enough experience about his scaredy cat wife by then. He knew he had to push her out of her comfort zone, albeit risking getting bitten by her as a result. She, in the bottomest of heart, also quietly acknowledged that being pushed was the only most effective way to get her moving, even though she seriously detested it.

After 4 months in Germany and after her husband had left for yet again another business trip, had she summoned enough courage, picked up the car keys, took all her 4 children and drove them to a low-cost supermarket. On her own. Without her husband.

She had thought the driving would be a total nerve-wrecking process for her. Unexpectedly, she drove with ease, she drove with a confidence that she thought she never possessed. She didn't not break out into cold sweats. She did not have cold and clammy hands! She was one proud person when she hung the car keys back at home.

This, was after numerous driving practices with her husband. This, might be a small matter to others. But this, to her, is another remarkable milestone. 13 November 2010. One that will act as a catalyst in helping her settle down here.