Driving License At Last

At last, I have got my driving license.

It took me two years and one month after I first step in to the driving school, 3 enrollments, 8 driving tests and substantial amount of money and time.

The 2 years includes a year of waiting for nothing as my immediate boss at that time promised to assist me to resolve my driving license. Hopeful that they will be able to pull some string to get me a license, I waited patiently. Unfortunately, after a year of waiting, I was told that it is not worth to give in to the demands of their contact, I was advised to enroll again and patiently pass the driving test. Their contact was asking for QAR10,000 grease money, as our Administration Manager put it, it is a Mafia business here.

Our Administration Manager promised me that he can help me if I can provide him a Philippine driving license. He will just convert it for me. But the problem is, I’ve been away too long from my motherland, how do you expect me to have a driving license back home.

I called my sister to look for me someone who can fix my license and I am willing to pay. She returned to me, that my father have contacted someone who can fix my license for PHP 10,000, however, it is not the original thing, it is from Recto. I declined, I cannot spend PHP 10,000 for something made in Recto.

Desperate, and had failed six times already, I tried to find someone who can help. Someone who know somebody inside the school and just pay it. But my wife is coming to join me in a few months and I need the license urgently. I end up enrolling again for the third time and paying QAR 2,300.

I thought I will pass on my seventh try, check what happened in my other post.

On my 8th try, my wife asked me to just relax. She must be right. I tend to be more focused and know what’s happening around me, I know my actions. I realized during my last seven tries, I was always nervous once I sat down on the driver’s seat with the traffic police on the passenger seat and at the end of the test I always wonder if I did it right, have I checked the mirrors? turn on the signal in every turn? did I put on my seat belt? and so on....

I nailed it this time, I can now drive my wife around and outside Doha. Hopefully that she will like it more here and decides to stay with me.

Upon hearing that I passed, our driver relayed it to our Administration Manager, “Sir, Mr. Lopez has got his driving license”. “What?, really?, are you sure? Oh come?, our Administration Manager responded with disbelief, as if I can never have a driving license, not in this lifetime….Make no mistake, our Administration Manager is a joker.

And so, I went later to see our Administration Manager.

“Good afternoon Mr. Gabriel, do you know why I came to see you?”

“Why?”

“Someone has promised to declare a holiday if I passed the driving test” referring to him.

He laughed and said “Well, you can go home now, it is your holiday you must celebrate”.

“But the most expensive driving license has no use if I have no car.”, I said.

“OK Mr. Lopez, I will give you a car and consider it done, just give me two days and some sweets later.” gesturing a treat and smiling.

“Having the most expensive driving license, I have nothing to buy sweets, unless you give me my salary now.”

“I can wait for a few days for the sweets. In the meantime, give me a copy of your license and we will announce to everyone that you have passed the driving test.” Mr. Gabriel said jokingly.

I went out of Mr. Gabriel's office hoping that I will have my car in two days. Only then, I can use my driving license.

Wondering what type of car he will give....guessing....

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First Time In Saudi Arabia (Part 2)

Curious and nervous I am ready to embark and discover what really lies within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

February 5, 2010, my journey to the infamous Kingdom of Saudi Arabia starts on a morning flight from Doha to Bahrain. Surprisingly, as the plane shuts its door, the cabin crew starts distributing boxes of light snack, or should I say breakfast. Inside were chicken sandwich, orange juice and slice fruits. Then everyone start opening the boxes and start consuming the contents.

Then I said to myself, “Aren’t we suppose to take off and reach the cruising altitude before we take these snacks?”

But before I knew it, the cabin crew is already collecting back the boxes as soon as the plane starts taxing to the runway. “What?”. I haven’t drunk my orange juice.

Like a choreographed dance, just in time the cabin crew finish collecting all the left-over, the plane is ready to take off.

Fifteen to twenty minutes upon reaching the cruising altitude of 23,000ft above sea level, I thought I can have a quick nap. But before I can recline my seat, the Captain announced that we are about to descend. Then the cabin crew starts checking everyone’s seats and windows for landing procedures. “Sir, please upright your seat”, said the crew. Obedient as a gentleman, I upright my seat. But whispering to myself “But I want to take a nap”.

We land at Bahrain safely and I realized that the flight just took forty minutes. Sooner than my wife’s night shower in a summer.

Checking on my ticket, I will be stopping-over at Bahrain for five long lonely hours. Though, there are places you can visit around in Bahrain airport, five hours is just too long to wait. My company said that this is only the flight they can get in order for me to catch up the start of our seminar / workshop on Saturday morning (February 6, 2010). To me it doesn’t serve the purpose of taking a plane at all. Doha to Riyadh by land would take you about six hours. Just before I board my plane from Bahrain to Riyadh, I could have reached Riyadh by then via land.

Good thing there are free internet access at the airport. Somehow I can kill the time without feeling the drag. I log-in to my facebook and wah-lah, I‘m chatting now with my wife. I also managed to get in touch to a friend back in Singapore who is now in Riyadh. At least I have arranged someone, and willing, to show me Riyadh around.

My friend asked me if I brought with me my lap top, external drives, flash drive or digital camera, anything where you can save files. He advised me to make sure that nothing “funny” inside these gadgets, otherwise I will land into trouble.

Good thing I left my laptop, not because there are “funny” things inside, but to be safe from all the troubles. With me are only a flash drive and a digital camera. I have nothing to worry on my flush drive. And to be 100% sure, I deleted everything in my digital camera.

One thing I noticed at Bahrain airport, which to me is peculiar amongst the airport I have been. They have there staffs walking around calling for passengers, shouting at restaurants and shopping entrances, “Riyadh”, “Doha”, “Beirut”, “Jeddah”, and so on. They even wake up people sleeping to tell that flight so and so is about to depart. Very annoying and irritating.

Checking on the flight information, we are to board at gate 13 in half-an-hour. Funny, we were told earlier to wait at gate 16. Me and my colleague rushed to gate 13, just in time the queue has started when we arrived.

The flight to Riyadh from Bahrain is about an hour, and so I thought I will quickly finish my snack this time to have time for a short nap. But I was wrong, the snack was served after take off. By the time we finished the snacks, we are already preparing for landing.

Naps are really elusive when you needed it most.

Excited and curious, I am about to see for myself what is it in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Only then I can tell, if what I’ve been hearing about are true or just a plain urban legends.

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