Proud Holder of a California Driver License

California does not recognize foreign driver licenses - including Canadian ones. This means that to obtain a California driver license as a foreigner (or "alien" as they like to call us), one has to do both the written and driving tests. The pain.

R got his driver license a few weeks after we arrived. I waited until two days before my Ontario license expired. Although I've had a driver license for the past 12 years, I haven't driven much in my life. I actually did not need a driver license at all. I just needed a California ID! It was a little inconvenient to carry my passport everywhere.

I studied two weeks for the written test and I am forever grateful to know that "it is illegal in California to shoot firearms on the highway or at traffic signs". The Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) is just surreal. Where the heck do they find these people??? For a moment, I thought I was in The Simpson's faced with too many Pattys and Selmas.

Once I passed the written test, I signed up for professional driving lessons. Do not laugh. Practice makes perfect! And here I am, proud holder of a California Driver License.