I’ve been living in Tunisia since the end of September 2002, ever since then I never drove a car. The reason is that my husband’s car is normal gear, and although I’ve passed my driving test in normal gear, yet I never drove but cars with automatic gears. When I came to Tunisia, I was still adapting to my new life, and didn’t know the streets and the driving rules in the country. So I decided to give myself a couple of months to get more familiar with the new country. A while later my husband and I decided he’d take me driving -in relatively empty places- every now and then till I can be ready to drive in normal gear again. The disaster was when I went with him the first time and I couldn’t even manage driving 1 km long, lol, that was so embarrassing. Anyway, we decided to forget about the idea and turn to a driving school to get some lessons to remind me of driving normal gear.
The problem is, in the start of our marriage, things weren’t as easy as they’re now. New life, more responsibilities, and only my husband worked. A driving school was not our 1st priority at that level. After taking the first step into improving our life from all aspects, which is moving into a smaller apartment, everything seemed to get really better, thank God for that of course.
Anyway, one day, a short while after we moved to the new home, my husband asked me to give it one last try and somehow I managed to follow my husband’s instructions correctly and was able to drive better than the first try!! So he took me driving for short distances around our new neighborhood, whenever we had the time. But I wasn’t still ready for driving in crowded places or in highways. A driving school became a priority but I always got back really tired from work, and had enough things to do, and although I looked for driving schools online, and found close ones, but I never made an appointment.
And last Sunday, August 1st, I was fed up being afraid of driving, we were going shopping for stuff for our home, I looked at my husband, and was like: “ok, enough is enough, it’s about time I move forward and drive, so I’ll drive us to Carrefour today”, my husband was shocked, yet happy, but as soon as we reached the car downstairs I was like: “well, maybe not today” 😛 but he was like: “oh no you don’t, you’re driving us today and NOW”.
I drove there, with my hands shaking, my face as red as the Tunisian flags on the sides of the roads, feeling so damn tensed and scared to run over someone or hit another car. Anyway, it went well, except for my dear husband having the worst time of his life 😛 To make it even worse for himself, he encouraged me to drive back home as well, and I did. The next day he took me driving in “Les Berges du Lac” where I work, around 10-15 minutes from home. I drove there in the morning, then in the evening, and the day after it he actually took me driving from home to “Les Berges du Lac” further to “Le Kram”, the 2nd most crowded place after downtown Tunis, I drove then to my beloved Carthage then continued to “Sidi Bou Said”, where we stopped for some tea (he parked the car though :P) then I drove from “Sidi Bou Said” to home, passing by “La Marsa” where my in-laws live 🙂 and kept driving through the highway till we reached our home sweet home 🙂 So I can announce now, that AquaCool can officially drive in the crazy streets of Tunisia since last week, and God knows how HAPPY I AM for this achievement. And well, just in case you think I’m a loser for being afraid of driving in Tunisia, you’d better take a look at the REASONS .
Anyway, I have to first thank my great husband for tolerating my driving, having the patience to teach me how to deal with normal gear and how to drive safely, and for supporting me all the time, and thank all members of my family, who kept on encouraging me to adapt to my new life and drive as soon as possible.
Yippieeeeeeeeee… I made it 😀