I passed!!!

Yesterday morning at 11 o'clock I took my driving exam. After a nearly ugly incident with the first pedestrian I came across, everything went really well, and at 1 in the afternoon, my fantastic teacher, Miguel Angel called me to say that I passed. Whew. And I didn't even have to park the darn car!

While I am happy and proud of passing, I realized once again that the true achievement here was pyschological. Jose and I were riding in the car yesterday (no, I wasn't driving, I have to wait a couple of weeks to receive my license in the mail), and I commented on how anticlimactic it feels. But then he reminded me how I felt before signing up for the school back in January. I remember how overwhelmed I felt by the process, the time, the money and the language and I really wondered if I could do it. It wasn't done quickly, but the whole process makes me feel even more capable of living here and more like I belong. And that I feel really proud of.

Totals:

Time: from 27 January to 24 April
Theory:
studying in the school: 14 hours in February, 13 hours in March, and approximately 6 hours at home (although it was probably more).
Driving classes: 12 classes at 45 minutes each: 9 hours.
Total: 42 hours

Money:
€180 sign up fee
€85 taxes
€42 medical form
€286 driving classes (12 classes + exam)
Total: €593

Hopefully, I don't have to pay any more money for the processing of the actual card, but since this is Spain, who knows. I'll let you know!