Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

It was my first day at the driving school. Having enrolled in the half course, I’d be given 12 days, an hour each day to prepare myself for the actual series of driving tests. I got there ten minutes before 5pm, the schedule that I chose. I presented my card to one of the staff there, after which he signed it as confirmation that I came for my lessons. Then I was told to look for car no. 40, Sudan. So I went looking for it in the compound, where I found about 20 or more cars mostly parked. I headed to a car that had number 40 on it but was told by one of the instructors that it wasn’t the car that I was looking for. The guy helped me looked for the driver or instructor and found out that he was still attending to another student. So I had to go back to the office and was told to look for car no. 22. After having wasted about 15 minutes of my precious time, I finally got to number 22. It was then I realized that the number is not actually the car’s but of the driver/ instructor. So my instructor for today is number 22 but his car is number 62.

My instructor who’s from Sri Lanka took the driver’s seat. Then he drove along a path slowly. He was telling me something about shifting from first gear to second. After several rounds of driving along that path which is no more than 1 kilometer, he finally let me take the seat. I don’t know if this was a standard procedure or he just let me because I have the blue card, which by the way meant that I’m only taking the half course and which also meant that I somehow, know how to drive. So there I was, driving the same path over and over again. But I guess, my instructor got bored himself and told me to drive outside the compound. I started driving on the back streets of the driving school which was far better than just going round and round. After about 15-20 minutes we went back to the driving school grounds and called it a day. The instructor told me that it is ok if he’d be my instructor for the entire course but I’m having second thoughts. Not that I have any qualms about him, it’s just that his car is quite old compared to the cars that the other drivers have. I couldn’t even adjust the left side mirror. When I asked him why is that so, he said that only Qatari and Sudanese drivers get the newer ones. Unfair huh, but that’s how it is. So I’m thinking if I should pursue the Sudanese number 40 that was previously assigned to me. On second thought, I’m also thinking that getting used to an old car might work to my advantage, thinking that the car that I’ll be using during the driving tests will be as old or even older. Now, I’m torn! Well let see what happens. Today, I just felt that I should have gotten more out of my driving lessons but maybe it is too early to complain, after all it’s just my first day. I have to pass the driving test and that’s all that really matters.

For inquiries on Driving Lessons, call Gulf Driving Lessons: 465 2822, 465 3066.

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