He's a licensed driver

Tuesday Akis and I headed out to Richmond. For anyone who has been out to Vancouver, you know that Richmond is like a section of Asia has been sliced and dropped into Canada. The signs are in Cantonese, the majority of the population is Asian and the driving there is HORRENDOUS. I'm not sure why, but Akis thought that this would be a good place to take his driving test.

We headed out to Richmond and I suggested that we head out early. It was a good thing we did, as the directions I took from the internet were to a location where you could renew your license, but not the place where you take your exam. So with 30 minutes until the test, and uncertainty whether or not they would let Akis take the test with just his Greek ID, we left the wrong location and headed for downtown Richmond. Encountering traffic, we arrived with 3 minutes to spare. Sending Akis in to pay the fee, I parked the car and came in. I darted to the washroom only to come out to find the examiner standing there with his clipboard and Akis waiting for the keys. The examiner cracked a joke about the fact that the wife always has everything in their purse, and they were off.

I sat and did the crossword, Suduko and waited for Akis to return. He returned 30 minutes after they left the building and I thought ~ shit this can't be good. As I peeked around the corner, I saw the examiner talking and talking with his hands, and I thought, shit, shit, this can't be good. After sitting in the car for 20 minutes, they finally emerged and entered the building. The statement from the examiner was 'sorry buddy, but I can't give that to you'. Then I thought ~ shit, shit, shit.

It was only when the examiner asked for the $31 that I realized that yes, Akis is now a licensed driver! So wahoo, my days of Carrie's taxi with the 6am drop off and 11pm pick up is now over. Akis is looking very forward to picking up his Greek license from the North Van office and finally being able to tell them that yes, he passed.