Got my license!

Dont I sound like a 16 year old?

But, DUDE! I got my license! I can drive! In Korea! Whoa!

So, if you are a military spouse and want to drive in Korea, be it on Post or off post , you HAVE to have a special Unites States Armed Forces Korea (USAFK) drivers license. Jason has to have it, I have to have, my Korean friend Jen has to have it even though she has a Korean license. It's just the way it is.

So, Jen and I walked to Post today and took the driver's test. First you take a short 5 question pre-test. If you pass that, you can take the long 50 question test. (If you dont pass the pre-test, you cant go back again for another month I think). Thankfully, Jen and I both passed the pre-test and took the full version test. Yes, it is in English. And the driving laws are basically the same in Korea, but you needed to have certain distances and regulations memorized as well as being able to decipher a slew of Korean traffic signs. We both passed the full test (THANK GOD!) and were told to come back that afternoon for a safety video and vision test and then we could pick up our licenses.

Weee!

The 1 hour safety video? Was titled, "DRIVE TO SURVIVE". Hahaha! And that is the truth here. Yes, they have similiar traffic laws as the US, but Koreans do NOT obey them at all. Take red lights for example. You must always wait a few seconds after light turns green, because motorcycles, buses and many taxis often (more like always) run their red light. They don't care. And if a policeman were standing there, he wouldnt care either. It's survival of the fittest. And there is NO courtesy here. Dont let expect someone to let you out into traffic or let you over if you need to merge. They will NOT. So dont let someone else out either or the people behind you will become very upset. Very.

Thankfully, we live only 3 lights away from the gate to Post, so I dont have to do much Korea driving to get on base (the only destination I EVER plan on driving to).

This afternoon, Jason and the kids and I piled into the car with me in the drivers seat. I think I took about 25 minutes to go 1.5 miles, but I was being CAUTIOUS. It's a scary world out there and I wanted to be very careful on my first Korean driving experience. Jason told me he was scared for his life (seriously) because I was being such a paranoid driver. Whatever. I got us there in one peice.

So, I have now officially driven in Korea. The world is my oyster.