Less than two year after we bought our SUV, I finally take it for a ride around Kuala Lumpur myself today. What a joyful ride.
I got my Indonesian driving license in December 2008, after a few weeks of driving instruction in Aceh, Indonesia. I did not have to go through any kind of tests because my intention was to get as fast as possible the little piece of card that allows me to cruise the street legally. Getting a driver’s license without having to pass knowledge and practical tests by the road authority (the Indonesian police) is a common practice in Indonesia, popularly known as “SIM tembak“. Most people loved to take this super express service, including bus drivers.
In my case, I bypassed the tests which were supposed to be the driving school’s responsibilities; yet there was never any examination to assess the students’ driving skills. The driving instruction, as the school principal said, was emphasized on the basic skills: how to hold the steering wheel correctly, change gear, start the car, alternate between accelerator and brake, how to not to be afraid of cars coming from other direction and stuff like that. We learned driving using a very old Kijang van with manual transmission. The van belonged to our instructor and was not built specifically for driving instruction purpose.
Fast forward to January 2010, when I took a driving instruction in Australia. I drove an automatic transmission car which was specially designed for teaching purpose: it had two brakes for the driver and the instructor. Here the instructor taught me how to be a safe driver and not only how to drive. She made sure I understood that driving required certain attitudes and safe driving should be made a habit.
I began to fully understand why Indonesian drivers are notorious for their driving attitudes. There seems to be no rule on the streets in Indonesia. The rule is literally made to be broken and road users gleefully do it over and over for reasons range from ignorance to simply stupid. It is a common sight at any pedestrian crossings in Jakarta where a car sped to pass the crossings as soon as the driver spot someone wanted to cross the street, or the cars would horn impatiently — perhaps to let the pedestrians know that they had advantage over the one who did not have a car.
Anyway, everywhere around the world we will encounter reckless drivers, drunk drivers, speed demons etc, who endanger their own lives and others’ through their way of driving. Nonetheless for me, what matters is whether I want to save my own and other road users’ lives through safe driving. The others’ road attitudes are not my problem.
Being able to drive gives me a total independence from fear, other people and boosts my self-confidence as well. I feel I have certain control over my decision and the time. My parent does not know how to drive. My father is one of the kind who believes that he would forever have a driver to take him elsewhere. Which unfortunately does not happen. Somehow I believe that he fears driving. And my mother does not think that a woman should be able to drive. My parent never encouraged their children to learn to drive when they reach eligible age limit to drive. As of today, I still don’t understand the reason, but this was always a source of deep regret because I felt like being confined in a small bubble and had to rely on others for my movement.
Now I don’t need my parent to decide what is good for me simply because they are not God. I have grown to be a smart woman who wants to live life to the fullest. One particular circumstance has forced me to learn to drive: We live in a condominium on top of a hill in the suburb of Kuala Lumpur where the nearest public facilities are beyond the walking distance. No public transport available from the condominium compound to the nearby restaurant or market. Thankfully, my husband fully supports my efforts for self empowerment: he took over the Aceh driving school’s responsibility and taught me how to drive properly in our own parking basement. It was tough at first, because I realized I did not learn much from the Indonesian driving school and could not overcome my fear, but it worth the effort.
After touring the city and elsewhere for about 3 hours today, I treat myself sushi at the biggest shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. It is followed by another 3.5 hours of shopping spree.
It is a solemn celebration to my courage and determination to take a small step ahead towards independence. year
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