My Philippina's Driving Lessons.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

She has her learner's permit. She can four-wheel drive in the woods on all kinds of machines but town is vastly different, and far more dangerous.

It may not be a big surprise, but before we left the property I had one condition: when I say "slow down", you take your foot off the gas, you put it on the brake. I don't care if you agree. You are wrong. Do it immediately. She cooperated, and practiced. Overcoming sheer stubborness.

Town was crazy traffic today, but we had Kim Chee withdrawal. Made a run to get the Korean powder and fish oil to make a batch & get other supplies. All the churches had let out and people went shopping. In a bad spot I said "slow down". And incredibly, some idiot in oncoming traffic turned right across heavy moving traffic and the only reason why we could stop in time was because someone slowed down. I mean it was screaching tires for all of us, with the guy on our right too. It could have been really bad.

So she's downstairs making Kim Chee instead of pulling glass out of her forehead.

Have her drive though Anchorage during Rush hour traffic at around 5-5:30. Start at Dimond Center and work your way towards Eagle River. Do this for a week or two while going through downtown and guaranteed she will learn quick like.

[gretchen_darren 67]

In no way was I saying that I have no common sense. In fact I would say that I have an abundance. Which you would most definitely need to do any kind of IT and Network admin work. I just happened to be attracted to someone with a like mind. I wasn't after marrying a child. What I wanted was an equal to share my life with. My shortfalls would be over analysation and attentiveness to situations that border on an OCD. However this makes me extremely organized and helps me to reach logical conclusions to things that would escape some people.

So when I say that in many ways I believe she is over all better and more intelligent person than I am ...... What I am saying is that she is a great and smart woman and I don't foresee any problems with her accomplishing something as simple as driving, and doing it much better than the thousands of teenagers we license every year.

Great you are in IT... I've been in IT since they used punch cards and paper tape...(made wreaths for Christmas from punch cards and used those paper edges from form feed to put down in gardens to keep the weeds down.)

I guess the humor was missed...."marrying up" in the old, old days meant marrying ABOVE your "station" in life. (see O. Henry "Gift of the Magi" w/Marie Osmond) I meant it as finding someone who is better then you who can help improve you. Just goes to show sometimes a post meant in humor can be lost in translation.....

Iron sharpens iron....so also a great woman makes a good man. Behind every great man is an even greater woman....I am an "old-fashioned, traditional" kind of guy. I don't mind how you run your household. Just don't ask me to agree with or to like it.

[Dan and Judy 614]

Maybe I'm just being naive, but I really don't see this problem with Love. She's incredibly smart and attentive. Also, I am super meticulous and detailed in my explanations and am extremely patient in anything I am trying to explain to her. Driving in the US is more about following rules than anything else. If you hold to the rules all is fine. Obey the law, obey distances, obey precautions and know action and reaction (AKA Defensive Driving Protocol). She has tons of common sense and in many ways I believe she is an over all better and more intelligent person than I am. I have been driving since I was 13 and my only problems were in my hot headed teenage years. She's a grown woman, I know she's got this in the bag.

sounds like you managed to "marry up" and find someone better then you..... congrats. Hopefully, she will keep on tolerating your "shortfalls" while helping you to know when to "come out of the rain" common sense. Glad she has done so well....

In no way was I saying that I have no common sense. In fact I would say that I have an abundance. Which you would most definitely need to do any kind of IT and Network admin work. I just happened to be attracted to someone with a like mind. I wasn't after marrying a child. What I wanted was an equal to share my life with. My shortfalls would be over analysation and attentiveness to situations that border on an OCD. However this makes me extremely organized and helps me to reach logical conclusions to things that would escape some people.

So when I say that in many ways I believe she is over all better and more intelligent person than I am ...... What I am saying is that she is a great and smart woman and I don't foresee any problems with her accomplishing something as simple as driving, and doing it much better than the thousands of teenagers we license every year.

Great you are in IT... I've been in IT since they used punch cards and paper tape...(made wreaths for Christmas from punch cards and used those paper edges from form feed to put down in gardens to keep the weeds down.)

I guess the humor was missed...."marrying up" in the old, old days meant marrying ABOVE your "station" in life. (see O. Henry "Gift of the Magi" w/Marie Osmond) I meant it as finding someone who is better then you who can help improve you. Just goes to show sometimes a post meant in humor can be lost in translation.....

Iron sharpens iron....so also a great woman makes a good man. Behind every great man is an even greater woman....I am an "old-fashioned, traditional" kind of guy. I don't mind how you run your household. Just don't ask me to agree with or to like it.

Big Bang Theory?

[Caryh 5,206]

My way of thinking too. I didn't have any issue with my wife. As a matter of fact, it is kind of fun teaching her how to drive. The way she asks me questions about rules and things like that. So far she is doing great. We already scheduled her driven test

It is a away to get to know each other in another level. Since both need to be in the same peaceful and relax state of mind.

I really don't why some people make a big deal out of it. I just don't get it.

There were things the driving instructor told my wife, that I had told her before to. Thing is, she listened to the driving instructor . Could be the instructor has a better way of saying it. He told her stop means stop all the time. I told her if she didn't come to a complete stop at stop signs, she wouldn't pass the test or eventually get a ticket. Some how, Stop Means Stop, worked better, as she now comes to a complete stop all the time. The rolling stop was a habit she picked in driving in the Philippines. Other things I told her she got down very well, and she surprised the instructor. Like which direction to turn the wheels when you park on a hill. I hired an instructor for multiple reasons, a big one is he's up on what they're checking for on the test. Been too many years since I took it. He gave her very good instructions on how to parallel park. I just do it, he's used to teaching people how. His instructions are very simple and she parallel parks with ease now. Also I have a big full size SUV, which keeps her foot in the air while her foot's on the gas. The driving school has Honda Civics, a newer model of the car she drove back home. What a better way to learn the rules of the road here than driving something that is much closer to what you used to drive? He also noticed bad habits in her driving that I had failed to notice and has her correcting them. Maybe I road with her too much in the Philippines. And another big one. The driving school schedules the appointment for you. They have appointments set up just waiting for someone to use. Those slots are months sooner than I could get if I called in for an appointment for her. All in all I expect she'll be a better driver and licensed sooner than if I had done all the instruction.

[duriantaste 44]

There were things the driving instructor told my wife, that I had told her before to. Thing is, she listened to the driving instructor . Could be the instructor has a better way of saying it. He told her stop means stop all the time. I told her if she didn't come to a complete stop at stop signs, she wouldn't pass the test or eventually get a ticket. Some how, Stop Means Stop, worked better, as she now comes to a complete stop all the time. The rolling stop was a habit she picked in driving in the Philippines. Other things I told her she got down very well, and she surprised the instructor. Like which direction to turn the wheels when you park on a hill. I hired an instructor for multiple reasons, a big one is he's up on what they're checking for on the test. Been too many years since I took it. He gave her very good instructions on how to parallel park. I just do it, he's used to teaching people how. His instructions are very simple and she parallel parks with ease now. Also I have a big full size SUV, which keeps her foot in the air while her foot's on the gas. The driving school has Honda Civics, a newer model of the car she drove back home. What a better way to learn the rules of the road here than driving something that is much closer to what you used to drive? He also noticed bad habits in her driving that I had failed to notice and has her correcting them. Maybe I road with her too much in the Philippines. And another big one. The driving school schedules the appointment for you. They have appointments set up just waiting for someone to use. Those slots are months sooner than I could get if I called in for an appointment for her. All in all I expect she'll be a better driver and licensed sooner than if I had done all the instruction.

We will see. We did everything on our own. Let see how it goes after her driven test. It is scheduled for late May. I will post her result. We opt not not hire an instructor because we believe it is not such a complicated task for a couple to complete successfully .

[abner137 48]

LOL...yuh... that's the funniest topic I've seen so far....XD

I can't wait....lots of state land driving to start...the funniest thing is my fiance doesn't want to learn....she wants to ride a motorcycle...IN MICHIGAN!

emmm... for a few months at best..

We'll keep you posted.

Thanks for keeping it light...

[Caryh 5,206]

LOL...yuh... that's the funniest topic I've seen so far....XD

I can't wait....lots of state land driving to start...the funniest thing is my fiance doesn't want to learn....she wants to ride a motorcycle...IN MICHIGAN!

emmm... for a few months at best..

We'll keep you posted.

Thanks for keeping it light...

She'll change her mind when she feels the temperature there.

My wife just had her driving test this week. She passed with flying colors. The instructor even said she was pretty good. And the way she said it you could tell it was the highest compliment she ever gives.

[David & Kezia 25]

Wow so many negative things about Filipina learning to drive. I gave my wife driving lesson and she did extremely well. I wonder if the problem is the person teaching? Maybe it has to do because I am a very careful person driving, patient, and good at explaining thing.

But I hear most men complaning about teaching their wife how to drive. It makes me feel maybe the teacher needs to learn to teach?

I definitely agree. For me, it was because my husband has always had patience issues especially when it comes to being in a line (whether it is in a grocery counter or on the street), and he can get too stressed out, therefore stressing me out to. When I finally passed my driving test, with my friend taking me instead of my husband, I passed it with an almost perfect score. And since then, I've been driving very well alone and with friends. However, when he is in the car with me, he still can't resist trying to dictate my every move, even on which direction to take and which lane to take, and it stresses me out and we still argue. He still has to learn that he can't always be in control.

As for highway and street driving, I feel more comfortable driving in the freeways. It's a lot easier and less stressful, compared to all the lane shifts, stopping and going, and watching all the cars coming from all directions when I'm driving on city streets. On the city streets, people who can't drive really well are driving, including some people who like one other poster's wife is driving too slow that it's dangerous for everybody.

-Kezia