Behind the Wheel: Lessons from Getting My Driver’s License Again
I’ve been driving since I was 16 years old and after more than 25 years behind the wheel, it had never occurred to me that this year I’d have to get my driver’s license all over again. But French bureaucracy is unforgiving, and despite having a Spanish driver’s license, they wouldn’t exchange it because I originally got my permit in Venezuela, which has no data-sharing agreement with France, so the Spanish permit isn’t considered valid either. European integration at its finest!
Anyway, after the initial shock, I had to find a driving school and go through a bunch of bureaucratic hoops before I could even start. Do you see the pattern? Finally, after a few months, I was ready to apply for the Highway Code test. Time to start studying.
The first challenge was the language. I needed to learn the name of everything related to driving in French. That’s when I realized I really needed to prepare properly. So I started applying my “patented” method. I had about a month before the test. It was a decent amount of time, but I had to be disciplined to make it. I set my schedule to study between half an hour and one hour every day, Monday to Saturday.
I began by reading the learning material and understanding the basic rules, priorities, use of lights and their names, road markings, signs, and more. This is where I started using AI to help with my preparation. Whenever I found words or concepts I didn’t understand, I could ask directly and get precise answers tailored to my needs. It also helped me understand differences in rules compared to Spain. AI turned out to be a great learning companion.
After every learning session, I would feel tired. Usually, I took a short nap or at least closed my eyes for 10 to 15 minutes. I found through research that these small naps help consolidate memory and boost learning, so I embraced the need for rest.
Once I had gone through all the materials, I started doing practice tests. At first, my scores fluctuated a lot. I made careless mistakes, fell for tricky questions like double negatives, and soon realized it’s not just about knowing the information but also about understanding how the test is structured and spotting the traps. I checked my wrong answers, reviewed the content, double-checked with AI, and repeated the process. My results steadily improved, and by the end, I was consistently passing. At that point, I was doing no more than two tests per day, followed by a quick, much-needed nap.
I kept this routine until two days before the test. I was satisfied with my results, so I decided not to study any more and rest the last day. I felt my knowledge had been consolidated, and I didn’t want to risk regressing because of nerves or pressure.
The night before the test, I went to bed early. I didn’t sleep well. I wasn’t so much worried about the test itself but about getting there on time. Traffic on the island during the morning is “complete hell”, especially on a Monday. I woke up early, before sunrise, and drove to the test center. It’s funny that I could drive with my Spanish permit but, as a resident now, I had one year to get the French one. Anyway, I’m digressing.
During the test, I felt anxious at times, when facing questions I had doubts about or scenarios I hadn’t seen before. At those moments, I focused on my breathing, taking deep, slow breaths to calm myself down. This helped me regain composure and focus. It’s important not only to have the knowledge but also to handle the pressure.
A few days later, the results arrived by mail. I had passed! I was relieved, even though I was confident, there was always some self-doubt in the back of my mind. Now, feeling more relaxed, I had time to reflect on the experience.
First, I learned that even with years of experience, reviewing the fundamentals reveals how much we take for granted and forget over time. I’m now driving around, noticing the things people do. I keep thinking: Don’t you people know the rules?
I learned that consistency is key to making the process smooth. Had I left everything to the last minute, even if I passed, I would have been more stressed and missed the chance to truly improve. It’s not only the results that matter but the journey itself.
I realized that even something as established as driving keeps evolving. There are new technological developments like driver assistance features and electric scooters on the roads that didn’t even exist when I first got my permit.
I also appreciate more the value of rest in the learning process. It’s not just effort that counts but also giving the brain time to assimilate knowledge. This is why consistency matters: you can rest without feeling guilty that you’ll fall behind.
I see how staying calm under pressure is an essential life skill. When nerves hit, trust your preparation and take a deep breath. You’ve got this!
So that’s my story: I became a newbie again in a part of life I thought I had mastered. Bureaucracy wasn’t fun, but now that it’s behind me, I’m grateful I can still adapt, learn, and tackle new challenges. Learning never ends, and it doesn’t need to happen at work. And who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks?