Spanish views from a small town

Yesterday, my daughter went to pick up the paper that allows her to drive while her definitive license is still being pushed through the system. I drove her up, and waited, then drove back part of the way, and let her drive the rest. If you ever want to watch a snail crawl by, ride as a passenger with a brand new driver. Aside from her lack of experience, she is cautious. Very cautious. If the limit is 50 kph, there's no reason why she has to drive exactly at that speed; she can drive under it. Apart from that, she was taught that to incorporate onto a highway, she has to push on the gas so she can get to the speed everyone is driving at, quickly. But our car has a problem with the clutch that needs to be fixed, and if you press too quickly on the gas, the revolutions will go up too much and too fast. Our car admits only a slow and steady acceleration. At least it saves gas. After she exited the short trip on the highway, she had few problems on the regular roads. Today, we wen...

Finally, after battling on and off for the past five years, our daughter passed her driving test.  She had the appointment yesterday morning at eight o'clock. She spent the night at a friend's apartment, rather than get up at an ungodly hour to catch the earliest bus available.  The examiner in Spain sits kitty corner to the driver, while the driving school instructor sits in the front passenger seat. My daughter was nervous, and when she was told to set off, the car stalled. She had taken the foot off the clutch too soon. But she got underway, and followed the instructions. She took a curve in third gear instead of second, and then started off on the left side of a lane in a parking lot instead of the right. But it was a short drive that she was made to do, and she passed. Not the kid who took his test after her, though. His nose almost got shaved off by a truck when he was incorporating onto a road. The instructor had to grab the wheel, and the examiner made him return...

Some people consider driving a privilege, others a necessity, still others a right. However one considers it, a license is necessary. It can sometimes be a difficult skill to learn. Ask my daughter; she tried during most of last winter to learn how to manage a car without causing a seven-car pile-up, and has decided to save us from disaster until she can fully coordinate mind and body. Sometimes, though, it's quite easy, the only problem is the bureaucracy surrounding the license. One man found out after losing all his points and going to exam to recuperate them. Spain has a system of points to keep a license going. We all start out with a maximum of twelve. If we don't lose any during a certain amount of time, we are given three more. But points are easily lost. Almost any fine comes with a loss in points. If you are indiscreet enough to have Tráfico cops stop you often and present you with love letters, you can lose all of them. At that point your license turns into wet to...