2 down, 1 to go

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Sergey was successful in his test for a driver's license today! Pizza tonight! Now Pasha needs to take his test but he cannot do so until next March when he will be 16. He drives better than either Alla or Sergey so it should be a cake walk for him (he has had more practice also, he has been driving with me since they arrived)

He goes back to Ukraine next week and then to Moscow for school, so he won't get a lot of time to actually drive much, but it is another in the visa journey steps complete. FWIW Sergey now refuses to drive with Alla in the car.

[AKguy 1]

And I thought I'll have it rough just working with one on passing the test... You are braver than I!

[slim 1,514]

Looking back on it, I would've paid a friend to do it. It's just not worth the stress. We had many a ride home in silence after driving lessons. For some reason, it's just so hard to drive in reverse.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Looking back on it, I would've paid a friend to do it. It's just not worth the stress. We had many a ride home in silence after driving lessons. For some reason, it's just so hard to drive in reverse.

Teaching Alla was far worse than teaching the boys. Yes, you get the silent treatment when you "yell" at them, but sometimes it was "yell or die!" The boys don't care. They just say "Oops, my bad!" and get over it. But now they won't drive with Alla because she yells at them constantly!

[baron555 934]

We had many a ride home in silence after driving lessons.

Same here. Our problem is giving it the gas; always have a line behind us.

Luckily we both understand what is going on and don't bring it into the bedroom.

[1HappyGuy 45]

At least you have Alla driving. Lena says she is going to take the written test but doesn't study. She can even take it in Russian but still won't study the laws, even with a book in Russian. Everything was going pretty well for us early on, until she spoke with my Aunt. My Aunt told her not to have your husband teach you to drive. Thanks a alot Auntie.

Her son was anxious and excited to learn and has been driving for almost three years. Now he has developed a heavy foot after being such a slow and careful driver. I figure a speeding ticket is just a matter of time.

As far as Lena was concerned, why learn to drive when you have two personal drivers.

[slim 1,514]

Teaching Alla was far worse than teaching the boys. Yes, you get the silent treatment when you "yell" at them, but sometimes it was "yell or die!" The boys don't care. They just say "Oops, my bad!" and get over it. But now they won't drive with Alla because she yells at them constantly!

Yep. Everything is about something else. "Why you yellup on me?"

"Because you almost killed us."

"You not supposed to yellup on your wife."

"You not supposed to kill your husband."

Same here. Our problem is giving it the gas; always have a line behind us.

Luckily we both understand what is going on and don't bring it into the bedroom.

My wife didn't bring anything into the bedroom. - Especially me.

She is a cautious driver now and always obeys the speed limit. I'll drive her car and she'll say something like, "Wow. My car never been this fast before. Slow down please because maybe you gonna break something. Take it easy on my car."

At least you have Alla driving. Lena says she is going to take the written test but doesn't study. She can even take it in Russian but still won't study the laws, even with a book in Russian. Everything was going pretty well for us early on, until she spoke with my Aunt. My Aunt told her not to have your husband teach you to drive. Thanks a alot Auntie.

Her son was anxious and excited to learn and has been driving for almost three years. Now he has developed a heavy foot after being such a slow and careful driver. I figure a speeding ticket is just a matter of time.

As far as Lena was concerned, why learn to drive when you have two personal drivers.

I would just refuse to drive her around anymore. "You want to go somewhere... you drive. Welcome to America."

[Ban Hammer 12,835]

"You not supposed to kill your husband."

[Martyshk 137]

I have to say, after 3 months, Daria drives pretty damn good, but still..... occasionally I'll "yell" because she takes a tight turn doing 40 or pulls into Wawa without any regard for the cars that are trying to exit the lot..and then, well....you all know...

But still, we have to start working on parallel parking...and I'm soooooo paying someone to teach her that.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

At least you have Alla driving. Lena says she is going to take the written test but doesn't study. She can even take it in Russian but still won't study the laws, even with a book in Russian. Everything was going pretty well for us early on, until she spoke with my Aunt. My Aunt told her not to have your husband teach you to drive. Thanks a alot Auntie.

Her son was anxious and excited to learn and has been driving for almost three years. Now he has developed a heavy foot after being such a slow and careful driver. I figure a speeding ticket is just a matter of time.

As far as Lena was concerned, why learn to drive when you have two personal drivers.

No way! Alla got here on a Thursday and on Saturday morning was saying "Why am I not driving yet? I am not going to wait 2 or 3 months to get my lisence!" So Saturday morning we were driving and she even managed to stay on the pavement for a few hundred yards at a time! She had her drivers licens before she got her green card! I cannot imagine it, but she has not yet had an accident with a vehicle! She has hit all sorts of stationary objects, but never another car or person. She even, literally, launched her car off an embankment into a cranberry swamp in January and buried it to the fenders in what appeared to be chocolate ice cream (the bogs never really freeze completely) but never hit another car. She messed up the steering badly but not a scratch on the body!

Slim, we had exactly the same conversations! She would be mad at me for "crying on her!" And I would say "You understand that if I had not cried out, we would be dead and Pasha would be an orphan tonight!" "Yes, but you do not have to cry on me!" She never would buy into the notion that it is better to be yelled at than be dead. And, sorry Phil, but I think it may have made it "to the bedroom" a few nights. But that is long over, Alla drives by herself mostly, only drives "her" car (and doesn't like anyone else driving it, though thre boys LOVE to drive it) It took her a few more months to find her way around. She is getting a GPS system for her birthday, but doesn't know it yet. She has little problem now except when she goes someplace completely new but then can do OK with a map printout from MapQuest. I have to say, that once completed, driving has been the most important factor in her becoming more comfortable and accutomed to life here. It seems like a LOT of "problems" melted away when she had the "freedom" to drive.

Parrallel parking was not so hard, but yes, it takes a lot of practice and a lot of mistakes. We drove around neighborhoods and found "victims" to practice on. Cars parked on quiet side streets, and just did the manuever over and over and over. I did the same with Sergey and Pasha. Finally they get it. There wasn't any yelling involved, actually, what is to yell at? They really can't do anything bad. When they get mad...time to end the lesson and try again tomorrow. We, literally, practiced every day. Same for the boys. Since March I drive almost no where myself except to work. Otherwise Sergey or Pasha are my drivers. Pasha took the summer "off" to let Sergey learn and next week Pasha is back on duty as my driver. They are both working and saving money for cars. Sergey wants a Nissan 350Z and Pasha wants a "Cowboy Cadillac" pickup truck. My first car was a 1964 corvair and I actually saw one at an "antique" car show a few weeks ago. I showed the boys..."Look! My first car!" Their reaction....

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I have to say, after 3 months, Daria drives pretty damn good, but still..... occasionally I'll "yell" because she takes a tight turn doing 40 or pulls into Wawa without any regard for the cars that are trying to exit the lot..and then, well....you all know...

But still, we have to start working on parallel parking...and I'm soooooo paying someone to teach her that.

Best question I ever got? "Do American men honk at me because I am an attractive woman? Do you do that to all attractive women you see?"

The tight turns can be more than scarey. Alla shredded two tires on a curb with a tight turn, left me to get the car towed and fixed (man's job) while she got a ride 40 miles home from the cop that stopped to check on us!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

"Wow. My car never been this fast before...

Phrases you will NEVER hear in Vermont

1. I could be in New York in 20 minutes if it weren't for the damn lake!

2. "WOW! My car has never been this fast before!"

Things you WILL hear

1. "I know the speed limit is 65, but they really won't give you a ticket for 85...will they?"

Honestly, she has a lead foot on the interstate but never got a ticket, except a parking ticket and then was worried they would "take away my green card!"

Best exchange with legal authorities...at the Canadian border entering Canada

Have you got any guns?

Yes.

What???!!!!

What?

Have you got any guns?

YES!

What?!!!

What?

WHERE are these guns?

At home, in our closet.

You don't have them with you?

No. Do I need them in Montreal?

Hmmmf. NO, maybe you need them in Vermont.

If you let me use yours I will bring it back tonight, we are coming back tonight.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I guess I should explain that Lena has a fear of driving. She has been in two auto accidents years ago. Coincidentally, her father was driving both times. It seems that the concept of her father possibly being a bad driver doesn't come into the mix.

I tried to teach her to drive shortly after she arrived. The business park out at the airport is great for teaching on Sundays. Large wide street (suitable for small planes), no businesses open and very little traffic. It was going well until I had her make a right turn. She made the turning maneuver fine but after completing the turn she did not release the wheel. We kept turning right, up over the curb and onto the lawn in front of a business. She finally found the brake and stopped. That ended her lesson and was the last time I was able to get her to try. That is 4 years and 8 months ago.

Gary, that's a great exchange at the border.

[slim 1,514]

occasionally I'll "yell" because she takes a tight turn

I do not "ride" with my wife anywhere. If we're going together, I'm driving, even if it's her car.

But still, we have to start working on parallel parking...and I'm soooooo paying someone to teach her that.

We never practiced with real cars. I set up cones to mimic the Ohio BMV manueverablity test and she practiced on those. It took SEVERAL times before she finally started getting the concept but, nonetheless, she did fine once she learned the trick.

To do this, you need 5 cones - http://www.bmv.ohio.gov/dl_new_driver.stm#tog

when she goes someplace completely new but then can do OK with a map printout from MapQuest.

My wife seems to do OK on her own but when she has her bff with her, they can't find their way anywhere, even if they've been there several times before. One time they got lost and called me, "we not go to this place, I think we miss exit." How the hell did you miss the exit? "We were talking."

Last week I sent them on their way with freshly printed directions and right on cue, the call came in, "we not find this place." After a few minutes of "tell me what's around you" I determined they'd found the place allright, but driven right by it. (Probably talking again.) I told them, "you need to go south" to which I got "South? Which way is south?" And after a few minutes of "where's the sun, on your right or left, in front of you, behind you, etc.?" we had them going in the right direction and they found the place.

What's funny is they never call me and say "we're lost" they say something like "directions not correct" or "you tell us wrong way to get to zis place." If that's true then how come five minutes on the phone with me gets them pointed in the right direction again?

I'll never, ever, ever buy my wife (or myself) a GPS device. She'd still get lost and instead of one thing to be looking for (destination) there'd be three things to be looking for (destination, GPS unit, calling me for directions.)

Without her bff, and without a GPS she's good 99% of the time. I'm afraid combining anything at all will just perplex her.

I have to say, that once completed, driving has been the most important factor in her becoming more comfortable and accutomed to life here. It seems like a LOT of "problems" melted away when she had the "freedom" to drive.

100% agreed. At least with wheels, she has freedom to get out and do whatever she wants so all those "I can't do what I want" and "you never take me anywhere" complaints go right out the window.

after completing the turn she did not release the wheel. We kept turning right, up over the curb and onto the lawn in front of a business. She finally found the brake and stopped. That ended her lesson and was the last time I was able to get her to try. That is 4 years and 8 months ago.

The first couple of times I took my wife driving we didn't actually do any lessons at all. It was sink or swim. I showed her how to operate the car and then said, "have at it" and turned her loose in a huge parking lot. I wasn't even in the car. I just had her drive around for 15-20 minutes and get a feel for how it all worked. Then I had her concentrate on turning and cornering and then we got progressively faster each time. For the final test, I'd stand outside, and have her approach me at high speed and do a 90 degree turn around me.

We did the same thing in reverse and then set up the cones for the manueverability test in the link above. All the yelling and screaming came to a head when one day she was doing very poorly and I yelled at her. Her next trip through the course, she flew right through with no problems at all. "See, you're over-thinking it. When you're all pissed off and just let the car drive itself, you're doing fine." It took her a few minutes to calm down, but she agreed and after that drove splendidly.

I wish I had a dollar for every time she rolled down the window and stuck her head out to see which way the wheels were pointed. I think a big part of learning to drive here is just the nervousness of never really doing it before coupled with the fact that the one person she knows here is "mad" at her for not doing a good job. If you take both of those away and just have fun with it, she'll do a lot better.

Try to get her to go to the business park again and then get out. Let her take the car and go all by herself. She'll do fine.

[Martyshk 137]

Well... yesterday, after almost getting into an accident we had a "talk" where I basically said I'm not teaching her to drive anymore. To which she responded: "yeah, you are just scared I'll damage your f-ing car" lalala, so yeah..... gotta go get a permit (she's driving with her Ukrainian license) and then off to driving lessons with a professional.

I can't argue the "no you didn't break, you hit the accelerator" ever again. She drives fine, but the moment that I point out something she's doing wrong she gets into a crazy pi$$ed-off mood and stops noticing anything and anyone on the road.

We'll see how that goes, of course, but I'd rather drive the car myself at this point.