How and When It Started
I started to learn to drive only back in 2016. I initially enrolled to a 6 hour Driving School using a manual transmission car. I can still remember, that was a last minute decision before my 1 week vacation in the province was about to end. It was supposed to be my career break, a supposed to be Leave of Absence but I realized I had no money and I can’t leave with 1 month unpaid absences.
So I guess, driving was kinda now my way to get away. Get away with stress, get away with heart breaks (char).
Sooo. After more than a year, I enrolled again to a driving school (SMART) mainly because I didn’t have any experience in driving an automatic and was already planning to buy one that time. I only practiced using my father’s manual L300 van.
Finally Deciding to Get One
Getting a car was a big step for me. I had all questions like:
- am I gonna live up to all the expenses
- Do I really need one? Which car should I buy?
- Should I choose a 5 seater or a 7 seater?
- Do I really want to add up another in the pile of cars in Manila roads?
There were a lot of pros and cons and weighing of options. I remember, it was the last working day of 2017 when I am trying to run errands, goes to the bank and making phone calls to see if I can process the Purchase Order before the year ends (and before the TRAIN Law goes in effect).
But what were my reasons really? Siguro naimpluwensyahan lang ako kasi meron akong naging project na ang daming lady drivers. Na-amaze ako. Na-empower? Haha. Sabi ko yata, “uy kaya ko na rin siguro”. But also, I wanted to drive for my fam. Back then, only my father can drive for us but he’s now having a hard time because of knee pain. Lagi kaming hatid sundo. Ang hirap kaya ng commute sa probinsya. Tapos sa bayan namin, walang mga TODA. Mga every 1 hour ang daan ng jeep. Legit.
Second, to be mobile. To go wherever and whenever I want. Para makauwi ng probinsya kahit anong oras. Para makatakas sa mga events kahit ano oras (lol). Was also not a fan of the feeling of being stuck (char…kaya pala inabot ng 9 years). And maybe why I invested in a car instead of a house first (though it’s not exactly investing kasi ang bilis ng depreciation at di naman ako kumikita).
Getting my License
I had to retake the Driving Written Exam (after a month) because I failed by a few points!! The exam was tricky. I got too confident. Kala ko magaling ako sa multiple choice. Tsaka hindi ko alam na meron palang mga reviewer sa exam centers! But I guess it thought me some good lessons too! The 2nd time I tried to get a license, I was too anxious and nervous because if I fail, I can only try again after a year! Huhu. That was probably the highlight of my 2018.
My Firsts
We picked up the car from the casa in January 2018 but I only got my license in around April? I drove for the first time from Batangas to Manila only after 5 months. So nakatengga sya sa bahay. Ayaw gamitin ni pader dear kasi di daw sya sanay sa matic. The first few months that I drove to office, daming gasgas ni Scarlet tapos puro parking :(.
And apparently, I posted this in my IG exactly a year ago:
First EDSA, first highway, first gasgas, first parallel parking, first uwi mag isa. Yung ang lakas maka adulting ng pagtitipid at pag iipon. Yung lagi nakaopen yung splitwise at expense tracker mo. First bangga </3. Stress kasi nadrain yung battery at di mo alam ang gagawin. Yung nagagasgasan ka pa rin sa pagpark kahit ang tagal mo na ginagawa. I guess the thrill and fun of driving your car for the first few years is worth all your pagtitipid: All the precious time spent with my favorite people on earth, random roadtrips and many firsts!
ANJJ JOURNEY & JOURNALS 