The big red 'L'

I had always been on the judging end when I saw new drivers drive on the roads. Their obsession with indicators, their inability to maintain a good speed, their fear of entering roundabouts, all of it was always such an inconvenience for everyone else on the road. Now, when I am learning how to drive in a vehicle with a huge red 'L' on the glass, I realize how difficult it actually is for them.

Driving may come as a natural for many people but I certainly am not one of them. I have to constantly try harder and harder to be just an average driver. It is turning out to be one of the hardest things I have had to learn till date. Being an over-expensive process here in Dubai, learning driving is more like a full-time non-paying job than a fun yay-I-am-finally-learning-how-to-drive experience. You may be a decent driver when it actually comes to that but having an instructor or an examiner sitting next to you and closely watching and scrutinizing your every move proves to be so nerve racking that you can't even manage to keep your car straight! Every indicator you forget to switch off, every wrong swerve of your hand on the steering wheel, every time you don't look over your shoulder before changing lanes just brings with it a lot of dread and nervousness. Whenever a driver honks at you or overtakes you on the road, all the while shaking his head in pity from side to side, anger builds up in you and you end up jamming the accelerator which in turn switches on a flow of yells and screams from your instructor. Truly, every action has an equal (or in my case, amplified) and opposite reaction.

The waiting room at the learning centre is an even worse story! Having class at 9:30 am, I get the privilege of spending atleast a few minutes everyday amongst nervous-wrecks going in for their road tests. The room is filled with anxiety. Few people sitting in a group and cracking jokes to try and lighten up the mood only to be received by high-pitched nervous laughter, few people concentrating on reading their handbooks one last time in the hope that they may finally discover that hidden secret which would help them pass their road test, few discussing what mistakes are commonly made and ofcourse the other few who are busy nosing around and finding out which attempt at the road test it is for the others waiting around. Even if you don't have a test to give, the nervousness eventually gets to you and even a routine driving class becomes a huge nerve-racking experience. I remember being ecstatic when I had gotten myself registered for driving classes, happy that I was finally going to be able to drive a car soon. Little did I know that there's probably more of a chance of me finding a hidden treasure than that of me getting a driving licence in this country.

Still I try and still I hope. But one thing is for sure, whether I walk out of this experience with or without a Dubai driving licence in my hand, I will walk out with a new found understanding and respect for learning drivers!

A congregation of angels.

There's a whole lot of chitter-chatter and a whole lot of smiles. Beaming faces and happiness galore. The joy of a new day and the pleasure of friends' company. The national anthem and the morning prayer is followed by the school song full of motivation and praise, accompanied with loads of clapping and synchronised dance. A few angels upfront deliver an important message to which listens everyone else in awe. Then comes the best part of the morning - the 'Good Morning drill'. Handshakes and wishes flowing about the room as if on the wings of sparrows hopping from chair to chair. Doesn't matter if they fought yesterday or had never seen each other before, still they bestow upon each other a toothy grin. The birthday song and the weekly dance routine comes up next. The most amazing dancers one has ever seen. The intoxication of the morning filling up inside of everyone and the drunken revelry. The upliftment of spirits and the excitement of a new day. The lit up eyes, full of hope, shining bright, waiting to touch with their magic wands, a mortal's life.

Thus ends the morning assembly at a school for kids with special needs and thus begins a new day of learning and frolic and life if you may...