6 Weeks ago I Culdn't spel Draivar and naow I are one

Well, what do you know? I actually passed my written test, but only by arguing. I took the test a third time rather than waiting for the results of my arguing the second test and that time got an 80%. I needed two more correct answers to get the necessary 85% but had four questions that were real questionable. They agreed to let me have it and then I pointed out that I didn’t have to take the driving test as my foreign license was current. The logic was taken from one of the test questions. They looked for half an hour to find out if I did or not when I decided not to rock the boat and take the test anyway. Surely I could pass a driving test.
Well Ok, they said, but I would actually have to wait for them to get approval for my written test from someone of authority, apparently they had none. So home again I went. That was Wednesday.
The next Wednesday Richard took the written for the fourth time and actually passed with a 92.5%. He took the driving test and failed. Go figure. He is a 40 year-old police officer from Brisbane. That day Hsien-Ling also called to see if my second test was approved. They thought they would hear soon. She talked to them about their English translations and the fact that Richard was a police officer and failed the driving test. They admitted that his car was large and he should have taken the test on the large car course. Swell. They then called Richard and told him he could retake the test on Thursday at no charge, on the bigger course. Then they called me back and said that my test was approved and that they would have written verification by Thursday or Friday so I could take my test on Friday or Monday.
They got it Thursday and I scheduled the test for Friday. Richard and I went to the course on Friday morning before it opened and he walked me through it. No problem.
At 1:20 I was there, paid my money and took the test in their car, a compact stick shift. If I took the test in my Chrysler Voyager, an automatic, I wouldn’t be licensed to drive a stick shift. So I rented theirs for NT$84 (US $2.50). The tester had me sit in the car during someone else’s test so I could see the routine. He was impressed that I spoke Chinese. When I took the test he also had someone in the back seat learning the route. In the US we take the test on actual streets with actual traffic. Not here. We merged into a lane and went around a corner, seeing if I could remain in a lane without touching the lines. Then there was a signal which only by luck was red so I stopped. No loss of points there. Then a left turn two right turns and then back into a perpendicular parking place without running over the lines that trigger an alarm. There were no poles to simulate the cars to avoid. Then out to the left, tight and left to an “S” curve with alarm lines on the side. Once through I had to back up through it. All the while the tester kept saying “beautiful, beautiful”. He was obviously easily impressed. After backing out it was then a right and a parallel parking test. Again no poles just push down the mirror and watch the alarm lines. “Beautiful, beautiful,” again. Then we made a left turn and a stop for the “pedrestrians”. Around the corner we had to start up a hill and stop on a red mark while keeping the wheels between a double set of alarm lines. After stopping we had to start without stalling the engine. (When the tester was showing Richard through the route he stalled the car three times). Now down the hill, a left turn and stop for the “train”. Last was straight ahead and stop for a 15 meter straight away where we had to get the car into third gear.
I scored an 88%. Thinking it was so beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, I asked where I lost points. He implied my driving was jerky. I could live with that.
But then at 3:10 was the motorcycle test. This involves driving straight for about ten meters along a narrow track lined with alarm lines in a time not less than seven seconds. Then on a wider track on one must stop for a red light, go around a curve, stop for a train, then stop for a pedestrian and then finish. I took my two tries to get through the first track and then zipped through the rest. Actually I cut the corner exiting at the finish but they gave it to me anyway. Now I can ride motorcycles up to 25cc. For anything bigger I would have to take a course and pass another test. Those that have them still drive like they are on scooters......