Ownership..

Here I was, about to take a right-turn onto 101-S heading downtown. Saw a police car in the rear view mirror and panicked. Changed lanes to the right and heard a horn - a crime! A horn blared in America? It's surprising that cars here are equipped with horns. Ah well, the worst case, I guess. The police car in my rear view mirror puts on his siren. I pull over sweating. "You nearly ran the other guy off the road there!" says the policeman. "Sorry officer, I was just trying to move over and give you space" I said. Can I see your driver's license? Showed him Karnataka state driver license. Policeman would have spat if it were India. He said, you need this, plus passport plus international driver license. Convinced him that this was enough (vindicated by California driver's handbook, which I keep preciously in the car dashboard). Switched places with the license holder and went on our way with a reprimand - no ticket. Memory still haunts me, and I take the car out very anxiously now.

There are two things that you need to own a car in America. Registration and insurance. Those are the two basic things at least. So to register a car in my name, I need the old title, VIN and previous registration if any. The form also requires me to fill in my driver license number. For insurance, I need registration. For registration, I need a license. For a license, I well, need a car! And pass the test. For insurance, I need a license too. It all depends on the license. And how will I get a license if I don't have a car? To get a license, the insurance of the car must be in your name, otherwise they won't let you even take the driving test. Vicious cycle? This is why rental car companies are so popular here. Not only is a car the preferred mode of transport for distances less than a 1000 miles, but also it is impossible to drive one unless I practice illegally and rent a car to pass the driving test.

Intermediate Solution: Pass the written driver's test. Get a temporary permit. Just like a learner's license in India, a licensed person has to be sitting next to you. Tested this one night at State Street, the policeman even smiled at me. Just getting over my morbid fear of the police constabulary. Even though my previous brush with the long arm of the law turned out to be extremely lucky. So, you can fill in this license number while registering the car. Insurance, on the other hand is a tricky thing anyway. Most insurance companies turn you away if you don't have a license, even a permit. Finally found one that allows me to buy insurance with the permit, but I need to pass the test in thirty days. Pressure is on.

I just passed the written test, getting 6 out of 36 wrong. That was a close one. Nearly lost 27$ and nearly had to do it all over again. Didn't study California Driver's Handbook that well apparently. Where should you look if the oncoming traffic has high beams? Apparently, the right edge of the road (left edge in India). Few questions about Driving Under the Influence (DUI). Influence can be either drugs or alcohol. I see newspaper ads about DUI lawyers every day advising what to do in case you're caught.

California has this weird Smog Certificate Law. A car from out of state could fail something like this - as Julie did. Running around, getting it fixed for a cost, is a hassle. The good thing is that the Smog Certificate is transmitted electronically to the DMV. Without a smog certificate, they will refuse to let you register the vehicle. So, at a considerable cost, got all spark plugs and wires changed. After all this, I took it back to the DMV. She had my number plates ready for me. 5XOT352. She said "Do you have tools to unscrew the number plate?" Didn't. Took tools from her gladly - two screwdrivers, a wrench, some pliers. With heavy heart, because I was instructed to save the number plates, removed it and surrendered it to the lady. Screwed in one of my own - but I didn't have enough screws - so I have only one number plate now.

All done now - registered in my name and got insurance. Julie is mine after five days of emotional wrangling and monetary loss (had to buy parking permits for five days). Why isn't every day President's Day? Thanks again R., S. and J. Can never thank you enough.

Teaching..

In India, some students stand up when a teacher enters the room. Some students stand up when a teacher talks to them. The buzzword is respect. Students are supposed to respect teachers. Or are they? Should respect be given by right or should it be earned? Doesn't matter - I don't want to question the concept. Would anyone in India, whichever school they are in, bring a sandwich and a coke to eat in class? Rare exceptions. What would you call a teacher in India? Sir? Madam? Uncle? Aunty? Ever imagined anyone could call a teacher an a**hole?

Here, things are a little different. Sandwich, cokes, bagels all go. When the teacher is teaching, the embarrassing sound of a coke can being opened up is common. In India, it was excitement to conceal a chocolate and eat it when the teacher was teaching. The sound of the chocolate wrapper was damped and giggles from the girls were stifled. Convenience is all that matters. If I have a class at lunch time, then I will eat lunch in the class. That's how it is.

Ever considered just walking out of class in India? Or entering a class without asking permission? College professors simply wouldn't allow that. Here, people walk in half an hour late, without any shame and calmly sit down. Or I should say skateboard into class half an hour late and sit down. As an aside, I was taken away by this fad, and was persuaded to buy a skateboard recently, at a throw-away price. Needless to say I could not afford protective equipment such as knee pads and arm braces. Therefore, after a rather lucky fall, it has been consigned to the back of my room.

To conclude, I confirm that the recipient of the a**hole remark was indeed yours truly! Most of my peers think that she was flirting with me. Though, my reaction was highly non-confrontational, I smiled at the offending girl and let the remark pass - as if she was saying "What a lovely day!" However, I wouldn't recommend this approach for the first time teacher. Just for the record, I was not offended at all, but to this day, I still cannot understand the cause for her frustration.