Driving Test Update

Hey everyone, this is Wanda.

Just wanted to update you on our driving test--

Thank you for your prayers, but unfortunately we did not get to take our driver's test today. :(

Soon after arriving, we learned that we had studied the wrong thing all week. First we had been told that we'd need to understand the Japanese commands for direction on the course, but this morning we found out that we will not receive any instructions at all. There are 3 pre-determined courses. On the day we take the test, we are told which course we must perform, and we must have it memorized and complete it with no further instruction to the examiner's satisfaction in order to pass! Whew!

John and I spent the first hour of waiting cramming our heads with learning the three courses, with exact turns and lane changes. Then, I was called first. We both thought I would be going to take the written test, supposedly an easy 10 questions-in-English test. However, what ensued was a 45 min interview picking my brain about every last detail regarding how I obtained my driver's license in Illinois...including how much it cost for my license, how many questions were on the written test, what car(make & model) I drove first, how long it took me to complete my written exam, how many times I've renewed my license, and down to the color of the car I drove for the driving test! There were 6 pages full of detailed questions to be filled out. Then, when I finished, John was called in and went through the same thing. He said by the time he was finished, he, the examiner, and the translator were all laughing at the craziness of the questions needing to be answered.

When we finally finished that, we were hoping to finally get on with our tests, but at that time were told that today wasn't the test at all...that we had to make another time reservation for next week. So --- we're on for same day, same time next week: Wednesday June 2 at 1:30pm (12:30am EST, or Tuesday, June 1 at 11:30pm CST / 10:30pm MST / 9:30pm PST). So if you can continue to keep us in prayer through the week and especially on Tues/Wed, we'd really appreciate it! While we were waiting, we watched 3 men take their test and all three failed. It was their 5th time to take the test.

A side note:

We are looking forward to A. Cyrena's group arriving on Friday morning. We'll be their tour guides for a couple days. The kids were SOOOOO excited to see her last Sunday when she came for the day instead of going to Tokyo with the others. We got a lot of goodies sent in extra boxes that the girls graciously brought over with them, and Joy has already made her first batch of rice crispy cookies out of the ingredients Grandma (my mom) sent especially for her. She was sooo excited about getting them!!! However, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her comment when we opened the bag of rice crispies and started to measure them out: "Mommy, it smells a little like....cereal!" Yes, dear, it IS cereal...and I'm wondering just how much you actually remember from the States!