Baby, I can drive your car

Yay for me, I just finished all the insane expenses and meticulous hoop-jumping to get my Swedish driver's license.  I don't know if anyone besides non-EU expats in Sweden can really comprehend the giant wave of relief in getting this process over with, but it's been a pain in my ass for the past three months and now it's done.  Like I've explained a bit before, once an American has lived in Sweden for one year your driver's license becomes completely useless and you have to start from scratch like an 18-year-old.  The tests are tough and designed not to let bad drivers pass, although sometimes you wouldn't believe it by the amount of idiot drivers that continue to tear through the streets. 

To be honest, if you start early and take it one step at a time, the process isn't too horribly difficult if you've already been driving half your life and have a somewhat functional brain in your head.  The worst part is the unbelievable cost...I've been avoiding tallying up the whole thing but let's see what my final bill came out to be:

• Eye exam: SEK 100 ($15.81)
• Driving permit fee:  SEK 220  ($34.79)
• Driving books in English:  SEK 450  ($71.16)
• Online practice tests in English:  SEK 250  ($39.53)
• Mandatory 3-hour "Don't Drive Drunk" class:  SEK 500  ($79.07)
• Mandatory 4-hour slippery driving course: SEK 1700  ($268.82)
• Theory test fee:  SEK 220 ($34.79)
• Photograph fee: SEK 80  ($12.65)
• Driving school lessons in Ludvika: SEK 3,000  ($474.40)
• Train transportation to/from Ludvika:  SEK 523 ($82.70)
• Lodging in Ludvika: SEK 300  ($47.44)
• Driving test car rental fee:  SEK 220 ($34.79)
• Driving test fee:  SEK 700  ($110.69)
• Driver's license processing fee: SEK 180 ($28.46)

                                                              
Total cost: SEK 8443, or $1,335.43 USD.  Wow.  I kind of wish I hadn't added that up just now.  But, there's really now way around it, we live out in the boonies and it just wouldn't work here without a driver's license.   And while it does seem unfair for people who can't afford it, I like the fact that driving here is a hard-earned privilege that you have to do well instead of something that practically gets handed to you on your sixteenth birthday.

Swedes are the same way with owning dogs...there are hardly any strays here due to the fact that dogs are expensive to buy and own so people take very good care of them.

Anyway, my next goal is to convince M that my newly acquired Swedish driver's license means there's no excuse for me not to be able to take a spin in his sweet '67 Mustang Fastback:

So far I have only been allowed to be an accessory blonde passenger in this bad boy.  I think it's time for M to hand over the keys.