During our first month in Taiwan (in August), we spent nearly every day doing ‘scooter practice’ after or before training. This was so we could get comfortable on the bike and prepare for the license test. The license test is split into two parts, a written part and a practical part where you have to ride the bike around a closed course. The written test is notoriously difficult, and we were required to practice it every day via an app. Luckily, there’s an English version! There are 50 questions relating to road signs, rules and laws for breaking those rules. Each question is worth two points, and you have to get an 85 to pass. The practical test comes after the written test and is on a closed course, which is designed to make the test-taker demonstrate driving slowly in a straight line, making complex turns and a railroad crossing. I found the scooter tests in Taiwan even harder than the tests to get my driver’s license in the U.S.!
The first time I took it, I passed the written part, but slipped up on the practical part, so I had to return three weeks later to take that part again. I was sad that I didn’t pass the first time, especially because I was the only person in my Fulbright group who didn’t pass the practical part. That meant I had to go back to practice for the next three weeks. But I told myself that since I didn’t pass the first time, I would practice the hard parts so I could pass it with flying colors the next time. And I did! Having completed my Huandao (which you read about last time!), I feel so proud of how far I've come in my scooter riding journey.
