Qualified to drive on both sides

It was after I had been living in BC for 2 years that I realised that the time had come to get myself a BC drivers license. Actually what really happened is, I found out that I had been illegally driving for the previous 18 months - once you have been in BC for 6 months you have to have a BC license. Since I was on the brink of being awarded my permanent residence at the time, I didn't want to screw that up with that for the sake of a driving conviction if I were to be pulled over.
I thought it would be a matter of turning up to my local ICBC (drivers licencing centre), showing them my Australian license, taking an eye test and paying the money for a BC licence. Not so. In fact I discovered that I had to take a knowledge test - much like the one I did in Australia many years ago - and then a road test. Yikes, a road test! Could I pass a driving test again?
I'm a good driver I knew that, but everyone knows there are certain techniques to passing a drving test, which are almost instantly dropped once the test has been passed. I couldn't quite remember exactly what driving testers look for.
Afraid of failing my test, I decided to call in the big-guns and take some driving lessons. On a side note, the price of driving lessons has gone up remarkably since I received 10 1 hour lessons for $200 in Australia 10 years ago.
The lessons were good, my instructor was excellent, and we focused on going through the motions of passing a driving test. I took two mock tests - the first one I failed because a car came within a nat's knicker of crashing into me (i.e. not my fault, but the instructor is obliged to fail me if we are involved in an accident during the test), and the second I passed with flying colours. Here's what I've learned - Vancouver drivers are some of the worst in the first world - give way to every car that wants it, whether they have right of way or not. Also, giving way to every pedestrian within a 50 m radius of your car is a good thing. Those two things are the secret to passing a road test.
So yesterday I had my road test appointment. I was really nervous. It was crunch time. Now we were going to find out whether passing my road test in Australia 10 years ago was just a fluke, or if I was actually a good driver and deserved to hold a licence.What if I failed? What if I wasn't a good driver? What if it turns out that I'm one of those people that fail their road test four times before eventually passing? What was I going to tell my boss (who wants me to do some driving for work purposes) when she asked how the test went?
3:15pm rolled around, my name was called, and Darren told me he would be my tester today. When we got into the car, I realised that Darren, and probably all driving testers, had one of those sing song voices that I hear on those telemessage services that I find myself fighting through all too often.
For example, think of the last telemessage you listened to that instructed you to "at the tone, press 3 for inquiries regarding products, service, accounts, or to leave a complaint about this service". Now imagine in the same sing-song tone, Darren saying to me "Sarah, when its safe and when you're ready, please change lanes" or "Sarah, at the first intersection, please turn left". That's the voice I had to listen to for an hour. I think that driving testers must be trained to speak a certain way so that commands are unambiguous. I must say though, that Darren's voice did put me at ease, maybe because I was kind of amused by it. When he asked me to list the hazards that I saw in the area, I had to restrain myself from answering in the same sing-song voice "Well Darren, thanks for asking. At this time, I perceive that there are hazards in the form of pedestrians crossing the road, wet roads, reduced light, and blind driveways".
Anyway, to cut to the chase, I passed with no major problems. I screwed up my parallel park (not something I was very familiar with until recently) despite doing several perfect parks in training. But providing you can correct it and park successfully within 1 minute, they pass you on it. I had to give way to several cars that ought to have given way to me, I had to stop for a lot of pedestrians who felt the need to cross the road aimlessly in the middle of heavy traffic, but I did so happily, knowing that it was the secret of passing the test.