I have tried to get my driver's license in South Africa for quite some time and they have failed me on three separate occasions. One of them purely on the fact that the person doing my test had better things to do as he was taking a call while we were doing the test and he just wanted to end it quickly to go and hang with his friend.
In Korea, luckily it was not the case. I went to the driving school and they had a few classes set up. Sadly all of it was in Korean. So even though I attended, I did not understand most of it. The driving practices were ok though as I understood what left, right and straight meant in Korean.
The day of my test came and I was nervous as heck. Also, it rained. Not just a little, a lot! Pouring down I went to do my test.
Before I went my wife gave me chocolate to keep in my pocket. Apparently, it was a good luck charm and quite popular to keep it in your pocket whenever doing something difficult that you needed to pass. Most students do it when they have a big test. Thinking very little of it, I shoved it into my pocket and went for my test.
With the rain pouring down and a good 30 minutes later I was in and out of the car. They never told me if I passed or not. Only handed me my paper and told me to go to the office. From the look on the instructor's face, I knew I failed. And thus, I did the walk of shame to the office to report my results. I was gutted. I practiced so many times to get everything right. Learned all the Korean phrases for the driving instructions.
I handed in my paper and was prepared to be on my way to make a new appointment. To my surprise, they asked me where my photo is. I was a little confused at first. Then it clicked. I PASSED! They needed a photo for my driver's license card.
As I headed out of the building I was filled with joy and relief. I put my hands into my pocket. There I felt the chocolate. I took a picture right away and sent it to my wife. Showing her it worked and I have passed. To this day I have no idea if the chocolate worked and helped me get some more luck on my side, but whenever I need to face a test again, I will make sure to have chocolate in my pocket again.
