My great sin origin story:

Coming to the USA my job (sponsored H1-B) included a company car and I needed a full license obviously.

I had only really driven a few times on a learners permit back in Europe and some times on a tractor on a farm bailing and picking up hay.

They asked if I had a license, I decided to lie and say yes, really wanted to terk a jerb, they never asked for it or anything.

I guess in the US, odds are v good a 24y/o would have one.

So I arrived in Boston with a shitty paper learners permit, get a taxi out to the office and pick up my brand new company car, first time ever in an automatic!

I was sweating this moment thinking they ask for my license to photocopy, nope just handed over the keys.

So I get the car, wait for my boss to leave me in the parking lot and figure out how to get it moving, gingerly get it on the road to my new company sponsored apartment (they really took care of me….)

Drove around all day, got a little more “comfortable” but was really white-knuckling it on the I-93 and I-95.

Anyway next day the ask me for my license sometime, I think on my feet and say I have a dmv appt to get a US one, lemme get that and come back.

Go to the DMV do the written test for a learners permit (got one thing wrong, didn’t know you wait for a schoolbus, can’t pass when it’s letting out kids)

Get learners permit, come back and show them that, they ask “learners permit?” Quick thinking I replied “oh yeah because I come from a right hand drive country they want me to redo the test! I tried to do it there and then and but the earliest I could get was next week!!”

They fucking bought it, commiserated about DMV, I scheduled a test for next week.

Test was 4 left hand turns around the block with a chatty MA state trooper who had familial ties to my old country, so we shot the shit, he signed off and I got my new license.

I was really sweating that week

Edit: some stuff I really still cringe on.

On my way to the apartment with my printed out Mapquest directions I got terribly lost and puled over to ask this old dude directions, I had the window rolled down and he was leaning in looking at the map I was holding, took my foot of the brake (car was in drive) and clobbered the poor guy with the B pillar.

Also, one of my tail lights was blown and I got pulled over by a state trooper and had to show my learners permit, I thought was fucked as I would need a full licensed driver with me, he just told me to fix it and let me go