We went to Chicago with one goal: to get a driver's license. We didn't want to see the city, thinking it was painfully ordinary. As it turned out, we were fatally wrong about both things)))

I'll talk about Chicago in the next chapter; here I'll just say that it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in the USA. It's not just the America that gets boring after a while of traveling, but AMERICA, which you can't stop looking at...

So, if you don't have a license, the USA offers a unique opportunity to get one for free (relatively speaking). And then you can exchange it for a Russian one for free, since by law you only need to pass the Russian theory test and pay 500 rubles. Instead of 3 months of driving school, 20,000 rubles for it, and another 10,000 to bribe the traffic police, plus all the stress, etc. Not bad, right?)

If you can't take the test in your state (like in South Carolina, for example), then the easiest way is to take it in Illinois. They say it's the fastest process here and the requirements aren't too high. This is true; including the theory and practical tests, getting a license takes at most 5-6 hours, or even 2 if you hit a slow day.

You can take the test at any local DMV (Secretary of State Jesse White Department of Motor Vehicles) office; all locations and operating hours can be found on the website www.cyberdriveillinois.com. Jesse White, by the way, is the local head of the DMV :) To take the test, you need proof of your residence here. A so-called proof. Here are two ways to do it that I know of.

1. If you have a friend/acquaintance/mom's school friend/a talking friendly dog or anyone else living in Illinois, just send them a letter via mail from any email address, as if it were sent by another person (we signed as Vasily Pupkin) to your name. Obviously, when you send it, no one checks your identity. You can ask any friend to send it if you want. That is, the address will be your friend's in Illinois, but the names will be yours, as if a letter was sent to you in Illinois. Which means you live here))

2. If you don't have anyone here (like us), then just on the way to Chicago, a day before arriving, send the same letter (only "urgent," so it definitely arrives in a day, costs about 15 dollars) signed by Vasya Pupkin to any existing address in Illinois, near the place where you will be tomorrow morning (We sent it from Sioux Falls, SD, and looked up the recipient's address on Google Maps - it's any house near the hotel, the ZIP code of the place is the post office index where the letter will arrive=). You drive to Illinois, go to the local post office early in the morning, where the letter should have arrived (you find it on Google Maps, obviously), and say, "I should have received a letter, I live at such and such address" (you specify the address you sent it to), they give it to you, and hooray, you are an Illinois resident)

To pass, you need to learn the theory. Questions for it can be found on the IEC forum, it's very good there, ask people if you need to. Or just type "Driving test questions (examples, etc) Illinois" in Google, and it will give them to you. The girls (three of them were going to take the test) studied for a day, maybe two. That was enough for them to pass on the first try. You don't need to read the huge rule book - it's just a waste of time, in America they are extremely simple anyway... Just learn the questions.

With the theory passed, you take the practical test. There is an eye test before that, so bring your glasses from Russia if you have poor vision (my vision isn't great, but I never got around to getting glasses, good thing I didn't take the test:))). Taking the practical test is difficult in some places and easy in others. It all depends heavily on the instructor. But there is a pattern: the smaller the town, the easier it is to pass. Don't take the test in Chicago itself, take it somewhere quieter...

In any case, you need to practice. You take the test in your own car, an automatic, so the main thing is to know how to drive. So if you want to pass, practice at least a little before the day of the test (like we did=)))

If you don't pass the first time, you can take the test at any Illinois DMV office with your theory results. Just bring the paper... This is convenient if, for example, the town where you failed is too hilly and difficult, go somewhere flatter.

They ask for different things; we had: parking on a hill and in reverse, driving in a parking lot near Walmart with lots of spaces, using turn signals, confident driving, etc. The girls first drove around the parking lot near the store, and then drove around the block near the DMV. It makes sense to track the route people use and drive it before going to take the test. You will feel more confident.

If you pass everything, you take a photo and in half an hour the card is yours. With good preparation or luck, it's all realistic to do in 1 day. We arrived on Friday. On Saturday we didn't pass because the girls didn't know how to drive at all and thought they'd get away with it. Almost got away with it, by the way. The people were very kind and the chance to pass was very high. One of us didn't pass, for example, after driving past 3 "Do Not Enter" signs in a row...))) And so, people passed with a bunch of mistakes and slow driving.

We spent Sunday practicing, and on Monday we went closer to Chicago, because no one else was working. There, they started checking our car, and the rear turn signal wasn't working, and the girls were forced to show all turns using hand signals. Naturally, they failed... It's a shame, but I repeat, you can pass if a) you get lucky b) you drive normally.

The test costs 20 dollars and that's 3 attempts. Additional attempts are +5 bucks. It's more than realistic to pass, a bunch of Russian guys passed on the first day. We were unlucky, so practice in advance)))

Good luck on the roads and "take care of yourself"))