Bikers

Governors Island opened for the public yesterday and my fiancée and I decided to visit it. Today was beautiful outside so we went there to relax, play some badminton, and have a picnic.

I really like Governors Island because it is quiet and not many people go there. There is plenty of space for everyone and it is not as noisy like Prospect Park sometimes is. Another great thing about the island is that it offers a great view. I went there last year to take pictures of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty and they turned out great.

There was some kind of motorcycle event going on in Manhattan today. I saw hundreds of motorbikes on my way to Governors Island, all of them driving together and blocking up most traffic. I am not sure if they were touring New York together or what was going on but there were a lot of them.

I am thinking about taking Chinese classes next quarter. I really believe that it would be helpful to me if I could speak some Chinese. Many international businesses are looking for people with intercultural experience and with multi-language skills. I am currently looking into what kinds of classes are available.

I have wanted to rent a car in New York for a long time. I need to get an international drivers license first though. Many people think that the embassy or that the state can help them out, but that is incorrect.

It does not involve taking classes or registering at DMV either. What people have to do is to contact the government institution in their home country that deals with driver permits. In my case it is Vagverket in Sweden.

They are actually not doing it themselves so I have to contact an organization connected to them to do it for me. It is pretty inconvenient to do it from the United States but my parents will help me to do it so it should not be any problems.

The international drivers license is basically just a paper stating in English what kind of license it is. A foreign drivers license is valid in New York, however New York police officers are not required to understand foreign licenses, which may cause troubles if stopped. 

I will have two tests next week. One is a take-home test in statistics and the other one is management and held online as usual. I do not feel worried about any of the tests because I have time to study for them and I can keep the books next to me while answering the questions.

I took the picture today in South Manhattan where the bikers were passing and where I took the ferry to Governors Island, which by the way is free.