Yesterday my morning was a bust. With Lydia at preschool, I had envisioned a whole morning of accomplishments on the verge of taking place. My list was growing by the moment and I was excited to check some things off my lengthening to-do list.
Then I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to exchange my Maryland license for Wisconsin.
The line was literally to the door, but I decided that I had made the 20 minute drive down there and waiting in line with Marcus was much more palatable than waiting in line with Marcus AND Lydia. So we took our place in line and inched forward for an HOUR AND A HALF! My cell phone, pocket flash light, Lydia's sunglasses and the water bottle from the lady next to us in line, all became toys for Marcus during that time.
When we finally approached the counter (did I mention 90 minutes had passed?!?) I handed over my plethora of documents proving that I do indeed exist and began writing my check. Then Mr. DMV asked the fateful question: proof of residency. Confidently I handed over the deed to our house as well as our loan payment book. And then he uttered these words: "I'm sorry. This just won't do." I think the room started swirling at that moment and everyone went silent. He continues "But I'll give you a list of the documents we DO accept." Oh, thank you for your generosity Mr. DMV. Apparently, mortgage documents are acceptable. A deed is not. Just to soften the blow, he encouraged me to keep my other documents all together and reminded me that I do have 90 days to get my license. What a comfort. All this without so much as a smile and while avoiding eye contact.
If ONLY Mr. DMV had told me that I needed a BLUE ink stamp on the front of my application with a RED ink stamp on the back and he hadn't been speaking English, I would've sworn I was back in the Czech Republic.
He also confirmed one more thing for me. Not EVERYBODY in Wisconsin is friendly. There are two such people now on my Nasty 'Sconsinite List: Mr. DMV and Mr. Piano Mover. So there.
"The sparrows jumped before they knew how to fly, and they learned to fly only because they had jumped." –L.O.
2 comments:
You made my day! So my nine month paperwork-discussion with our state office for retirement pension is not only a typical German thing :).
By the way in the end (after filling out a couple of documents I did not really understand the questions) I found out I will not get any pension for the time we have been abroad... Maybe I forgot the blue stamp on the front side of my paperwork and the red one in the back - or vice versa???
It is in the official "Code of DMV" to maintain no eye contact and appear stern at all times. Three weeks of their training is devoted to the no smiling technique only. It is not just Wisconsin!
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