Room 101

Today was an interesting experience, to say the least. I'm trying to turn it into a positive one, although struggling, to be honest with you. I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Herald Square to get a state ID so that I don't have to lug my passport round with me as proof of my MANY years above the legal drinking age. I turned up, and was immediately rejected and sent back to Social Security because the office I'd been to (which I'd been raving about because it was so quick and empty) had used a photocopied form, and that wasn't acceptable.

No, I'm not joking.

And yes, I nearly cried.

Particularly when I realised I'd have to walk through Times Square to get to the SS Office, which, as you may know, is NOT my favourite place in the Big Apple.

And then when the kindly security guard told me that I would have to wait around TWO HOURS for this letter.

So I sat, waited, tried to ignore the crazy people and the huffing woman next to me who could not stop bitching about how ridiculous the wait was. Yes, lady, that is the case, but you moaning about it is not going to change anything. How about you read the report I'm reading on the denial of women's property rights in Ghana and learn how really tough some people have it? EH? Ingrate.

Which leads me to the positive for today - gratitude that I speak the language, understand what's going on, and didn't have anything difficult to ask of Social Security. People were struggling with the bureaucracy, forms, everything. It's a nightmare. But the woman who served me was gloriously efficient and within a minute I had my letter.

So back to the DMV. Where the queue just to get the form you needed to fill in and find out which queue you had to go to next was OUT THE DOOR. Luckily, I had the form & knew the queue from this morning, so went (after mix up with the toilet queue) to stand in it. And stand I did for another hour (there having been a mere three people ahead of me this morning).

However, what also was positive - good people. The gentleman who took my documents and photo for me was sweet, cheery and helpful - which must take some effort on Friday afternoon at the DMV. I sat next to a lovely guy with his daughter who were sweet and loved talking about the World Cup. I stood in the queue with a guy trying to get his life back on track after prison and drugs problems and, other than his insistence that "black people have to talk like black people - I can't be doing with my people talking like they're white, that's fake" to which I mumbled something incoherent and awkward, he was sweet, friendly and funny. So that's a positive.

After sixteen hours without food (which for me MUST be some kind of record) I had a tostada black bean salad from Burrito Box.

Life is good. Particularly if you don't have to go anywhere near social security or the DMV.