Mexican Inefficiences

Excuse me while I vent for a bit. Mexico is known as the land of "manana" which means tomorrow. Everything will be done tomorrow and when tomorrow rolls around, if you can just wait until tomorrow and before you know it , it has been a month and still nothing. Well I think another nickname for Mexico should be the land of inefficient processes. There must be a law somewhere that says, whatever needs to be accomplished make the process long and elaborate with lots of useless steps. As a matter of fact, I heard that the Mexican government was having a contest to pick the most useless, inefficient "transito" or transaction. Even the government recognizes the problem, just no one is doing anything about it. What brought this on you may ask, today I went to get my Mexican driver's license - you'd think it would be super easy the way the roads are full of yahoos driving around, but you'd be wrong. To start off with, Joe and I have already been to the offices at least 3 times before and have found them closed or been told we need to go else where or we need something else. First to get permission to get a license you need a million copies of your passport, visa, us license, an electric bill with current address (which you have to have done somewhere else - they won't make the copies), and specific size pictures of yourself. Then you can go into the office to get permission to get the license, you have to take a written test, get fingerprinted, and fill out some forms. Then you take the paper work to a different person and pay for the permission and test. Then you return with the receipt to the first person and receive your approved paperwork. Next you have to leave that office entirely and go to the Department of Motor Vehicles. You get in one line and get your picture taken (not sure why we needed the earlier pictures). Then another line to get your information entered into the system, there you get a slip of paper that you take to another line to pay for the license. At the cashier you receive another paper to take back to the person who took your picture. There you wait in another line and if it is your lucky day, she will then hand you your license. Hooray for me! I made it and am now the proud owner of a Mexican driver's license and I didn't even go postal on anyone! I have come home with a huge headache though in additon to the license.