Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A Trip to the DMV

I went to the DMV today to renew my driver's license. This has been a most difficult thing to do, as my license expired while I was in South Africa. Normally, you can renew your license by mail, but I was requested to renew my license "in person" due to a "change of address." Not so easy to do when the change of address involves moving overseas! I tried to get a South African driver's license, I tried to get an international driver's license, I tried everything, but to no avail. SO... since I'm back in my home town for a few weeks, I made an appointment to renew my license "in person."

The DMV is a funny place. If you think South African queues are long, you should try waiting in line at the DMV... There is a digital sign just inside the building:

Estimated wait time at reception desk: 13 minutes
Estimated wait time without an appointment: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Estimated wait time with an appointment: 22 minutes

True to their word, I (who had an appointment) waited about 20 minutes. Fortunately, renewing it was a breeze and I am a happily licensed driver once again. Score one for American bureaucracy, even with the long wait.

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