With my papers in hand on Friday we headed off at 10 AM to catch a bus to the immigration building on the other side of town. Surprising ourselves by not getting lost, we arrived at 10:30, 30 minutes before the scheduled time (don't worry, though, we were able to pass the time by watching wrestling on the big screen TV at the building. I'm just so proud of some of the things our country is exporting...). 11 AM Ecuadorian time (aka. 11:15 according to everyone else's watches) rolled around and the process began. The first two people went up to the desk and things went smoothly. They had their newly (and still warm) laminated ID cards in hand. I went up with one other teacher. The police officer asked for my passport. I showed it to him. He flipped through the pages. He then asked for my old ID card (the one I had gotten when I studied abroad during the fall of 2009). I told him I didn't have it.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because it expired almost 2 years ago," I said.
"Sorry, we need to see it for you to get your new ID card," he responded.
After a quick back and forth I realized what I needed to do to get my new ID card:
1. I need to go get a lawyer to write a piece of paper saying that I don't have my ID card from when I studied abroad (which expired in December of 2009).
2. I needed to go to another police station and get them to print a new copy of my old ID card which, did I mention, EXPIRED IN DECEMBER OF 2009.
3. I then had to bring that old ID card back here so they could see it and then shred it before they would issue me a new ID card.
I had good directions to a lawyer given to me by the lady at the school making sure that we all got out ID cards...
1. Go to the intersection of "Benigno Malo and Sangurima".
Check. That wasn't too far from where I live.
2. Look for the "old house."
WAIT, WHAT? Just in case you weren't aware... Cuenca was founded by the Spanish in 1557 and many of the buildings close to the center of town can easily date back over 200 years.
"Do you know the address?" I asked.
"Just look for the old house," she replied with the 'it's not that difficult' look on her face.
"Ok. Should I tell the lawyer I'm with the school? Are they connected to the school in anyway?"
"Nope, this is just a lawyer"
"Ok," and I walked away wondering 'there are lawyers every block. Why do I have to go to the old house??'
After finding the intersection I looked around. Exactly as I thought... Every building looks just as old as the one next to it. I started walking into every store asking if they did 'Denuncias'. I finally found one, though I can't tell you if it was the one I had been given directions to.
After telling the young woman what I needed and making sure that the price was what I was told it should be ($5), I took a seat. I explained to the girl that I didn't have my ID card from 2009 and that I had left in at home in the States since I didn't know... She cut me off.
"You have to have lost your ID card here in Cuenca," she told me.
"Umm..." I didn't really know what to say.
"So you have to lie..."
There was a long pause.
"I was robbed the other day," I told her.
"No, it's better if you just lost it. Hold on"
And she started to write my Denuncia completely inventing my lie for me. It completely blew my mind.. I was supposed to get this statement from a lawyer to make sure that it's a truthful statement. It's like getting something notarized in the States. Yet, here the lawyer was writing my lie for me and being complicit in it as well.
"How about you lost it the 28th of August," she asked while stealing a glance at her calender.
"Sure," I said, not knowing what else to say.
She continued to type away.
"Wait, I wasn't in Ecuador on the 28th of August. How about the 15th of September?" I asked her.
"Sure!"
Five minutes later I had my official document in hand... But there was nothing I could do with it yet. I was already lunch time and most everyone goes home for lunch in Ecuador, even the police. I'd have to wait till 2:30 pm or so to do any of this to go to the police station. After cooling my heels at the school preparing for my Saturday class I got a quick bite to eat and was on my way. I wanted to get this done today.
I found the police station and, for some reason, thought it would be best to be directed where to go by the lady selling sweets in the middle courtyard.. After going to the wrong office first, I was directed to a small hole in the wall at the top of the staircase where I presented my Denuncia. The guys took one look at it.
"It's not written correctly, you need to have these words removed," he advised me.
I walked down two doors to the lawyers office and told her my dilemma. She printed off a new copy and, in no time, I was standing back in front of the hole in the wall. I was a little nervous. I was expecting to be asked how I had lost my ID. Well, I actually didn't know what to expect, but I was still a little nervous.
"You're an English teacher? That's cool! I'm learning English," he said with a smile on his face. I smiled back.
"Read me your passport number," he told me. I read it to him in Spanish.
"Oh, I really want to practice my English. Can I read it to you in English?" he asked. He read it to me in English and I told him that it was perfect. He smiled. He signed the piece of paper and I was on my way (yep, that's correct. I was wrong when I said they were going to print me a new old ID card).
Back at the police station I waited in line again and got to watch TV again (this time it was a soccer match, though). There were these two young men sitting next to me, clearly waiting for something. A couple of minutes later a woman walked in and shook all of our hands saying, "it's nice to meet you". I was really confused. Should I stand? The cop glued to the TV had even stood when she came in... Before I did anything, though, the police led her and the two young men away to a side room to talk about their immigration issues. She was a lawyer that was going to help them out... I guess it looked like I had immigration issues myself...
10 minutes later I had my new ID card in hand and was out of the police station. It was 3:40. It had been a long Friday. So much for a day off. I had 20 minutes to make it back to the school to go to my free Salsa dance class.
This post has been a lot longer than I thought it would be... I'll catch you guys up another night. This was just too good a story to pass up. Hopefully the details were worth it.
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