Fast forward to yesterday: I went down to get my new Oregon driver's license. I took the test and passed and when I was ready to get my photo taken and pay the license fee they asked to see proof of my identity. So I gave them my Colorado license (the one that I worked so hard for a couple years ago) and they said, no we need to see a birth certificate, passport or your green card if you're a migrant worker.
Well, I didn't have any of that, so I had to come home and rifle thru the safe for my birth certificate (my passport's expired, so I knew that wouldn't fly.) I drove back to the DMV with my birth certificate and when they called my number I went to the counter ready to get my photo and pay the fee and they said, "Oh, no - this is a hospital-issued birth certificate. We need one issued by the state."
(I'm thinking - if only I were an illegal alien - I'd be done with this already.)
So I drove home again with thoughts of coming back wearing my sombrero. I rummaged thru the safe again and found my certificate of baptism, my original social security card, my expired passport and VIOLA! My certificate of birth issued by the State of Washington. (Hmmm...says here I was born in Kenya...that can't be right!)
So all the way back to the DMV (sans sombrero) and as I'm standing in line to get my number, the Mexican woman in front of me is trying to see if she can get her license. Her daughter is translating for her as the attendant goes thru the list of documents that would allow her to get her driver's license. Birth certificate? "No tengo que." Permanent resident card? "No tengo que." Green card? "No tengo que." Sorry, I can't help you then. (Meanwhile, the state legislature is dreaming up some way to just hand them driver's licenses - and we citizens will still have to jump thru hoops. Grrrr....)
OK - I finally get the counter for the third time and luckily I have a document that they can accept. Photo time - by now I've wasted a whole day on this process and I have the sourest puss you'd ever wanna see on a driver's license. Oh, well, in 8 years I'll get another shot at it.
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