Ok, so my years of escaping the complete misery of the DMV have caught up with me. It's not as though I've had good experiences at DMVs, but they've never consisted of almost four hours of mean people, torturous waiting times, and unhappy customers. This experience is exactly why I had dreaded going and why I had put off going the entire summer.
Perhaps my first mistake was that I did not make an online appointment. In my defense, I tried to make one on Monday, but there wasn't a single opening for the rest of the week. And, given that I am starting a job next week, this one was my last opportunity to make a CA driver's license happen. My plan was to get up early and arrive when it first opened. But, then the weather decided to be uncooperative and pour. And, I didn't really want to arrive to my death at the DMV sopping wet. So, I waited until the rain let up and then went.
I stepped into the non-appointment line and immediately heard the lady manning the desk barking orders at people. And, yes, I do mean barking. I was terrified and I wasn't even near her yet. She was yelling at people for not filling out forms correctly, not moving fast enough, standing too close to her desk, etc., etc. But, let's pause for moment, why is it that at the DMV employers are allowed to wear whatever t-shirt and sweatpants they want to work? That sounds really condescending (and it probably is), but they are government employees and I can't think of other government offices that are allowed to dress so casual to work. I mean, how do you even take your job seriously when you're wearing a t-shirt with an ironed on wolf howling at the moon? When did I transport myself to Gatlinburg? Ok, back to the story, when it's finally my turn to approach scary lady at the desk, I'm trembling. I'm here to get a California license. PASSPORT! Um, Yes, I have it, here it is. FILL THIS OUT, DON'T SKIP ANY. Ok.
G126. It's my number. I filled out the form, extra careful that I didn't skip any questions. Unfortunately, I unwisely chose where to sit down to wait, because there were two teenage boys sitting next to me playing games on their cellphones. Ever heard of silent mode? Fast forward an hour, and I'm still listening to the beeps and high pitch noises of who know's what game. G126. Finally, my number is called.
I got through that phase quickly and pain free, and moved to the picture line. Dead halt.
Another almost hour of my life down the drain and all I have to show for it is a terrible picture where I'm half smiling.
{Getting bored yet, get up and stretch.}
I moved to the written exam area. I thought things were starting to look up. I finished my test, and guess what, got in another line to have it checked. Tick tock, tick tock. Oh, that's just another hour of your life. I approached the desk, I'm in the clear. The guy checks my test. 100%! No wrong answers, take that! He prints out my temporary license and hands it to me to sign. I glance it over and my last name is not hyphenated, it's one word. Hold up! I ask him about it, to which he replies that there is nothing he can do. I'll just have to come back when I get my license in the mail for them to fix it. What?!?! You, at the last minute, mess up my name and you're not going to fix it? My name was printed correctly on all the other paperwork!
Recap: I didn't have an appointment, their was a crazy mean lady manning the intake desk, waited an hour to get called to the first desk, waited 45+ minutes to get my picture taken, took my written test, waited an hour to have my test reviewed, and then had my last name misspelled just when I thought I would finally be freed from the life-sucking, windowless hole that is the DMV.
The guy forces me to sign the piece of paper that has my incorrect last name, so I stop holding up the line. By this point, I almost felt like giving up. But, the thought of having to return to this hell hole gives me the strength to keep fighting.
After waiting, then having someone tell me she can't help me because she's going on break, then some more waiting, then talking to a manager, then some more waiting, and then finally talking to probably the nicest person that works at the DMV, I got the problem solved. I had to take another picture (thankfully I escaped having to wait in the line again). Oh, and I'm going to be receiving not one, but two licenses from the DMV, one with my name spelled correctly and one with it not. How that works I'm not sure. It's a hyphen people, it's not that hard to figure out!
Four hours later and I felt like I was running from that place, I could not get away fast enough!
Some good news. My friend Shely flies in tomorrow! So excited to see her!
1 comment:
And this is why my middle name was Jaen for 4 years. Of course, it is probably more important to correct your last name. Glad you were able to get it fixed before you left.
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