We are officially residents of...Hell.
Actually, we are residents of Tennessee, but the process of becoming official was not an easy one. We all went together on Friday to get Tennessee titles and registrations for the vehicles, then we went to get our drivers licenses.
The Title and Registration process took approximately 20 minutes. Two people in front of us in line, beautiful office, fast efficient, comfy chairs for Buds and the kids while I stood in line. Buds and Yessa watched the big screen television, and Buds made up stories to fit the pictures of the soap opera that was on. One of the soapsters, an adult woman, was wearing fairy wings, so I can only assume he was able to spin a tale that intrigued Yessa.
We were all feeling so hopeful and light-hearted as we headed to the DMV for our licenses.
Imagine all the funny skits and jokes you’ve heard about the DMV, then make the weather hot and sticky, and have three children in tow, and you’ll come close to what our 3+ hour time at the DMV was like. Yet, in true TN fashion, everyone was very friendly and helpful, including the employees. They are obviously under-staffed, and they were all working hard.
Highlights included:
Buds has now napped in another new place. He was able to find a seat against a wall so he could lean his head back and snooze.
Our kids continue to prove themselves awesome and patient.
Yessa and I got to hear prayers chanted up close for the first time. The man next to me couldn’t leave his place in line to go anywhere for prayers, so he stayed in his chair next to us and had his introspective time.
Texting during a driving test will get you called out in front of a whole room of people.
Humor comes from the unexpected. The vast majority of the room had wait numbers that began with an “A,” “B,” or “C.” When an “F” popped up on the “Now helping” board, the whole room gasped, then laughed. It was a combination of realizing how completely surreal and out of our control this whole experience is, and we all wondered, “What the heck kind of problem does an ‘F’ have?!”
I don’t remember what this process was like in VA or IA, but if you are disorganized or poor or homeless, jumping through these hoops would be absolute torture. If you have to choose between taking a day off work to go renew your license, which leads to not being paid, I can understand the appeal of driving without a license. And as organized as I am, I still was concerned about having the “correct,” circuitous documentation they were looking for. From talking to my SIL, who went for her license on the same day, at a different location, the information she was given was different than the information we were given. This system is broken somewhere.
When all was said and done, we took care of everything in one day, we all survived, and we’ve added another tidbit to family lore. “Remember that time we were trapped at the DMV?!”
