Renewing your driver’s license in Honduras is definitely an
adventure. My licenses were set to
expire next week while we have a medical team here so I figured I’d better
start the process today and hope that I could get it done this week.
Yes, licenseS. I have
two driver’s licenses: one for cars and one for motorcycles.
The first thing you have to do is pay for your renewals at
the bank and obtain a time to go to the transito. So, I decided to be at Banco Atlantida when
they opened at 10:00am this morning. I
got there a few minutes before 10:00 and the line was already 40 or 45 people
deep, so I thought , “Forget it! I’ll come back this afternoon after class.” And then I had an idea...
I went home and gathered up all the stuff I need for class
at the university. Then I headed for
the medical clinic to get my physical exam.
Yes, you have to have a physical in order to renew your license. I got to the clinic and told them I needed my
physical and asked if they had time to get me in within the next hour and ten
minutes. I was told ‘yes’, so I paid my
fee of 225 Lempiras (almost $11) and sat down.
After a few minutes, one of the nurses called my name and I
went to into the room for weight, pulse and blood pressure. The nurse looked at my chart and said, “Oh,
you’ve lost weight.” Yup. I sure have!
And my blood pressure and pulse are pretty stinkin’ good, too, if I do
say so!
Then back out to the waiting room. After a bit more time, Dr. Espinal called my
name. Right away he said, “You look much
better than the last time I saw you.”
Dr. Espinal was the doctor who attended me when I had Dengue fever in
November. I’m definitely much better
than I was then.
My exam went well and the doctor wrote everything out and
had the receptionist put it in an envelope. Next, it was off to class for me.
I got back from the university, dropped off a few things,
and then made sure I had money to pay at the bank. On a whim, I decided to take the physical
form just in case the transito could see me today. The line at the bank was much more manageable
and there were only about 12 people in line ahead of me. Four windows were open, so I knew that wait
wouldn’t be too long. It only took about
10 minutes and I was at the window telling a young man that I needed to renew
both licenses. He took my current
licenses, my carnet, and then asked for 250 Lempiras – 150 for my car license
and 100 for the moto.
I asked if I could get an appointment for first thing
tomorrow morning and the guy said, “Yes, but if you’d like to go right now, you
can do that, too.” Sounds good to
me. I took my receipts and all my cards
(licenses and carnet) and started out the door.
Within a few minutes I was at the transito and in line
there. I was about 6th in
line, which was the best I’ve ever done there.
Another 10 minute wait or so, and I heard, “Next.” My turn.
I went in and sat down at the correct window, proudly handing over all
my paperwork to the police officer who has helped me two or three times before. He looked through all of my paperwork and
asked, “Where’s your psychological profile? And your vision test?” I told him they should be included on my
physical exam report, just like they were last year. He looked again. Nope.
So, back to the clinic to have the doctor change the report
to include my mental and vision status.
The doctor was available, in between patients. He came over and told me that they were no
longer allowed to include that info on the medical evaluations. Ugh!
Yes, he agreed that it was just another way to get more money. Dr. Espinal told me that there was a clinic
right across the way from the transito and I could get the psych eval and
vision test there.
I looked at my watch.
It was now pushing 3:00pm and I knew that they stopped issuing licenses
at 4:00pm. I had gotten so much done
today that I was now bound and determined to see this thing through to the end.
I’m not sure, but I may have broken a few laws on my moto
while trying to get back over to where the transito and psych offices are. Kind of ironic since I was working on
renewing my licenses, huh?
I pulled up in front of the transito office and a woman
immediately came over and said, “Are you renewing your license? Do you have everything you need?” As it turned out, she works at the clinic and
waits outside, drumming up business. She
escorted me to the office, where I explained that I have my physical exam, but
not the psychological evaluation or vision test. “No problem” I was told. They could help me. I got out my ID and more money… 200 Lempiras
for the psych test and 75 Lemps for the vision test.
The vision test was first.
“Do you wear lenses?” Yes, my
eyes are corrected to 20/20. “OK, cover
your left eye and begin reading this chart.”
(In Spanish, of course.) I made sure I read the letters in the correct
language. After the third line, it
dawned on me to tell the lady that my eyes are actually corrected in
mono-vision, and she had me using my reading eye for the distance. “No problem.”
She told me to switch eyes and I was able to read much further down the
chart than they require.
Next, on to the psychological evaluation. I had no idea what to expect. Last year at the doctor’s office, the doctor
just put that I was of sound psychological mind. Well, this year I had to take a test. An actual written test. In Spanish.
Um, excuse me???
I told the man that I’d do the best that I could, but my
Spanish isn’t all that great. He told me
that if I needed to bring a translator that would be fine. I told him that I’d try to figure it out and
we could go from there. The test had 77
True or False questions. 77. Not 75.
Not 80. 77.
Some of the questions were truly off the wall
- After I end one sexual relationship, I feel the need to immediately enter another.
- I feel that my spouse, significant other, etc. is always cheating on me.
- When I enter a room, I immediately feel that everyone is talking about me.
And so on, and so forth...
I answered the questions the best that I could. There were several that I wasn’t sure I had
translated correctly, because I was unsure if I had translated a direct object
or indirect object. Oops.
The whole time, I was looking at my watch, hoping I could
get these six degrees of hell over with.
Seriously, 77 questions. In a
language that is not my own. I actually
envisioned the guy looking at my test, laughing, and calling some guys in white
coats. OK, maybe that DOES make a
statement about my psychological status, or self-esteem, or something…
Finally, I finished and brought the test out to the
guy. I had a seat and he pulled out a
red pen. A RED PEN. Truly, what pit of hell was I in? I started joking, asking why he was circling
some answers and underlining others.
Both he and the woman who had guided me to the clinic said not to worry,
that everything was okay. Then the guy
started writing on the ‘official’ paper that goes to the transito. He looked up and said, “You’re fine.” Gee, thanks.
I looked at my watch.
It was 3:35pm. The woman told me
not to worry, that there was no one waiting in line right now.
Taking my papers, I quickly made it across the street, and,
true enough, there was no one waiting.
So, I opened the door to the ‘inner sanctum’ and asked, “May I pass?” “Yes, please.
Come in and sit down.” The police
officer I was talking to earlier came back over and smiled, then said, “I see
you made it back in time.” I handed him my
papers and told him I should have everything he needs. He looked them over, took my driver’s
licenses and carnet, and started tapping away at his computer. “Susan, do you still live in Barrio Cabañas,
at Enlaces?” “Yes, I do.” “OK. Look
at the camera.” Click. And again.
Click.
In less than 5 minutes, I was walking out with two warm,
freshly printed driver’s licenses!
To celebrate, I stopped at Wendy’s and had a Frosty!!
My total expenditures to get my driver’s licenses:
Physcial exam: 225
Lempiras
Car license: 150
Lempiras
Moto license: 100
Lempiras
Psychological eval: 200
Lempiras
Vision exam:
75 Lempiras
Misc. copies: 3 Lempiras
Frosty:
21 Lempiras
________________________________
774 Lempiras ~or~
$37.41
Real value of going through the rigamarole of renewing my licenses: Priceless!
Real value of going through the rigamarole of renewing my licenses: Priceless!
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