One other tidbit

I am, after how many years as a wetback in Bolivia, finally a legal resident. The tramite for my residency visa was, as I have noted earlier, a pain in the neck and a little absurd.

Nevertheless, having vanquished the beast, I have to admit that there is something of a sick pleasure in tramites. It's like a game. It rewards persistence, patience and, especially, good humor. It helps to remember that nobody on the other side of the desk is in any way obliged to help you, but they might if they like you. That joke you tell them in the first thirty seconds might make all the difference.

Still, though, You never know when you're going to get stuck with starting over ten spaces back, or jump five spaces ahead. You step into an office, and you never know what office they will send you to next, or whether that will be the right office. What it is, really, is a twisted, real life game of shoots and ladders.