WAITING IN LINE IN MEXICO

By Don Fantástico

   Hi foxies! This is Don Fantástico. Don Lechón´s best friend reporting from an important mission. What I´m going to tell you about is something quite essential to know. 
    Everything takes forever here: waiting in line for the ATM machine, for the bank, for the supermarket, for your work visa, for people to move out of the way on the sidewalk, or pretty much anything; it takes a long time. Put yourself in foxie's shoes: they are repairing the road by your work and you have to take a detour that takes about ten minutes longer. It's already been going on for six months with no end in sight.

   You graduated from university and you're waiting for your degree. In the United States, this takes a couple months. In Mexico, this could take two years. So you better quit complaining or get the fox out because this is how it is here (These are all true stories by the way).  

This is just how Mexico is; a bad combination between slow systems, slow people, slow government or sometimes not enough budget to cover client´s demands. Call it a cultural dysfunction.

Picture taken by Vero de Araya

WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT IT?

   Alright foxies, if you can avoid queuing by using your web banking account, good for you. But for the rest us prole who are not as fortunate, it would require for us to go to the bank in person. As with many other procedures, you must physically be there because Mexico still isn't up to par on all things hip and internet. So here are some good tips from a sly fox like me in case you have a mission.

   1. Be brave and smile. A good attitude always makes time pass faster and all the people around you become empathetic.     

Coy giving her best smile.

         

   2. If you know you´re going to be on a mission, then wear comfortable shoes and clothes.

3. For any required documentation make sure you don’t forget anything. Get extra copies and bring not only the required information but everything you think they should ask for. Often times they'll also need something they conveniently forgot to mention. Better safe than sorry.

4. Be sure to have something to kill the time. Bring music, a book to read, make friends with the people around you, do homework or read Don Lechón.

5. If you ´re on an extra important mission like getting a visa, not only check the webpage, and call them but also ask help from a  friend who has already done the process. It may sound unbelievable but sometimes official web pages are not reliable.

Feel free to share more ideas in the comments!

Thanks for foxin' around town with Don Fantástico.