Fun At The DMV
I wanted to get a Real ID before the deadline. My Mom, sister and SIL live in Florida. If there is an emergency and I need to fly there, I want to be ready. I did my research on the Pennsylvania DMV website. There is only one DMV office in Philly where you can get a Real ID. I checked and double checked- an appointment was not required, nor was there any information on how to make one. They are open Saturdays from 8:30. I got the required documents and woke up at seven.
There was already a long line. After I got in line, security guard informed us that this was the second line, the one for people with paperwork. If we had not been given paperwork, we needed to walk over to the first line. I did that. I waited in line for a bit over two hours before actually making it inside the office.
I am not a very social person. I was polite but had minimal interection with the people around me. The woman in front of me was Haitain. Like the rest of us, she had a smartphone. She was definitely speaking Haitian French Creole. A man in a fantastic looking suit and a sharp pair of shoes, visited her few times to deliver food or dorcuments. I assume this was her husbamd. He didn’t seem to speak English either.
When we got inside, as we had been warned, there was another long line. I no longer have my lightweight, sturdy, folong bamboo stool. So, I had been standing all this time. My back and knees hurt a lot and were very stiff. This was obvious to anybody watching me walk. There were chairs about ten feet from the line we were standing in. They could not be moved. I really didn’t want to lose my place in line. So, I remained standing. The woman in front of me, without any attempt to communicate with me or anybody else in line, walked out of the line and sat down. She sat and did something on her phone. After ten or fifteen minutes, the line had moved closer to the desk a considerable amount. The woman stood up, approached me, said “Excuse me” and gestured in front of me.
I had intentionally not left a gap when she got out of line. I had overheard the two women behind me saying ‘Why did she get out of line? If she tries to get back in, I’m not letting her in front of me.’. I had agreed with them, mentioning that I had back and knee problems but did not want to lose my place.
I assumed the woman spoke almost no English. I politely but firmly said “No.” and pointed to the back of the line. Either she didn’t understand or she didn’t care. She said “Excuse me” again and gestured in front of me. I repeated “No” more firmly and again pointed at the back of the line. I had a thought and said “Non!” IIRC that is no in French. I was hoping the word was the same in Haitian French Creole. She said “Excuse me” a few more times. I repeated “No! Non!” a few more times with increasing firmness and volume. At one point, it seemed she was going to try to walk in front of me and force her way back in line. Doing my best to seem non threatening and non violent, I blocked her way with extending my arm and holding my granny cart sideways in front of her. Eventually she got the idea that I was not going to let her stand in front of me.
She then attempted to stand directly behind me. The two women behind me would not let her back in to the line. They were telling her she needed to go the back of the line. I explained that the woman was Haitian and did not speak English. I had a thought. I was bringing up Google Translate on my iPhone and trying to translate “You got out of line to sit down. You have lost your place.” into Haitian French Creole when the woman walked away. She went to a security guard. The guard immediately understood that she needed a translator. He sat her down somewhere while they tried to get her one.
At one point, my granny cart fell over. One of the women behind me, who had seen the trouble I was having walking and who I had mentioned my back and knee problems to, immediately offered to pick it up for me. I thanked her profusely but said I could do it myself. I point this out to show, these women were not being mean, or cold or anything of the sort. I was old enough to be their father and having obvious problems. One of them immediately offered help when I seemed to need it. The woman had gotten out of line for no apparent reason. She was younger than me. She was not having any obvious dificulty standing or walking (I was having very obvious problems by this point). She got out of line because she thought it would be nice to sit down- no other reason.
I made it to the front of the line and got a number. I eventually stopped checking on the woman. I had been sitting (finally!) and waiting for my number to be called for about 30 minutes by that point.
After about another two hours, my number was called. I presented the paperwork they had given me and the documents I had brought. They gave me another form and said to wait for my number to be called. Twenty minutes later, they took my picture. Twenty minutes after that, I had a Real ID.
NOTE- The line were extremely long. Rather than sitting quietly while waiting for their numbers to be called, most people were talking loudly to each other, talking loudly on the phone, or listening to music or a show on their phone without using headphones. The woman in front of me left the line and then tried to get back in.
However, all the DMV employees (though obviously overwhelmed) were doing the best to be cheerful. They were all friendly, polite and very helpful.
There was a Dollar Tree very near the DMV office. I bought a bunch of stuff I needed. I l also bought a frisbee with holes in it so it makes bubbles when thrown. Genius! It being Passover, I was unable to purchase any of the fiine junkfood there. They had Reese Peanutbutter Cups with Chocolate Lava (they are wonderful but messy) for an amazing price.