Getting our money back, chapter 2
How would we retrieve the $1000 the Mexican government owes us? If you don’t know why they have our money, read chapter 1.
We thought we’d have to make separate trips to Mexico City, each navigating one of the biggest cities in the world in a language we barely speak. We expected semi-rude and overly complicated beauracracy. Our days in Mexico were running out, and we just had to try - $1000! Could we think of it as a potentially-paid trip to Mexico City?
My mom was visiting and we decided to go together, while Phillip stayed home with the animals. On our way to the bus station Mom suggested that she stay with the animals, and Phillip and I could go together and just get it done. Efficient and smart idea! But not the vacation/visit she’d been planning on. Oh, a mother’s love!
We went back to El Terreno and talked through the details of pets, solar electricity, food options. We packed. Finally ready, we called a cab company but couldn’t explain how to get to El Terreno in our lousy Spanish. Next we called Ezekiel, a taxi driver who could find the place. An hour later the taxi came, and Ezekiel got us to the bus station (dozens of stalls along the way).
We got to Mexico City at bedtime, and Stan explained how we’d get to the government offices the next day. We took a taxi to the subway and a train to the downtown. The Servicio de Administracion Tributaria building is amidst about 100 fascinating places to visit. Maybe we’d get our business done and have time to sightsee?!
We found the buildings without trouble and dared hope for friendly government officials. Though at least 5 guards at the gate had huge guns, they all said Bienvenidos with a smile and helped us find the office we needed. No one rolled an eye at our lousy Spanish. We started to go in the wrong door (having misunderstood some instructions) and a guard fetched and redirected us. We weren’t relaxed, but we started to breathe a little deeper.
3 Comments:
April 29, 2019
hmm, short chapter!
May 09, 2019
How did my earlier comment stay with this?! Glad to get this installment; looking forward to the next!
May 14, 2019
Since we’re on the road most of the time now, sometimes a post is scheduled to go out when we don’t have internet access. So an empty or unfinished post stays up for a while. When we get back online we reschedule it and the post (and comments) hide while we work on it. Now your first comment looks like it was made before the post. That’s fun!’