Hola amigos! I know it has been a while since my last post. I have been slammed with work and with the activities of daily living. Oh, and Immigration. My favorite thing of all time is having to go down to immigration and sit for hours. Today, finally, we saw some results.
Friday
Last week, we had all of our paperwork together and went down early on Friday morning for Lyn to be fingerprinted and, hopefully, get his permanent visa. Well, after waiting over an hour, we were informed that the “system was down” and we had to come back on Monday (today). Nevertheless, I was also waiting to get my process started, so we sat back down and waited a little longer. When my number finally came up, I was told the same thing. Come back Monday.
Monday (That’s Today)
So, early this morning we drove down to immigration once again, only to find out on this occasion that Lyn needed different photos — one from the front and a right profile. Fortunately, right across the street from immigration is a place that will take your pictures and even help you fill out the forms. (Why didn’t someone tell us this sooner? Oy ve.)
Lyn wanders over there while I continue to wait my turn. I figured I would also have to go over and get photos, but I could do that after I passed the first hurdle.
Oddly enough, when my number came up, I had the same woman who typically does the fingerprints and whom Lyn had just met with. Just when you think you have everything together is when they tell you you are missing some vital piece of paper. In my case, it was the Formato Basico. I don’t know how I missed it, but I did. Thankfully, the immigration officer was very kind. She suggested I go over to where the photos are taken, get a form to complete and return to see her. It was nice not to have to return another day, so that’s what we did.
Once again fortune smiled down on us, and Lyn had a blank copy of the form. And, since I also needed the photos, we headed across the street to complete all of the missing parts.
After we returned, we only waited a few minutes before she called me back up to the window. Guess what? I passed! I had everything!
Now I have to wait for the all important email instructing me to return to have my fingerprints taken. Once that is done, we wait again for notification that our visas are ready and make the final trip to immigration to collect them.
Other Things
In addition to jumping through immigration hoops, Lyn and I have been busy with work. Teaching business English means having a split schedule — working in the morning before everyone goes to work, and working in the evening after the work day is done. Schedules are subject to change, too, since classes and students come and go. I’ve been fortunate enough to have really great classes. Last week I had one more added to my schedule Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8 to 9:30. It is a group of 10 basic I students, all men, from the IT division of a bank. They are a good group.
Lyn’s schedule is more fluid than mine at the moment. The company is trying to transition him over to the same office I work from. This would help tremendously with our budget, as right now we are traveling in separate directions. Uber fares, while good, still add up at the end of the day and are really cutting into our funds. Somehow, we need to earn more money. Our expenses are fairly basic, as we own our car outright and we paid our rent a year in advance. That said, however, we still need to eat, pay our Uber fares, and put gas in the car. It may get a little better now that we’ve paid all of our immigration fees, but you never know.
Remember, each of us earns $10,000 pesos a month. Gas in the car is $600 per week. Uber is running between $800 and $1000 pesos per week. Food is usually $1,000 to $3,000 pesos per week. Dog grooming is about $500 pesos every three weeks. Then there are the other supplies we frequently have to get, such as markers, notebooks, paper, pens, etc. We did change the food we were feeding the dogs. It was costing $800 pesos per week ($80 pesos per can, or roughly $4 US each). We went back to a different brand, one that we bought in the states, that only costs $30 pesos per day, or $210 pesos per week. That makes a huge difference.
Sleep
The other activity that I do more of is sleep. Apparently, my thyroid level was out of whack. The dosage of medication I take has been lowered, and now I am sleeping a lot more. From no sleep to too much sleep. I’m not sure which is worse. I love to sleep, but I don’t get as much done during the day.
After this week, I will have two full days without any classes. I’m hoping then I can finally get caught up on things and find the time to have a little R&R.
Lyn and I would really like to get out and look around. We haven’t had time, really, to take any trips further than an hour or so away. Plus, we still don’t have plates for our car and I really don’t want to get stopped. Hopefully, all of that will be remedied and we can finally venture further than the mall!
I wish I had more to say, but that’s it for now. Happy Monday. I’ll be back!
donnageisler.com 