So what does this picture say to you? A guy waiting in line for some service, right? Maybe the Post Office, or some government building.
Right. It's the DMV (Madinat Khalifa "Traffic Area"). Again with the no one knows what anything is called situation. It looks pretty much like any other DMV you'll see in the US. Just as tacky colors and poor service.
But this is during lunch hour. This was the only time I could take a picture. People went to eat and siesta. Meaning the few foreigners could breathe for a bit.
After this day, I will never have issue with the US DMV again. Well, maybe.
I started out early, getting there at 8:00 am. I expected the worst - I mean it is the DMV, but I was told that Americans can just go in, and they do a vision test and then you're given a Qatar Drivers License. Easy. No driving tests, no written tests, nothing. It's no wonder that driving related fatalities are the leading cause of death in this country. The locals drive like maniacs in their Land Cruisers (the gulf must be the largest Toyota Land Cruiser parking lot in the world). The immigrants drive like they were taught in their home country. Whatever, drivers are of poor quality, no biggee.
I had the form prepared by our "Sponsor" - basically another company that has a Qatari head. So they filled out the paperwork, but a stamp on it and courriered it to me. I showed up and the woman had no idea what the form was. She gave me another form and said to fill it out.
Nothing on the form is written in English (believe it or not, this is actually a first for me). Although, in the last week, I've learned that any government document is not required to be in English. Only the DMV uses that rule. If you get a GSM line from Q-Tel the entire thing is in English.
Anyhow, since they only have Arabic forms, the will hire the non-English speaking workers. So after a bit of grunting, huffing, and puffing, I walked into the "Captain's" office. He said "Typing, OK, I sign. Typing. OK? Typing." So in a moment of utter stupidity, I thought, he meant that if I get it typed out, I'd have a license in a few minures. So I walked out and found a place that would type the form for me. Took a few minutes, but there are entire businesses dedicated to typing, photocopying, and takign pictures right outside the walls - to basically take advantage of myself. So I got the form typed.
Went back in and now I could do my vision test. I walked upstairs and there was a massive line in the 106 degree heat. I asked a Brit, and he said that they were told to just wait outside. I asked an Indian guy, and he said to follow him. We walked to the front where people were shoving and pushing to put their form into a little envelope sized hole in the wall where someone was doing something. So I followed suit and got a few elbows and had to offer a few, but the form got delivered.
I took my vision test in 5 seconds, but because I had glasses on, I needed a picture with glasses. This is a "brilliant" law. My vision was actually good enough to pass without glasses, but my picture needed glasses (because I walked in wearing them). But people like Genny - who are almost legally blind in the US - can get a driver's license in Qatar without a requirement to wear glasses because they wear contacts.
so back outside to find some more shady folk who can take my picture with glasses on. Click, print, pay. Pictures on the form now. But I go upstairs to have them sign that the pictures are ok, and I pass the test and they say the form is wrong. There is no stamp from the sponsor. I show them the stapled form (original incorrect form) and they say no. So I walk down to the captain and have him sign it. Ok, ok, Shukran (Thanks). He wrote some stuff, but I'm not sure what is said.
Went back upstairs, and she said that the new pictures have to be authorized with another stamp. So I went downstairs and got it stamped by another lady.
Now she takes and signs the form that I passed my test.
I went downstairs (again thinking I had finished) - and the woman takes my form and says I have to talk to someone special. So I go to the end of the hall where there is another man who says that he cannot give the license because I don't have the sponsor stamp. I show him the thing that the captain wrote, but he says I need to go back to him and have him say it is ok.
He signs again and I go back to him. He says ok, and writes more. Again to the captain.
Captain is pissed by this time - but he signs anyways. Shukran. The other guy signs allowing me to go to the next step.
I'm now lost. I ask a woman at one of the counters where to go next.
She says "Ameriqui?"
"Yes."
"155 Riyal please."
I pay
shutnk! "here license for you."
Huh? I'm not sure what happened, but I'm holding my license in hand.
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