Finally, the day had arrived! On this past Friday, my cédula de extranjería was supposed to be ready for pickup in Ibagué. Receiving this national identification card was the last step in the long process of becoming a fully documented alien in Colombia. With my cédula, I can obtain health care, open a bank account, and enroll at an educational institution. Yay! At 8am, I hopped a bus to Ibagué. I figured that the two hour, nineteen minute trip might take an extra hour max. Wow, was I wrong!
The roundabout route that I took through Giradot and El Espinal, which involved two separate buses, landed me at the Ibagué terminal around quarter to Noon. Unlike in the US, Colombian offices close from Noon-2pm. There are many exceptions, but the migration office in Ibagué is not one of them. I hopped in a taxi and asked the driver to step on it. We arrived at the office with a few minutes to spare. I jogged up to the security guard and mentioned that I’ve come to retrieve my cédula. He said that I would need to come back at 2pm. “But there are still a few minutes before Noon, and I only need to pick it up,” I sputtered in my winded Spanish. “I’m not going to finish what I’m doing in time,” he flatly responded. Not willing to argue with this guy, I turned around and sighed. What should I do? Go grab some lunch? Wait here on the sidewalk? While I took a minute to catch my breath and contemplate my next step, the security guard, who had apparently finished his task, called me to come through the gate. Woohoo!
I checked in and jogged up to the office. The migration official was finishing up with some folks and then called me up to the desk. I presented my proof of payment for the cédula and he looked through a stack of cards that had recently arrived. Mine was not there. Bummer! The official explained to me that the government’s new ID vendor has been mired in delays and errors. Apparently some cédulas have taken months to arrive instad of the typical ten business days! Unfortunately, there is no online system that I can check to see when the cédula will be ready, and the office cannot call or email me. Fortunately, the official had mercy and gave me his WhatsApp, instructing me to message him in eight days to see if the card arrived. Colombian bureaucracy!
A few months in to the visa/céduala process that I began on August 12, I’ll choose to believe that I’m almost to the end…just taking the long way.
Peace,
Alan
P.S. “Oh my, we came a long way But we went the long way No radio song play That's why what we got is so strong, ayy That's why you can't take it from me.” - Andy Mineo