So, after driving my citi golf for the past 7 years and spending a small fortune replacing the clutch, fiance and I decided it was time for a little upgrade. After much umming and aaahhing and crunching the numbers, I decided on the new 2010 Cross Polo (pictures and a new post will follow once I actually get the car!). When I bought Marvin (my golf) way back in 2003, I was really bad with paperwork (I have since improved) and lost my ownership papers. I have put off replacing them because, let's face it, no one actually chooses to interact with our governmental agencies! However, because I need Marvin to be traded in, I had to make the trip to the licensing department.
I decided to get to the department at 07h00 so I could get through the process before work. Turns out it opens at 07h30, so I ended up freezing my poor little nose off (it was a little bit of a walk to go wait in the car and a queue was forming already). Now, here comes a tip, if you've lost your ownership papers, firstly you have to go yourself (no Q 4 U here), secondly, you need an affidavit stating why you need another set of your papers. i would say phone the department If you have questions but you will probably have an easier task easing Jo'burg traffic in rush hour than you would of getting through to someone who can help. Just as I thought my quest had ended before it began (seeing as I did not have an affidavit), I was informed that there were cops on site who could sign my affidavit, but I had to survive a test! The office was situated through a number of cryptic hallways. After much wandering and looking at random cleaning ladies with my best puppy dog face, I found him. Then I realised something, I had no pen! I know, rookie mistake. Nonetheless, this brings mi to my next tip, bring a pen. The staff will not let you borrow theirs (probably from years of klepto's stealing them) and your fellow adventurers won't even look at you, much less loan you their pen. Thankfully a very helpful cop, not only let mi write my affidavit with his pen, but he also let mi fill in my pink form with it. Now, I was pretty chuffed with my resourcefulness and off I went to a counter, in the main entrance this time, where I was behind just one person, fantastic! The person behind the counter expertly photocopied my ID and attached to my growing pile of documentation and sent mi to wait for someone else. That person in turn sent me back through another set of corridors to a quiet office where an extremely helpful lady took my paperwork and told mi to come back in two days with my slip (that she had issued) and R230.
Now, I thought I was onto something good here, all I had to do was get back to the same office (hopefully I would remember the way) and get my ownership papers. Considering my first excursion was only about 20 minutes (excluding the half an hour wait in the cold) I should be done with my second trip in no time! So, this time, I arrived just in time (07h25, no cold nose for mi!!) and I was super exited to get my papers, I was even wondering why I had put it off for so long. This is when things went downhill, not even two minutes later, a creepy guy walked up to mi and randomly introduced himself to mi. Nothing really wrong with that, except he started asking really weird questions, like where do you live and are you here alone?! I normally reserve my alias for creeps like this guy but in my true style, I always forget it in times like this. I must say I was somewhat dumbfounded to think this guy could actually think he could pick up anyone with this tactic. Thankfully the doors opened and i started towards them as if they were to oasis sanctuary to my desert. Did i just call the licensing department a sanctuary?
Of course, he had to offer mi his number before I managed to make it to the door. Yuck! BUT, I was determined not to let this spoil my mood so off I toddled (more like speed walked) through the mazes, keeping myself in my 'happy place'. I found my way first time. proud of my accomplishment, i turned around to see if anyone was there to witness this feat... there was one. Idiot features was right behind mi! I could hear the horror movie music in my head and began to wonder if he would pull out a cloth soaked in chloroform and cart mi off to some random abandoned industrial building. I raced into the office and sat down. While the lady was busy taking my payment and processing my paperwork, I plotted my escape route. Given there was only one door, I thought I would stop at the cop's office I visited before (now thankful for forgetting my affidavit) if he decided to follow mi. That way, I could just drop him off and get on with my life. I walked out of the office and braced myself for the onslaught, when to my surprise, he whispered something (no doubt something creepy) and walked into the office and left mi to make a dash for it. Phew, I was free!
This whole incident should come as no surprise to mi, I have attracted charmers like this my entire life. Even though I knew creepoid was in the belly of the building it didn't stop mi from racing back to Marvin as fast as I could, without looking like a complete morons running to my car. This was, after all, not a horror movie. I did use my best evasive driving tactics (who says watching action movies are good for nothing) to get back to the office. Safely back at my desk, I realised that it wasn't the department that ended up being a pain, it was my 'special' friend. He really made mi feel icky!!
Now, I have to work on my goodbyes to Marvin. At least I still have 5 weeks while I wait for my new car to be built, to work on that. For now, I think I'll have a shower... or three.
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