In a Five Step Process, We Have Seven More To Go: Day 2

(A continuation of yesterday’s story)

 

So DRJ and I met again and took off to a dreaded road transport place called “Kaliti.” Kaliti is a bit different than the offices from yesterday. Its main offices are in a big, long warehouse where you can see from one end to the other. Instead of individual desks, the workers sit behind a LONG counter, shielded by glass like you would see in an old fashion bank or a ticket booth. The small holes in the glass are not sufficient in allowing sound to pass through above the overall noise of this massive warehouse. Nevertheless, that was where we needed to be. We talked with the information lady (or “chaos controller”) and she said “window 16.” Now, I looked down the LONG counter and saw all the windows behind which workers sat waiting to help us, but with just a glance, I immediately knew which window was #16. How did I know, it was the one that had a large semicircle of people literally pressed against the glass stretching from window 15-17. Of course, all these other guys can’t help us, the worker behind window 16 is just that popular. DRJ, a professional at this since he is our organization’s government relations guy, looked at the stacks of papers in other people’s hands and determined what must be required. He made some photocopies, bought some forms, assembled our documents and then valiantly, starting at window 17, pushed his way along the glass to window 16. It looked really rude to me, but then I remembered, if this culture doesn’t know the value of forming lines, then they don’t know what “cutters,” “budgers” or “line jumpers” are – so there was no harm done. I couldn’t see what happened when DRJ got to the window, but I was nudged by someone who pointed down the row of windows. And there was DRJ waving at me from window 9! Really, these other guys can do stuff? Well, kinda. Window 9 had no “line” but we first had to wait until the window 9 guy was done talking with the window 8 guy. When he finally took our paperwork he looked at it for half a second and said “No witnesses.”

 

On the sales agreement, there needed to be the names and signatures of three witnesses. Any old Joe Blow’s signature would do but when one young man offered his services at a price, DRJ said “no we will go to our office and come back tomorrow.” As an American who thrives on efficiency, I thought, what’s a buck to save the need to come back to this place the following day? But to DRJ, paying some rascal to sign his name was out of the question and so we left - which ended our progress for Day 2.