This morning I started with a trip to the law courts to get a criminal record check. It was the fastest most efficient visit yet! The man at the gate sent me in to talk to the woman at the information desk, she told me I needed a photocopy of my passport. Conveniently, just across the street was a VW bus with three photocopiers and two people in it that was open for business. I went back in, took a number, sat for only a couple minutes, went up the window, gave the man my passport and 50 Bs and he told me to come back tomorrow. (This is the only one of three certificates I need that I didn’t have to make the payment at the bank and then pick up the certificate at one office before going to another.)

Feeling pretty pleased with myself I decided to tackle my F.E.L.C.C. certificate. According to Steph’s note, the office is on Calle Jaime Mendoza on the corner of Idelfonso Murguia. Google maps found Calle Jaime Mendoza but had no idea about Idlefonso Murguia. It looked to me like Calle J. Mendoza ran a short distance between two traffic circles with a limited number of side streets so I decided to take my chances. It was about a 30 minute walk from the courts (uphill) but I also had to pop into the bank to make the payment. The bank wasn’t overly busy and it was a lovely morning so I set out confidently. I found Calle Jaime Mendoza, walked to one end, no sign of Idlefonso Murguia or any official looking buildings so I headed the other way. I got to the traffic circle and still nothing. I asked a few people and when two both said I needed to turn left at the traffic circle, I went for it. It turned out that Jaime Mendoza kept going (mainly downhill). I found a building that looked like it could have police related and spoke the old man at a garage door. He had no teeth and was not very comprehensible but it seemed to be saying that the office had moved and I needed to go closer to the centre. I kept walking down Jaime Mendoza (which turned out to be a major road that runs for a long way). I stopped at what said it was a police station but turned out to also be a library. No police in sight but the person in the library said to go four more blocks down to a pedestrian overpass and the office would be under it. I found a building that said something about community policing but no one was around. I started asking shop keepers. Several told me to go back up the road – first to the previous underpass, then two blocks, then four… I was about to give up when one of them called me back and said to turn at the next corner and ask at the police outpost. I did and although the police officer didn’t seem to know what I was talking about, there was a woman waiting for something and she told me the F.E.L.C.C. office moved to Villa Harmonía near the Q micro stop. When I checked Google maps it showed Villa Harmonía as a long way away. By this time I had been walking for over 2 hours so I gave up and went home for lunch.

I successfully dropped off some laundry at the place across from my house (which only seems to be open midday) and was told to come back in an hour to collect it. They wash it and give it back to you to hang out to dry yourself (or at least that’s the option I went for). I had lunch, picked up my laundry, hung it out and headed to the BiblioWorks office. Maritza called information (I think) to find out the address of the F.E.L.C.C. office and confirmed that it is now in Villa Harmonía but said it is very far and would be an expensive (20 Bs, about $3 USD) taxi ride. Luckily Juana was in the office (she only works a few days a week) and said she lives very close to the office so she would take me on her way home. We decided to leave at 4 pm to allow an hour to get there and time before the office closed.

I managed to reply to a few emails to people inquiring about volunteering and touch base with some people who should be here soon and then it was time to go.

The micro was quite full and traffic was very jammed in places but I saw some new parts of Sucre as well as figuring out some of the ways babies and toddlers are strapped to their mothers. The trip took an hour and then we walked up a steep hill to the office where the woman behind the desk informed us that they don’t do the document I need. Instead I need to go to the police offices around the corner from BiblioWorks where Interpol is. Blurgh.

I said goodbye to Juana and headed back towards the centre of town. I managed to get dropped off a few blocks from my place, came home and had dinner.

Tomorrow I will go pick up my certificate from the law courts and then try again to get the certificate from F.E.L.C.C.

I think I won’t plan on accomplishing anything else tomorrow until I see how that goes.

In other news the preparations for Saturday’s parade continue. There are bleachers being set up along one road and on other the curbs have paint markings to show the sections. (If the wifi were cooperative, I’d add some photos but I have already lost this post once – luckily I draft my posts in a document first just in case.)