The Kitchen is completed!

Drum roll please....... Our kitchen is done!

A good thing that results from expecting visitors is that I have to get my house "visitor ready" in other words, super duper clean. So, I couldn't help but take advantage of that sprucing up by also taking some photos of my cleaned kitchen. The reason I wanted some good photos of my kitchen is that while Wally was away, I finally finished our kitchen remodel! I had tile back-splashes installed! Jorge Rodao (originally our plumber) does great tile work.  The name on his business card is OkTUbre, his cell number is 094 561 194

He has done a lot of tile work for us and I have always been happy with the results. The week before Wally arrived I did have to scramble to get the kitchen done. The tile company made a mix up on our order and only gave us 1 meter of tile, instead of 2 and then they ran out of that pattern and had to order more to complete the job. So it came right down to the wire, time wise, to get the "surprise" kitchen back-splashes done.

Trends come and go in the fashion industry and that includes the newest home decor designs. One year it's dark wood kitchen cabinets then the next it's white and painted. The same goes for tile and surface materials. For a few years now glass tiles  have been in vogue for kitchen and bath use, versus ceramic. I don't really care. I just wanted something I could live with for a very long while, meaning it needed to look good and be functional. I looked around at the available ceramic tile here but my neighboring shops only seemed to have large square tiles, the kind I would use on the floor. There weren't any "cool" subway tile designs or ceramic mosaics (that I could find). They did however have a variety of border tiles that were made up of glass tiles. I looked online and found out that back in the USA designers were using these glass tiles as whole wall coverings. So, I took the plunge, a glass tile backsplash is what I wanted. The color is a rich mix of browns.

Jorge tried to tell me that in Uruguay they were only using these tiles as a thin border band mixed into regular ceramic ones. Yes, I knew that and I liked that look very much. It was just that I couldn't find any ceramic tiles for my kitchen, that I liked. Since I was trying to get this done in a hurry before Wally's return, I didn't have the time to go searching through stores in Montevideo. Plus, how would I carry home heavy boxes of tile, since I was not driving? So, I asked Jorge how much I needed to buy and he said 2 meters. He drove to the tile store and  I bicycled there to meet him. He put them in his car for the job later. They were kind of expensive because I thought I was getting the 2 meters for $2750 pesos but I was really only quoted the 1 meter price, so double that amount and the job proceeded.

Jorge brought his son Jorge Jr. along so he could see what tiling a kitchen was like. Since it was a small job he thought his son would make a good helper and could learn something. Also, using the border tile as a total wall covering was just odd enough that he wanted him to see the completed job.

Here are some "before" and "after" pics of my kitchen.

The area behind the stove definitely needed a back splash. I would have loved to have put a tile mural behind this area but not finding any for sale, I settled for the tiny glass tiles instead.

I decided to extend the backsplash under the hanging cabinets as well. Wally wouldn't have done that do to the expense, but he wasn't here, so having saved up the money for the job, I indulged myself!

Wally originally wanted the backsplash only above the sink, taking the word "splash" literarily. He had mentioned that he wanted the tile to wrap around the sink window ledge so I took his words into account. I ended up going with that idea and tiling the little window niches as well. As mentioned before, I had talked about tiling the stove area and  had wanted a tile mural but since stoves here in Uruguay come with a hinged glass lid that you lift up when cooking, he didn't see a "real need" to tile that area.  Again, I know it was the expense of the materials that he was thinking about. That is why I secretly saved up some money. I knew I had to complete the job before Wally's arrival.

As regards the finished job, I love the way the glass tiles pick up the light and shimmer. The brown color makes us both want to sink into the kitchen and let it surround us with dark coziness, yet it's also bright, as it sparkles with the play of light bouncing around off the tiles. I'm delighted with the results!

As I predicted, Wally loved my vision and the completed kitchen. Wally loves to cook and he was glad that I had free reign to tile away.

AdSense Is Nonsense

Well, after almost 2 months of parading ads on our blog, the AdSense team (the portion of Google that provides the ad service) has determined that the "clicks" on our ads were invalid. I don't know what that means, and they don't explain. We feel used (and not in a good way).

However, after "earning" $50 over the two months, which they didn't pay, we were very disappointed. I actually got into the habit of checking the account each day and being excited to learn that we had earned 70 cents or so. But that ended when, out of the blue, they cancelled our account with no warning. Suffice it to say that we have removed the ads and have joined the numerous people who are disenfranchised with Google AdSense. After canceling our account, they would have left the ads on, so I had to remove them, myself. You can read some other complaints here and also here.

So for all you purists out there that felt we were "selling out" by allowing crass materialistic ads to appear on our pristine blog, you should be very happy. We have learned our lesson and would not try and use an ad program, especially AdSense, again. Except for the powerful name backing them, it would seem to be a scam.

Twenty-five dollars a month would not appear to be a large amount, but we could have enjoyed a dinner at our local restaurant. So I will have to content ourselves with an ad-free blog and homemade tacos.

Jumping Through Hoops

Well, to finish the story of the problematic driver's license renewal- I finally have it in hand. However, it was not without a lot of work and I didn't get a 10 year- just the 3 year. Here is why......

I didn't realize that my license had a restriction. I don't wear glasses and that is the only restriction I am familiar with from the U.S. However, Uruguay also has medical restrictions, among them high blood pressure. So if you, like me, have hypertension, and it is reported when you apply for the license, you will have a number "2" restriction. The complete rules and regulations are laid out here.

Not knowing this, however, I went to a clinica for the medical test, that I was expecting. After the doctor filled out all the paperwork and I paid ($560 pesos), he slid another form across the desk and let me know that as soon as my doctor filled that out, we could proceed. Since my Medico Uruguaya membership doesn't start until next month, I was stuck. I went to several hospitals, 3-4 clinics and walked around all morning, trying to get a general examination and medical diagnosis for hypertension. Finally, completely defeated, I returned to the clinica and told them I would just have to get my money back and try another day. The assistant said that the doctor could take me on as a "patient" and sign the paperwork. Obviously this was not something that was done regularly.

After some discussion, and a brief examination (and a $300 peso fee), the doctor filled out the paperwork and I was able to show up 20 minutes before my appointment at the Intendencia (city hall). You can make an appointment online, here, or go the the Intendencia in person, as I had. I went into the room about 10 minutes before my appointment, and was curtly told to wait outside until my appointment, at which time I could come in and wait for my name to be called. When my name was finally called, I showed them the paperwork and the lady told me to go upstairs and pay first. She said most people forget, anyway. That was when I found out I could not get the 10 year license. With medical restrictions, you are limited to a 3-5 year license (so they can check your progress, no doubt). So I paid the $371 pesos and after that, I returned, handed over my paperwork, was electronically fingerprinted, photographed and within 10 minutes, walked with a brand new license, good for another 3 years. Coincidentally, it will expire right after the new cedula expires, so that will be a convenient reminder.

So, another hoop jumped through. Uruguay is the land of hoops, so you better get used to it. Now, the next hoop is getting a matricula (auto registration card) in my name and new plates. I can hardly wait.

A Trying Day!

Today was a day of tests!

Wally and I had to go into Montevideo today. It seems that Wally suddenly realized that his Drivers License was not valid for 3 years like he thought but was only good for 2 years! So, it was off to the  Capital to get a new one. Our first test of the day happened when we were passing through the toll booth (the Peaje in Spanish). Our discount tag didn't work. The toll normally cost's $50 pesos each way. With our discount it only costs us $10. So rather than shelling out $100 pesos for a roundtrip we pay only $20. That's quite a savings for us. We still had $200 p. left on our account. The problem was the tag had expired. The tags have a small chip in them, allowing them to be read by radio and thus passing the tagged cars through gates faster than a cash transaction would take. The tags have to be renewed every 2 years.

It costs $160 pesos to replace the tag if it becomes damaged or lost. Still even if your tag is okay, the account needs to be renewed every 2 years. That sounds simple enough to do. However, this being Uruguay the land of "red tape" and bureaucracy the answer is, Nooo!  If I've never explained how hard it is to get that discount let me say so now. You have to give them a copy of your House Title or rental agreement, notarized!. You need a copy of your property tax bill. A letter of residency stating that you are a "permanent" resident here. That letter has to use the word "permanent" in it! We had to take our letter back to our notary so he could add that word! That letter has to be notarized! You need a copy of your Car Title. Initially you need a current electric bill with your name and address on it. All of this is kept on file.

When Wally went to ask them to sign us up again/renew it, they said we needed a new (current) electric bill which of course we didn't have on us! Also, upon reviewing our file, it seems that they felt, we were missing 1 page from our vehicle title's paper (a car's title has as many or more pages than a house title does) and suddenly, this time around, they didn't feel, they had a proper house title on record from us for our house. They gave Wally a list of things to copy and bring back. They also said they wanted to "see" (again) all of the original titles to verify the copies we would be leaving with them. Many Uruguayans we know have given up on trying to get this discount. Being retired and poor as we tend to be, it is "Vale la pena" (to be worthwhile) to us because of the money saved! Needless to say, that day, we paid the $50 pesos each way. What an annoyance. What a test!

Another test came when our cars's brakes seized up. It was so hot, 93.2 degrees fahrenheit (34C) that the heat combined with  the stop and go city traffic caused the (too tight) brakes to expand and bind up. The car wouldn't budge in any gear. We were afraid we would get stuck in the middle of traffic and that we'd have to have the car towed. Fortunately for us when Wally "had" to pull over, we stopped right in front of a parking garage. Wally inched the car into a stall and we parked it with the company.

We then walked to where we were originally going to, a health clinic. At least, we were able to see this lovely tree in bloom. The day was bright, the sky was clear and a deep blue but did I mention it was hot, hot, hot! What a bother. What a test!

To get a driver's License here, you have to get a simple health test in an approved clinic that is set up with the proper paperwork needed by the Driving license board. Not just "any" clinic will do. In the past  Wally just walked into the "approved" clinic, waited and then was examined right away. This time he was told that he needed an appointment, Okay, but when he tried to schedule one, even though he was standing "right in front of them" he was told that he had to call in the appointment! We didn't have our cell phone on us. Now this day was really testing Wally's patience! What a challenge. What a test!

We then walked to city hall, and found the drivers licensing department and asked them what Wally might need to get his license besides the health test. They said he would have to make an appointment with them first! However, unlike the health clinic he could schedule one right then,Whew! By now, Wally's feet were beginning to ache. He had made the mistake of trying to look like Don Johnson from "Miami Vice" remember that old TV show? The character wore no socks. Wally had thought he would be driving everywhere instead of walking. Now it was a test of his pain tolerances!

Then, it was time to go home but how were we going get home? What would we do about our car?

 After 4 hours of sitting in the garage the car's brakes cooled down enough to get us out of the city. A few times, we had to pull over to let them cool again. On our last pull over and cool down, we stopped at a gas station and there was a mechanic shop next to it. They didn't do brakes but the mechanic agreed to look at them anyway. After a few pokes and some adjusting by him, the brakes worked fine! No more troubles at all! When we asked how much we owed him he said nothing! He saw how, "out of sorts", we had been and he just wanted to help us!

It seems like, just when the red tape, bureaucracy and tests in Uruguay start to overwhelm you, the Uruguayan people come to the rescue! They make it all "Vale la Pena". Uruguay is a great place to live!

Welcome Back Wally!

It's been a month since Wally's return to Uruguay and my friends thought it was high time to have a "Welcome back, Wally" karaoke party. We have been too busy to have had it sooner. I thought you'd like to see the invitation (in Spanish) that my friend Carolina made up and e-mailed out for us. Last week (the date shown on the invitation), we were all set to have the party, about 25 people acknowledged that they were coming. Salads and desserts were promised by those invited since this party was to be a "lluvia", which means shower or rain/rainfall in Spanish. The word lluvia corresponds to our English term "Potluck" with the idea that everyone contributes to the buffet meal. Well, the weather turned ugly and threatened to pour down real rain that night. Since many of our friends would be arriving on motorcycles and bicycles we took pity on them and canceled the party. We asked instead, for a "raincheck", how fitting that term was! We were literarily asking for a change on account of rain.

This week's party saw better weather but only a dozen people  attending. One couple's child was sick so they bowed out with lots of apologies and several others had to go to work instead on the new date. I'm sorry that my bicycle buddies Veronica and Nancy couldn't come this week, I really owe them a separate dinner for all of their help while Wally was away.

We had some Chorizos and salami. Here in Uruguay Pizza normally comes without Mozzarella cheese unless you request it as a topping, so one person brought little pizza squares, sin (without ) cheese. One person brought a bunch of thin sandwiches and I mean thin.  It's funny how I still find things different and amusing in this country. The sandwiches in question were not thin due to a lack of ingredients or finances on the part of our friend rather they were store bought and these are the typical sandwiches found here. I've seen these flat ones many times before and I finally had to ask about their size. That seemed to cause some confusion as my friend couldn't conceive what I meant by fatter, thicker ones. My friend kept asking, "Do you mean sandwiches made on Buns and not white bread?" "No, sandwiches made with white bread just bigger and thicker!" "I can't picture thicker sandwiches!" Oh well, I left that subject alone and took a picture instead!

Then it was time for karaoke. Wally wrote everyone's name down, then we picked their names from a hat (a straw hat) and he made everyone sing. We have slowly been adding Spanish songs to our Karaoke player. Our friends sang Spanish songs this evening. Wally and I even tried singing some songs in Spanish! With some help from our friends, we sang, that is I tried, Fotografia, a duet, by Juanes and Nellie Furtado. It's a song I intend to work on and really learn for future karaoke gatherings. If you think that Spanish speakers talk really fast, you should see how they sing. Many songs may start out slow enough but most verses seem to increase in speed as the song progresses.

Since we had to sing in Spanish, Wally made them sing one song each in English (empathy training). Our friends seem to love the "Backstreet Boys" so a group of them tried, "As long as you love me" by that group. Most people here know English songs so they bested us with their English while I still hung my head down in shame.

One couple really surprised us with how well they could sing. Andrea sang a very Spanish (from Spain) type of song "Ojos Asi" (eyes like that). I think it had some Arabic lyrics as well (not that any of us know that language) during the singing, we felt we should all be wearing boots and doing the Paso Doble. Everyone started clapping hands in unison and someone ran around like a bull plunging at an invisible cape. 

Andrea's husband is named Marcelo and he is a real character. He works in Montevideo and has been riding the bus to work for some 14 years. It takes 1 hour to get to Montevideo by city bus from Salinas and Marindia and Marcelo has accumulated some very funny true-life stories from that long roundtrip bus ride each day. He cracked us up by telling us some of those stories.

One day on a very crowed bus he was sitting down next to someone while others were standing. The ones standing were holding on to the above hand rails.  Pressed up against them was a man standing. This man kept looking under his arm, that was holding on to the grab bar at the man seated next to Marcelo. Peeking under his arm he kept staring and staring at Marcelo's bench companion. Finally, the sitting man said out loud "Hey! "Why do you keep staring at me?" The standing man said,"I'm staring because except for the mustache, you look exactly like my wife!" The sitting man said, "But I don't have a mustache!" The standing man said "I know, I was talking about my wife!" A true story!

Another time Marcelo was ridding on the bus when a policeman came on board. As a side note the bus companies allow up to 2 policemen to ride for free while on the same bus. If a third one steps on he will have to pay. Well a policeman came on board payed and during that he dropped his gun, it slid out of its holster. An old woman saw what happened and picking up the gun she walked over to the policeman. Gripping the gun she pointed it at his head saying,"You lost your gun, you lost your gun!"

Carolina my friend and interpreter in emergencies, made a torta (cake) for dessert. It was "muy rico" (very rich) a phrase, often heard here. It had a frosting of whipped cream and was layered with what else but Dulce de leche. If you live here in Uruguay you must learn to love and embrace that carmel like substance as it is in or on 99% of the desserts served. I went from being so so about it, to challenging myself to find desserts without it, like finding lemon torts for instance. Finally, I found a brand that I liked called "Los Nietitos" an endearing term for the grandchildren. Now, I too buy big tubs of it. Apples and Dulce de Leche, umm,umm, yum,yum!

We stayed late into the night laughing and singing, glad that Wally was back and so was our Karaoke parties!

Tortillas

Being from California, originally, we naturally love Mexican (technically Tex Mex) food. Most people think of Uruguay as having that type of food. Not so. Uruguay caters more to Italian based pasta dishes and Mexican food is foreign food, and not very popular.

Corn tortillas are unheard of here. Not surprising since producing the masa (bleached corn meal) for the tortillas is a high energy and high polluting process. Millions of liters of water in Mexico City are polluted each day with the calcium hydroxide (limewater) solution needed to produce the masa. Little wonder that Uruguay would not wish to produce corn tortillas for a population that really has no taste for them.

However, a few years ago, flour tortillas began to show up in the markets. A few mexican restaurants have even sprung up, though to be honest, the food doesn't really taste like California. We recently went into town and had a burrito at the California Burrito Company in Old Town (pictured left). It was OK, but nothing to write home about. The "corn chips" pictured below were vile- really. Obviously made from regular corn meal and attempting to pass for corn tortilla chips. 

Up until recently, I have been satisfied with buying flour tortillas from Tienda Inglesa (our local giant supermarket). But 2 weeks ago I couldn't find the better brand ("Bimbos", if you can believe that) and had to buy another type. They look perfectly flat and gave the appearance of being made of cardboard, but I wanted tacos and so I bought them. When I got them home and used them, I realized that cardboard would have been an improvement. So, I wondered if I could make flour tortillas, myself. For years, in Seattle, we had made corn tortillas, since masa is readily available there. We had a cast iron tortilla press and cast iron griddles. So I looked into flour tortillas.

Interestingly, flour tortillas are very easy to make and despite the fact that this was my first effort, they came out surprisingly well. Here is what you need:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup warm water

I found this recipe that had the lowest amount of oil. Other recipes used as much as 1/3 cup. I mixed the dry ingrediants in a bowl and slowly added the water and oil mixture until it formed a crumbly, wet dough.

Then you form it into a ball on a lightly flour dusted surface, knead for 4-5 minutes and cover with a cloth for 20 minutes to let the dough rest.

You then pinch off golf ball sized bits of the dough, roll them round and cover them for another 10 minutes.

After that, you flatten them on the surface by hand to about 4", then roll them out with a rolling pin to about 7" or 1/8" thick. I actually didn't roll my thin enough, so they were closer to pita bread, but still came out fine.

Cook them on a hot griddle (or cast iron pan) until they bubble and brown (about 30+ seconds each side) and plot them on a plate.

They were fresh, warm and did not taste a bit like cardboard. Plus, I don't have to drive or walk into town and buy them, I use items I always keep on hand, so Denise and I can enjoy fresh warm tortillas whenever we want.

Cedula- A National ID

We are legal aliens! We got our cedula renewed!

When we were younger, Wally and I did a lot of traveling together and we also, lived in several countries. We did that last feat by doing what millions of tourists do, we went into a country as tourists but then we stayed! A US passport can get you into most countries for about a stay of up to 3 months. After three months time, many countries allow you to extend a tourist visa for a short time. You can also, just simply cross the border and go into another country, get your passport stamped then come back the next day, or so and start another three month stay. Countries don't really want "Perpetual Tourists" living in them this way, "forever" but many people choose to do this. Some people do this because they are part-time residents, spending only 6 months at a time in a country of their choice. When we lived in Germany, eons ago, we rather enjoyed these forced border crossings, in search of a passport stamp that would start the period over again. We visited such places as Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, and Belgium to name just a few. When we lived in Portugal we crossed into Spain.

However, when we choose to "retire" here in Uruguay, we knew we would be here to stay! We also wanted to do things the right way and get legal residency. After all, we were buying a house here and would live here 24/7, not dividing our lives between multiple places.

 So from the very beginning, we arranged to get our immigration papers in order. We hired some help. Before even coming here, our Birth certificates and our Marriage certificate had to be "legalized" at the Uruguayan consulate, in the US. Even though we were legally married in the USA, we had to be legal in the eyes of Uruguayan law. Arriving down here, we then had to have an FBI check and get fingerprinted. We got health tests done, and our marriage and birth certificates translated into Spanish. After all of that, we had to go to the Immigration department in downtown Montevideo, for our final approval.

We were then, issued our National Identity card or Cedula as it is called here.

A Cedula is somewhat like a cross between a "Green Card", allowing you to legally work here and a USA Social Security Card. However, the identifying number on it is NOT a closely guarded secret like your SS card would be. So it is also, used as a general ID card, which it is. On the back of it, it states that we are legal residents. It has our thumb print and our place of birth, the State and the country in which we were born. I still, have to get used to the fact, that in Spanish the "USA" abbreviation letters, representing the United States of America are instead written as E.E.U.U. This card also has an expiration date.

On the front of the Cedula, it has my cedula ID number, my name printed out and my signature. It has my picture on it, taken by the Immigration department. The photo is somewhat like a Driver's license photo. The card is light green. It says, Direccion Nacional De Identificacion Civil (DNIC), on it.

A cedula is a very important card to have here, in this land of "red tape" and bureaucracy. Without this card, I would have to carry around my passport as many, facets of life, here are tied to having an ID number of some-kind. When I wanted to get a "points card" at the big supermarket here, they asked for my ID card, a Cedula or Passport being the only ID numbers accepted. A Driver's license with your photo would not be accepted as an ID, which would be in the USA. When setting up customer accounts with a company your Cedula is asked for. When we were buying lots of lights for our house remodel, the lighting store asked for our Cedula number. When you use your credit cards like MasterCard or Visa you have to write either your Passport number or your Cedula number on the credit slip. Your identity is really tied to this number and people keep files on you. This is a scary image for people from the US but it is just the way it is here.

As an example, on how well this system works, I'll mention what happened yesterday. When I paid our car insurance premium, (back in August) at a general pay center, I wasn't given a windshield sticker to put on my car showing that I had insurance, since the girl was new. Normally, Wally pays this, so I was "new" as well, to the routine. Wally realized yesterday, that I didn't have a sticker on the car. He went into the pay-center (this month of February) and explained that we were lacking the sticker. They asked to see his Cedula and then using the computer and his cedula number, they saw that a sticker hadn't been scanned out and assigned to us. They gave an insurance sticker to him "right then and there" (after scanning it).

A cedula card has an expiration date on it, unlike a Social Security Card. For foreigners like us, it expires every 3 years! Since it is a National Identity card, even Uruguayans have to apply and get a card. Children as well as adults have their own numbered cedula (ID card). For a native Uruguayan until the age of 21, a child has to get a new card every 5 years. After the age of 21, a native Uruguayan's cedula's expiration date is every 10 years, until they reach 70 years old. Then the card doesn't expire until they do, literarily!

Yesterday, Wally and I went down to the DNIC or Direccion National De Identification Civil office and renewed our 3 year cedula. The office closest to us is located in a shopping mall!

   In preparation for our cedula renewal we had to first, make an appointment. We did this last month as you are not allowed to schedule this appointment too far in advance of your expiration date. It may take several weeks to get an appointment date available, so a whole month ahead of time should be planned on. You can make an appointment by telephone by looking up the government office. However, unless your Spanish is excellent, this can lead to miscommunication, so that was not an option for us. You can get an appointment online (clicking this link will take you there) but you need a Debit card PIN code number from an ATM to pay for it and you need to have online banking capabilities in place before hand. Santander, Banred, Banco Republica, Antel, Abitab and Redpagos can all be done online. We found the online route "okay", then realized, we had never, "set up", our online bank account (ability) yet, so Wally exited that program. Finally, just like in the book, "Goldilocks and the three bears", we found a solution just right for us! We made our appointment,  in-person, by going to our trusty Abitab center (or a RedPagos center would do) We simply went to the counter and said to the girl "Necesitamos obtenir nosotros cedula renovación" All of those words are so close to English that you can figure them out and possibly memorize them. The woman behind the counter took it from there. It was so easy having her do all the work!  The only thing she asked us was, what day/date did we want to show up on. She asked us to choose (a date) by using a list of available appointments. We were allowed to peek at the computer and see the list of what available times (day and hour)  were empty. We were allowed to book the two of us, at the same time, on the same appointment day. You just let them know how many people you want on the appointment. She asked, if we wanted the appointment at Géant.

Géant is like a Walmart store. The shopping mall, where the DNIC office is located in, is known locally by that store's name.





It cost us about $145 pesos each, at the time of our making that appointment. That includes the cedula price and any charges by the center. You will be given a receipt and an 8x10 paper with the date and time of your appointment on it, stamped that you are paid up! Guard this reservation paper!

Second, before your appointment day arrives, go to the main Montevideo Immigration building shown in the picture (remember, this is where you originally went 3 years ago). That office is near the port and banking area (old town) on Missiones (street/calle) You are there to buy a, "Certificado de Llegado". That is a legal certificate saying you live here. That is the only paper and documentation you need. Nothing else needs to be legalized or translated. In case any problems arise, it is best to get this certificate before your scheduled appointment date. Go to the front desk, (for Tramites ) no number is needed for this line. Tell the clerk that you want to Renovación (renew) your cedula. This desk, then gives you a number. Sit or stand and wait for your number to show up on the large TV screen. It will post your number and show what number window to go to. When you go to that window or desk they will ask for your address. Take an electric bill or something else that shows your address. They write the address down, then they send you to the cashier to pay. Wally and I each needed to buy our own certificates. The cost was a total of he two certificates was $228 pesos or $114 for each one. After paying at the cashier, you wait near until they call your name and you approach that desk.That desk gives you your certificate right then and there! The certificate is very official looking! Keep all receipts!

Third, on the day of your appointment go to the Géant mall, if you booked that location. Stay on the main level.  There are benches in front of the door to the office, in the mall corridor, grab a seat. It's not worth arriving too early before your appointment time. You are not allowed to get in line, until your scheduled time!!!


The office doesn't open until 3 o'clock or 15:00. The last group scheduled is at 7:50pm or 19:50 hrs. The office closes at 9 o'clock (21 hrs).  Our appointment (for the two of us) was at 15:40. We quickly realized that, that was not our exclusive time slot  but was a group slot. About 12 people will have that time slot.

A man will call at the door for the 3:10 /15:10 group (the starting group) then 12 people, in that time slot, will enter the office and check in. You will show your 8x10 appointment letter reservation with the stamp and receipts that you have payed. You (and the 12 or so other people in that slot) will take a seat in front of a large TV screen. You will wait for your Cedula number to show up on the screen and a window number. You see how unsecured your number is!!! The rest is easy!

 When you see your cedula number and window number displayed go to that desk area and show your certificate that you brought with you, of where you live, the certificado de llegado which surprisingly doesn't show your address! (It just says you live in this country) So tell the person your address, he will ask for it. I always keep it written down on a scrap of paper. Then he takes your thumb print and your picture (so show up looking good). He asks what you do for a living or your workplace information, I said, "I'm retired" and I am a "ama de casa" or a housewife. That was good enough. The one helping me was great! He even said that we were neighbors because he lived in Salinas which is next to my community. He spoke a little English and we hummed to the Beatles song which was playing. After taking my picture he showed it to me and said how nice I looked it it! Then he handed me some paper towels and directed me to a sink where I could wash the ink off of my thumb. He said I might have to wait another 10 minutes to receive my cedula I was to wait with a group of people leaning along the back wall, until my name was called . I waited about 5 minuites. They called my name and I received my new, laminated cedula card good for another 3 years!

The cedula renewal process is easy! Everyone in the country whether Native or foreign born has to do it.  So you don't feel like you are being picked on because you were not born here.

After getting our cedula s, since we were in a mall, we went into a store and bought some cat-food that was on special (oferta), 4 bags for the price of 3. Then we treated ourselves to an ice cream cone.

Here's some "on the cheap" advice. There's a special on at the McDonald's ice cream Stand. Our cones only cost $35 pesos each. The cones were filled with ice-cream from Lapataia, the dairy farm in Punta del Este. The ice cream is not the normal McDonald artificial stuff and the cones came with a chocolate covered cookie stick. What's more they were filled with dulce de leche, of course! Not bad for $35p.

All in all, it's nice to have our identities intact again!