I finally got the employment application inked today and ready to send off. It took a while because it was all in Spanish, asked for lots of very odd information, and had boxes so small to write in that I had to carefully do the whole 4 page application once in pencil first just to make sure everything would fit. Apparently the application form is available on-line and can be submitted electronically, but interestingly the part of the ITESM website where the application is (as well as all the ITESM job postings) is password protected and open only to students and alumni.

I received my diploma and birth certificate translations from Diana yesterday (and fortunately they came in cheap at $34 because the birth certificate was very simple and the diploma was just a reprint and re-stamp of the translation she did for me in November) so I thought I’d be able to get the required two photos taken, make the passport and visa copies and mail everything off today. But then I realized the consulate still has my visa. I left it with them along with the menaje de casa inventory and won’t pick it up until tomorrow. So I couldn’t FedEx the paperwork today, but I did make all of the other copies ($2.94) and get the photos taken ($14 for four; I decided it was a good bet I’d need a couple more somewhere along the way). I’ll send everything tomorrow.

I also drafted a letter giving Robin permission to drive the car in Mexico and another giving her permission to bring Enid in and out of the Mexico without me and had both letters notarized ($10 each). The first letter is because even though Robin’s name is on the title along with mine, the car importation permit is in my name and she and I have different last names. So if she ever got pulled over while driving without me there’s some possibility that the authorities might give her grief Whether said grief would be mitigated by a letter written in English and notarized in the USA is open to question, but under such dire circumstances it would at least be worth a try. The second letter is just in case Robin needs to take a trip back to the U.S. without me at any point in the coming year. Mexican law says one parent traveling alone with a child is supposed to have written permission from the other parent before entering Mexico. Apparently the law is only patchily enforced, but getting ourselves stuck on opposite sides of the border is not something we want to risk.

I got an email today from Gloria, one of the administrative staff at the med school, regarding their efforts to get me a Social Security number and a CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población), which is some kind of national identification number. They are apparently going to get these numbers for me, which is awesome. I’m sure it is going to save me from heaps of tedious paperwork and standing in line at crowded government offices. After my unpleasant experience with the faceless bureaucrats of the INM it’s good to know that there’ll at least be some accountability among the people I’ll actually be working with.