There is a Very Tall Building Some Where...

...in Mexico that is filled from the basement to the upper most floor with copies of forms official forms ;). Anything that is official, should or could be official, wants to be official, or even looks a bit official and you most certainly will need at least 3 copies of said forms :). I have asked my Mexican friends, especially my hermanita Martha who is always dealing with different departments in the government where oh where do all these copies go. Their response is always the same, a shoulder shrug followed by an eye roll and an I don't know. This just goes to prove my theory: there is a huge building somewhere in Mexico full of all the copies and carbons of all the forms that must be submitted in multiples. :)

Once a year we must renew our visas. We have FM3 visa. If you come to visit you fill out a tourist visa good for up to 6 months. Our FM3s are renew once a year, at that time we take copies of our current FM3s US passports copies of our last 3 bank statements, electric bill and any other papers they might think they want to see. Everything goes to the immigration office in triplicate, along with a letter of request to renew our visas for another year. You pay the required fee at the bank, which issues a... you got it a copy of your payment :) That you take back to immigration and present the whole packet to the clerk who looks it over if they approve they stamp the date your renewed visas will be ready for you to pick up (usually 2-3 weeks in the future) When it's ready you pick it up and you are good for another year.

The date written on ours for pick up is the 23rd of this month. But I am still no closer to finding an answer to "Where do all the copies go??"

Sorry can't help myself I just had to share this little elfin picture with you :)

Have a most audacious today or tomorrow my bloglandian friends depending on where in the world you are ;)