Just in Case...

Walking to Receita Federal
Originally uploaded by Blue Dragonfly Girl

...you were worried that with my registration with the federal police completed there was nothing left on my to-do list outside my internship, you can cease worrying. Really that was just one piece of the scavenger hunt, which I do believe the country of Brazil has constructed in order to help foreigners orient themselves to their new cities.

Of course, I didn't realize that before I came here. Yes, I was aware that I had to register, but I didn't bother to ask what that entailed and the Brazilian consulate in Houston believed that a simple line in my visa advising me about this would suffice. I had this assumption (yes, I know, don't make assumptions) that I'd just show up, say "hi" to the police, they'd take a cursory glance at my passport, note my name down and that would be the end of it.

Ha!

As y'all may know, that wasn't the end of it. Indeed, I hadn't thought to bring the original copy of my visa application with me because I assumed that the pretty visa pasted into my passport would get me everywhere I needed to go (again, I know, don't make assumptions). So I left the application at home with my boyfriend.

I was wrong.

I wish I had been right because then I could have gotten this whole process started my first week here instead of during the beginning of my internship.

As luck would have it, my friend Estrela was flying back to PoA and in the nick of time my boyfriend was able to deliver the visa application and a copy of my birth certificate (gotta be able to show who my parents are) to her to bring to me here.

Phew. Thank you to my boyfriend and thank you to Estrela!

So once I had my papers in order, I got my registration over with in a mere 4 hours.

However, no rest for the weary. The next day I went to the Banco do Brasil (Bank of Brazil) for Step No. 2 in the process: getting my CPF number!

Basically this is like an American social security number. I had tried to obtain this number prior to registering with the police, but was sent away. Clearly this constitutes proof that this is a scavenger hunt - you have to progress one step at a time in order to get all the required clues to bring you to the next step.

So, yesterday, armed with a passport stamped by the police (and a stamped slip of paper, bookmark-size) and proof of residence (thank you A.!) I went to Banco do Brasil.

As usual I bumbled through security (my bag always sets off alarms) and confused the guards. I grabbed a ticket and waited for my number to be called.

Luckily, I had grabbed the right ticket! (The first time in the Banco do Brasil, I'd gone to one desk after waiting 20 minutes only to be given another number and told to wait some more).

The guy was friendly and began rapidly entering my information. "Ok, ok," he said, "Just one more thing...maybe it'll be here."

He opened my passport.

"Nope," he said, "Not there. I need something with the name of your parents."

"Uh..." I said. I wanted to smack myself on the forehead because I hadn't thought to bring my copy of my birth certificate with me.

"Well, we can do it this way," he said, "How about you just tell me their names?"

"I can do that!" I said, "How about I write them down?"

Phew! Obstacle surmounted.

He collected some money from me (just a few dollars) printed out a receipt and said, "Ok, you're done."

I was thrilled.

"Now starting tomorrow afternoon," he added, "You have to go to the Receita Federal to finish the process."

"I can't go today?" I said. I had taken the afternoon off my internship to go the World Social Forum and was trying to fit these "errands" in so I didn't have to take any more time off.

"Nope, tomorrow."

Sigh...."My God, they're going to think I'm such a slacker," I thought and was very relieved to discover later on Google Maps that the address was actually relatively close to my internship.

---

So today, I set out at 11:30 AM to walk to the next step in my Scavenger Hunt: Receita Federal.

It only took a half hour for me to get there and I confirmed with the guard that I was indeed at the right location (there was nothing written on the building).

I went to the information desk. They directed me to another room. I waited in line and then was given a CPF number and told to go upstairs. There was a huge waiting room packed with people and a monitor listing numbers (not just CPF numbers, all sorts of other numbers - I have no idea what they were for).

There was also a TV playing the news with the volume just loud enough that you think you can understand the words, but you can't really. I sat and stared. Luckily the numbers were moving considerably faster then with the federal police.

It only took 30 minutes for them to reach my number: 67. I jumped up and strode as fast as I could to desk number 53. "Alo!" I said.

The man looked up and smiled. I handed him the stapled bundle of papers from the Banco do Brasil.

He asked for my passport. He looked up information and confirmed with me who I was, who my parents were and where I was living. He printed a piece of paper with my CPF, gave it to me, and said I could expect the actual card a really long time from now.

I was ecstatic. I made it back to my internship, having been gone only an hour and a half (the normal amount of time they take for lunch).

This CPF number is a pretty groovy part of my Brazilian scavenger hunt. With it I can do such exciting things as open a bank account, buy as many cell phones as I please AND, move onto Step No. 3 in the scavenger hunt: obtaining a Student ID card.

The student ID card will give me a 50% discount on buses among other things. Of course I actually have to be enrolled in the university to get this card and the semester doesn't begin until March. So, I have a little bit of time to spend just being happy that I exist somewhere in a Brazilian database...