In France the adage is “I think therefore I am”. In Argentina it’s “I have an ID card therefore I am”. We submitted our application for ID cards a year last May, but the government here has contracted out the service to the lowest bidder, and we all know what that means. There are an unimaginable number of things that one cannot do without an ID number in Argentina, they ask for it every time we try and use a credit card, or make a doctor’s appointment, or fill in any sort of form, or receive any services in our name, or register our child for anything. Passports are just about acceptable, except that the UK passport handily has one digit more than an Argentinean ID card, which either sends computer systems into flat spin, or lops off the end digit, giving us the same “unique” number as some other unknowing Argentinean who clearly isn’t us. Hence it was with great joy this week that we have finally collected our ID cards, known as “DNI” or simply “el documento”.
This week’s tricky question… What does a muslim in Finland do if Ramadam falls in June? I asked Martin, and he said;- “so that’s what your mind is doing when you’re quiet…”, which hardly strikes me as a comprehensive answer. So if anyone out there knows, please share.