Thankfulness

I found out this week that I should have applied for a Social Security Number when I first arrived but somehow I didn't realise that. I got paid and that's what's important of course so I never thought much of it. Apparently I now have to file income taxes, for which I will need an SSN#. So yesterday afternoon I took a trip over to the social security office in Wheaton. What an experience! When I arrived I got my number (A84) and since it was standing room only, found a spot by the wall to hang. After waiting a few minutes they finally called the next number - A34! Needless to say, I spent a little while at the SS office yesterday afternoon. Fortunately I had a book to help pass the time. It was a neat experience though. When I first arrived I was one of two white people in the entire office. I heard at least 4 or 5 different languages being spoken. And I was really impressed with how patient both the employees and the clients were. It could have been total chaos and you could tell that people were tired of waiting, but everyone was so civil and respectful. There were a couple of families who came in and didn't speak english but others who were waiting helped translate. For one man who spoke only Spanish (which isn't uncommon here) and another family who looked like they were North African (I have no idea what language they spoke but there was a woman waiting in the office who was able to translate). It was really cool to see these people working together and helping each other out when you know they must be so tired and annoyed. After more than a 2 hour wait my number was finally called. I went up and very nicely, the woman told me that in addition to my visa and my passport, I also needed a supporting letter from my sponsoring agency (which I did not have). Not at all surprised, I'm now waiting for this letter so I can head back to Social Security to wait once again. Frustrating, but it was really humbling to walk in the shoes of my clients. They face this daily when trying to access services to meet their needs. It really is incredible what people have to go through in order to survive.