Customs schmustoms

Last week Santo and I embarked on a trip to the Dominican Republic for the purchase of some solar panels (yay solar!) however we only made it about an hour and a half out when we were stopped by a customs agent in Terrier Rouge, outside of Limonade. He waived me in politely, asked for our paperwork for the car and then came back out to ask us to come inside. He told us that the tax we paid on the car was incorrect due to the fact that the base price of the car was incorrect, or something like that. He said he would keep the car and that we needed to drive to a town called Ouanaminthe which is the border town, to find out how much we owed-pay it, then come back and get the car. I wondered out loud how I could do this with no vehicle and he calmly replied that he thought most people called their friends but that he was unsure as he spent most of his time in the office. He then left us to find a ride home. Thank goodness for Sharon Barefoot our good friend and nurse at St. Franciose who came to the rescue (in the ambulance and all.)

Fast forward to a week later and hiring a new translator who happens to have a friend at the police station who said he would look into things for us. He is a wonderful man who traveled with me out to Terrier Rouge today to see about getting the car back but sadly we made no progress. I am still unsure if there was really an issue with the paperwork or if this is a way to create revenue for certain people but it is frustrating and annoying to say the least. I miss the car (that we finally had fixed so I didn’t have to jump it each time I turned it on) and I miss being able to go places (like helping the ladies to the market or hiding out at the Christophe to get some emailing done). Besides letting out a string of words that would make most people blush after finding out we wouldn’t be making it to the DR, I wished for the first time since I have been here, that I was back at home where at least I know what to expect.

Please don’t feel too sorry for me though, there are still people who can’t eat daily and I am healthy and well.