MEDICINA, PARTE II Y LA TARJETA DE LOS TERCER EDADISTAS

I may have given the false impression several posts back, when we sailed merrily through the "CURP" process, that we were entitled to all the benefits of old age in Mexico. Not so. The next step was to make an appointment with INAPAM (don't ask, I have no idea) and bring originals, plus one copy of our passports, FM2s, birth certificates, CURP cards, and rental contract. The INAPAM card will get us senior discounts. It's a little like an AARP card in the US, but better: it's free, it's issued by a government agency, it provides discounted rates on buses and free admission to cultural heritage sites, among other benefits, and it does not expire until you do.

Our appointment was for today at 1:30. The office is located in the SEDESOL building, which is out by the soccer stadium, which is near the bus terminal, which is not a convenient or walkable location. Once again I forgot to bring names of references; once again we were asked for them. Poor Shelley. In case of accident, she'll get called. Just pretend you don't know what they're talking about, Shelley. At the end of the process, the young man behind the desk took our pictures for our new INAPAM cards (we may have to get special cases to carry all the cards we're getting).

When I saw how puffy my face looked, not to mention the wads of snotty tissues in my bag, I decided the previous medication was not working. So we went to the Farmacia francesa (francesa because 80 years ago there was a French laboratory there, I was told) and asked for something other than what we had. This is what we got. It's German and expensive. Hope it works.

One more bureaucratic process: to go to the nearest hospital with the same documents, more or less, and apply for (nearly) free health care, known as ISSSTE. Another acronym, another card.