Bureacracy TLC

Over the last few months, I have spent innumerable hours at the USCIS office getting finger-printed, eyeball-scanned and photographed. Such are the trials and tribulations of citizenship application.

So it's fair to say, I suppose, that over the last few months I have grown quite accustomed to the ways of the USCIS. And I feel the bursting desire to announce, with fond twangings of the heart, that I hold the USCIS right up there with the USPS as two of my favourite bureaucracies in the whole world.

You think I jest? Seriously - have you walked in to a USPS branch recently? They are always so lovely. It's all "yes, dear", "of course we can do that for you", "let's try to take care of that as quickly as we can, shall we, dear?". Nothing like a bit of TLC. Especially when it comes at exactly the right moment, after you've been standing in the USPS line for 20 minutes and are exasperated to the end of your tether.

The USCIS has somewhat the same feel (not just the comfortingly drab grey walls) - but the feeling of TLC. I think I've finally put my finger on it. Large governmental bureacracies breed complacency. And I don't mean complacency in a bad way, but more as a culture that actually allows people to take the time to be nice to each other.

Go on, give it a try. Go to the FedEx store and be taken care of with sharp efficiency in three minutes by a person who is so focused on the task that they barely look at you. Then go to the USPS branch and wait in line for twenty minutes, and finally reach the counter and get asked, "hello dear, how are you today?!". You'll see what I mean about feel-good bureacracy.

I could be slightly biased of course. After all, the kind lady with the lovely smile at the USCIS office today gave me a free booklet on US Civics (complete with pictures and all) so I can study for the citizenship test when it comes.

I'm jumping into US Civics with a degree of alacrity I rather failed to muster during my highschool days. Studying isn't my forte per se. But I'll be darned if I disappoint those lovely people at the USCIS by failing the test.