#bd911

when I was getting all of the paperwork ready in order to get my DL, the DMV (MVD??) required my birth certificate. my mother brought with her a copy that was printed in English, assuming that the clerk would actually want to read it. once we finally got to the window the clerk emphatically stated that I needed the original and that I would not be able to get my license without it. we returned the next day with the original Mandarin Chinese birth certificate. clerk was confused but accepted the unreadable document, and I became a licensed driver. this happened when I was enrolling in high school as well. front desk staff wouldn't accept a copy. mother brought in original. "Well, what am I supposed to do with this??" "You asked for the original." senior year, when I started applying for college, I was required to prove that I was, in fact, a United States citizen. post 9/11 and the creation of Homeland Security, files/documents weren't transferred or whatever and according to them I was a 'legal alien'.