A trip to the bank

Many times, people ask us “So what did you do today?” I love the days when I can give a good answer to that question, saying something to the extent of “Well, let me tell you about all the amazing and helpful things I did today!” Today was not one of those days. Today, I went to the bank.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Wow, we spend all kinds of money to get our people in these foreign countries and all they can manage to accomplish in one day is a trip to the bank. And is that REALLY helping anything?” On some days, I would agree with you. At times, I appear to be amazingly unproductive, but I came to realize today that there is frequently a reason behind my lack of productivity.

I went to the bank this morning with three things to accomplish: to make a withdrawal, to exchange some dollars to pounds, and to check on a money transfer. I left for the bank at 9 am and made the 10-minute bike ride into town.

The exchange went easily and without a hitch, as I knew it would because the exchange was the only part of the trip to the bank that was not my responsibility. I was simply doing it for a teammate while I was there. That is something I have learned since coming to Africa…if you want something to go smoothly, have someone else do it. If you do it, it will inevitably go horribly awry.

Anyway, I have learned something about waiting lines since coming to Africa also. Here, they are more akin to jumbles of mass chaos. Waiting lines are not based on who arrived first. Rather, waiting lines are based on perceived priority…which boils down to the “me first” concept. As I was shuffled from counter to counter in order to get my tasks accomplished, I continually ended up in the waiting line and kept getting instructed by everyone else in line that I should just go ahead and find my way to the end of the line. I was finally able to get everything settled only after everyone else had finished their business and I was the only customer left in the bank.

By the end of the trip to the bank, I was told that unfortunately, the money transfer had not yet gone through. As this has been a tricky process, I knew that was likely. I was then instructed to visit two other neighboring banks, because it’s possible the money ended up there. And for my third task, I was finally told that they didn’t have enough US dollars in the bank for me to make a withdrawal today. I should come back Monday. So, deciding that Monday is going to be another “bank day”, I headed home with one of my three tasks accomplished. After another short bike ride, I made it home shortly before noon—my entire morning gone.

I think the thing I have been learning most in the last few months is the importance of patience, waiting, doing things deliberately, and being content with small successes. Back in the states, I would have considered a trip to the bank a simple errand, one that would be finished in a matter of minutes at a drive-thru…at least less than an hour if I had to walk in. Now, a completely successful trip to the bank is a major feat…a fabulous accomplishment…something to be written down in the record books. Things take longer, and things do not go as we anticipate, but we quickly learn to adapt and roll with it, or we go crazy instead. So, I will be heading back to the banks on Monday. We’ll see how it goes then.

I met a friend at the bank. Maker (our friend who we met first in Virginia last February!) was finally finishing his business at the bank after his third day in a row of coming to get things arranged. He was frustrated and ready to be done, so as he packed up his things and left, he handed me some money and said, “Go get yourself some sodas. If this is your first day here, you’re going to need them!” And then he left, smiling confidently, his task finally accomplished. So maybe irritation makes us more generous when we do finally see those small successes. I will have to remember that if and when I finally succeed with my current tasks.