small achievement
Today I went to the bank. So? you ask, what's so great in that? well, give me a chance here, what I wanted to say, was that I went to the bank by myself! I usually dragged dear, dear Ayumi. You would imagine that after having been here for more than six months I'd have learned banking by now. But you cannot imagine what terror would strike me numb and make me start babbling like a baboon when that dreaded bill would arrive in the post. (Question - do baboons really babble?) Anyway, petrified of wiring all my moolah to a Mr Yamamoto san somewhere in the dark recesses of the Tokyo Concrete jungle, I decided that being thought a moronic dumbass fool was a far better option.
So, scared of pulling a disappearing act on my money, I never braved attempting the banking daredevilry. Until today! : ) I sucessfully took out money from the ATM, paid my telephone bill, wired rent money to my landlord and updated my passbook! And I am very proud of my small achievement!
The rest of this blog I shall dedicate toward describing some aspects of the banking system here for friends back home...
Usually, when you enter through the door there is a chorus of "irrashai" -or something of the sort- one after the other the bank tellers greet customers without looking up from their work. Of course when leaving, there would be a corresponding string of sing-song arigato gozaimases. Or in Tokyo greeting customers would be the job of the security guard. One can't but feel sympathy for the guards, this is the job they have to do, stand and shout a greeting to each and every customer entering the facility who in turn obviously ignored the greeting. And with the almost non-existent crime scene one can imagine what the guards have to suffer.
Such is civilization. And the level of courtesy is unbelievable. Back home its nearly an attempt at suicide if you spent a little more time at the ATM than the next person's patience demands. But here people give in the papers/money/whatever to the teller in little orange trays, sit down at the waiting sofas and then wait til the teller would call the name ever so politely; poof! in 2 mins your work is done and you are out of the bank with arigato gozaimases trialling behind you. Efficiency. That's the name of the game that lacking in India.
I shall now return to my perpetual day dream...
So, scared of pulling a disappearing act on my money, I never braved attempting the banking daredevilry. Until today! : ) I sucessfully took out money from the ATM, paid my telephone bill, wired rent money to my landlord and updated my passbook! And I am very proud of my small achievement!
The rest of this blog I shall dedicate toward describing some aspects of the banking system here for friends back home...
Usually, when you enter through the door there is a chorus of "irrashai" -or something of the sort- one after the other the bank tellers greet customers without looking up from their work. Of course when leaving, there would be a corresponding string of sing-song arigato gozaimases. Or in Tokyo greeting customers would be the job of the security guard. One can't but feel sympathy for the guards, this is the job they have to do, stand and shout a greeting to each and every customer entering the facility who in turn obviously ignored the greeting. And with the almost non-existent crime scene one can imagine what the guards have to suffer.
Such is civilization. And the level of courtesy is unbelievable. Back home its nearly an attempt at suicide if you spent a little more time at the ATM than the next person's patience demands. But here people give in the papers/money/whatever to the teller in little orange trays, sit down at the waiting sofas and then wait til the teller would call the name ever so politely; poof! in 2 mins your work is done and you are out of the bank with arigato gozaimases trialling behind you. Efficiency. That's the name of the game that lacking in India.
I shall now return to my perpetual day dream...
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